This New York Riverfront Property Is Home To The State's Newest State Park
By Christy Articola|Published February 16, 2023
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Christy Articola
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Christy Articola has lived in Colorado since 2013 and considers herself a Centennial State enthusiast and expert through and through. She's based in Denver metro, but over the past decade, she has traveled to every corner, river, village, park, town, and city in the state and continues to explore it deeper and further whenever she can. Christy simply can't get enough of Colorado, and loves sharing all her adventures with you through Only In Your State! She graduated with a degree in journalism from Fordham University and is thrilled to be working as a full time travel writer for this and other sites - she finally found her perfect niche - and is so grateful for that.
If you’re looking for a fun adventure and day trip this weekend, you should drive to Kingston to check out New York’s newest state park. This park is a 508-acre park that is currently open to the public but which is also still under construction as of the time of this post; much of the park is already in use, but other parts are not yet complete and accessible. Still, there’s plenty to see and do at this park, and you can be one of the first people to enjoy it! Read on to learn more about it.
This park is already very special. Scenic Hudson obtained the land in 2019 and transferred it to the state. A development firm intended to build 1,600 homes on the property.
Scenic Hudson is a non-profit that works to protect as much of the Hudson River and the land around it for posterity. It's wonderful that they were able to save and protect this land for public use.
Today, the park includes 260 acres of forested hills and 37 acres of wetlands.
Long ago, this property was used for ice harvesting and brick making. Later, it was used for cement production. Some of the old buildings that were used by these industries still stand on the park land.
There are also two quarries here that were used for brick and cement production. They've since flooded. On the park map, they are now named Quarry Lake and Lost Lake.
There are more than 17 unique habitats in this state park including woods, wetlands, cliffs, and others.
The views of the Hudson are the park's biggest draw, though. You can see beautiful vistas like this one shown here if you do a little hiking. The park includes more than a mile of Hudson River shoreline.
The park was dedicated by New York governor Kathy Hochul on February 28, 2022. At that time, the name of the park was revealed. It's named for suffragette and abolitionist Sojourner Truth who was born in nearby Esopus.
Since then, New York State Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation has been hard at work developing the park for pubic use. There are a number of trails for visitors to enjoy. The Hudson River Brickyard Trail already passed through this area.
You'll love exploring this state park. As more and more of it opens to the public, there will be even more sections to visit. You might as well get started now!
Sojourner Truth State Park is a wonderful addition to New York’s incredible collection of state parks and public lands. You and your family will love visiting this park and getting up-close-and-personal with the Hudson River, its adjacent ecosystems, and the history found here. Plan your first visit today. It surely won’t be your last!
