OSI Project Will Make Trail A 'True Centerpiece' Of Fahnestock Park

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — The Open Space Institute is starting the final job in their multi-year improvement project for Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park — construction of a 65-foot pedestrian bridge along the Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail, which has a signature network of bridge crossings in an underused section of the park.

"Fahnestock State Park is a remarkable destination, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and offering great trails and open spaces," Peter Karis, OSI’s vice president of parks and stewardship, told Patch. "OSI’s work in this section of Fahnestock is helping to make a largely inaccessible section of this amazing park a true centerpiece, making the park more welcoming while better dispersing visitors to protect the region’s trails and precious natural resources."

The new bridge will complete the first small loop along the Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail, providing a safer, sturdier route for pedestrians to cross one of the park’s picturesque streams.

The OSI-led project will also fortify and stabilize that stream's bank, which was heavily eroded during Hurricane Irene in 2011. Along with fortifying the bank, OSI is replanting native plants and providing habitat for wetland animals, all while improving water quality downstream.

The $400,000 bridge construction and site improvement project began in September 2023 and is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year. The project is part of a 10-year, OSI-led initiative to improve visitor access to OSI-protected lands in the northern section of Fahnestock.

Since the 1990s, working in partnership with the State of New York, OSI has doubled the size of the park, bringing it to more than 14,000 acres of protected woodlands, valleys, and plateaus.

"OSI’s work over the past decade has helped accommodate the growing number of people coming to explore Fahnestock State Park," Karis said. "In addition to more than doubling the size of Fahnestock, OSI’s park improvement work is giving the public new, safe, and enjoyable opportunities to connect with nature."

The work is being completed by OSI in partnership with New York State Parks and Friends of Fahnestock and Hudson Highlands State Parks. OSI is leading the construction and project management, with park staff providing the necessary permits and additional materials. FoFHHSP received a $50,000 grant from the Freeman Trust towards the project. The work is also being supported by New York New Jersey Trail Conference volunteers.

"Funding from the grant is creating a beautiful bridge across a beautiful stream at one of the most important trail intersections in the Fahnestock State Park," said Hank Osborn, president of the Friends of Fahnestock & Hudson Highlands State Parks. "Collaboration between state agencies, non-profit organizations, and a foundation is proving that when partners work together towards a common vision, great things will happen."

As the project progresses, the public is reminded that the site is an active construction area and is asked to respect trail closures and stay clear of construction equipment.

This project follows OSI’s opening of the newly renovated Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail in 2022.

Parking for visitors to the Loop Trail is available at Hubbard Lodge off Route 9 just north of Route 301.

Through the two-year, $1.5 million project, OSI overhauled 9.5 miles of multi-use trails along the Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail to better accommodate walkers, hikers, runners, bikers, snowshoers, cross-country skiers and equestrian users.

The work included the construction of fourteen new pedestrian bridges and trail crossings, four of which were completed through an ongoing collaboration with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

"The Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail is a memorable destination, offering incredible views and improved access to vast and underutilized areas of Fahnestock State Park," State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. "I am grateful to the Open Space Institute for its continued work to improve the trail and help visitors to explore more of what Fahnestock has to offer."

Other completed projects in OSI’s multi-phase Fahnestock Improvement Plan included the creation of the new Big Woods Trailhead and 25-car parking area off Route 301; a second new trailhead and 15-car parking area that provides direct access to the Appalachian Trail; and the installation of park entry and wayfinding signage at Route 9 and Taconic State Parkway. The completed projects have provided welcoming gateways to the park and better dispersed visitors to the area, protecting the region’s hiking trails and precious natural resources.

SEE ALSO:

• Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail Reopens At Fahnestock
• West Point Cadets Design, Build Trail Bridge In Harriman State Park
• Colonel, Daughter Finish Trail Bridge Designed By West Point Cadets
• West Point Cadets Build 2nd Bridge In Fahnstock Park