At , Lake Sebago, near Sloatsburg, is the largest

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in Harriman State Park in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

of New York. The name is Algonquian for "big water". It is located just south of Lake Kanawauke and is accessible via

Seven Lakes Drive Seven Lakes Drive is a north–south parkway located in the Hudson Valley region of New York in the United States. It extends for just under on a northeast–southwest alignment from an intersection with New York State Route 17 (NY 17) i ...

and the

Palisades Interstate Parkway The Palisades Interstate Parkway (PIP) is a limited-access highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The parkway is a major commuter route into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties in New York and Bergen County in New ...

. New Sebago Beach opened in the 1940s but closed in 2011 due to damage from

Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2011 ...

, and the picnic areas closed in 2012 due to

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

History

The lake was created in 1925 by the

Palisades Interstate Park Commission The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 by Governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the quarrying operations along the Palisades Cliffs of New Jersey. The Palisades, a Na ...

under William A. Welch by building a dam across Stony Brook. The lake filled the former site of Johnsontown—a logging settlement founded in the mid-1700s in the Stony Brook valley. By the early 1900s, Johnsontown was the largest mountain settlement in the western part of the Ramapos. In 1916–1917, the PIPC condemned the land on the grounds that the settlement was built on swampland ("the great Emmetfield Swamp"). Many homeowners resettled in nearby Sloatsburg. The PIPC took possession of the land and the homes, stores, school and church were torn down before the Stony Brook valley was flooded to create the new lake. Remnants of the Johnsontown sawmill are still visible to scuba divers.

Activities

The Lake, which is operated by the

, is surrounded by picnic lawns and play fields, and is popular with anglers fishing for bass, perch and sunfish. The lake has a hand boat launch and cabin camping. The

American Canoe Association The American Canoe Association (ACA) is the oldest and largest paddle sports organization in the United States, promoting canoeing, kayaking, and rafting. The ACA sponsors more than seven hundred events each year, along with safety education, ...

and the New York chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club have camps on the lake. The latter is named "Nawakwa", and dates to 1926, while the former, originally built for the Rogers Peet Company, was built in 1928 and was taken over by the ACA in 1933. In 1927, a camp was built for the employees of four New York City banks. In 1986, the camp was turned over to a concessionaire to offer cabin camping to the public. Also in 1927,

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

opened a camp which they used until 1961; its facilities, too, are presently available to the public. In 2021, Tentrr opened camping sights at the lake.

Beach closing

On August 27, 2011, Hurricane Irene passed over southern New York leaving the New Sebago Beach ruined and forcing its indefinite closure. The following year, on October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy devastated the picnic area around the beach forcing the rest of the park to close. Although two other swimming areas remain open, efforts continued in 2021 to reopen New Sebago Beach.

Photographs from Lake Sebago

Image:GreatBlueHeron.jpg, Great blue heron Image:CanadaGooseGosling.jpg, Canada goose with goslings Image:RecreationalKayaking.jpg,

Recreational kayak A recreational kayak is a type of kayak that is designed for the casual paddler interested in recreational activities on a lake or flatwater stream; they presently make up the largest segment of kayak sales. Comparison with other types of kay ...

ing Image:SailingCanoe.jpg, Canoe sailing

Citations

General and cited sources

* Myles, William J., ''Harriman Trails, A Guide and History'', The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, New York, 1999. * Smeltzer-Stevenot, Marjorie, ''Old Burying Grounds, Within Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks'', BookMasters, Inc., Ashland, Ohio, 1992.

External links

Lake Sebago Beach - New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
{{Authority control Harriman State Park (New York) Sebago Sebago