Taconic State Park is located in Columbia and

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later or ...

abutting

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

and

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

within the

Taconic Mountains The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range () are a range of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western Vermont. ...

. The state park is located off

New York State Route 344 New York State Route 344 (NY 344) is a state highway located in Columbia County, New York, in the United States. The route is in length and serves primarily as an access road to the Bash Bish Falls state parks on both sides of the New ...

south of Interstate 90 and north of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. It features camping, hiking, bicycling, hunting, cross county skiing and other recreational opportunities.Taconic State Park
New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved December 27, 2008''South Taconic Range: Trail Guide and Map.'' Berkshire Natural Resources Council (2002). Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Also available online
; Retrieved December 27, 2008.

Overview

Taconic State Park is located within one of the largest unfragmented forests between

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

, an area of 14,400 (5,800 ha) contiguous acres of protected open space spanning three states and designated as one of America's "Last Great Places" by

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Nat ...

. The

South Taconic Trail The South Taconic Trail is a hiking trail in the Taconic Mountains of southwest Massachusetts and adjacent New York. The trail extends from Shagroy Road in Millerton, New York, north along the ridgecrest of the southern Taconic Range and the bor ...

and the

Harlem Valley Rail Trail The Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a paved rail trail on an abandoned portion of the New York and Harlem Railroad, north of the hamlet of Wassaic and easily accessible by train, one mile north of the start at the Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line ter ...

pass through the park. Bash Bish Falls, Massachusetts' most famous waterfall, is accessible via a short trail from the park.

Geography

Taconic State Park consists of three non-contiguous tracts: the Copake Falls Area, the northernmost section, located in Copake Falls; Rudd Pond Area, the southernmost section, located in the town of North East, and an unnamed, central third tract, located in

Ancram, New York Ancram is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,440 at the 2020 census,US Census Bureau, 2020 census, Ancram town, Columbia County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q= ...

. Taconic State Park, along with

Mount Everett State Reservation Mount Everett State Reservation is a public recreation area in the towns of Mount Washington and Sheffield, Massachusetts, that offers panoramic views of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York from the summit of Mount Everett. The reservation ...

Bash Bish Falls State Park Bash Bish Falls State Park is a Massachusetts state park located in the town of Mount Washington. The park is named after Bash Bish Falls, Massachusetts' highest single-drop waterfall (), which lies within its borders. The park is managed by the ...

Mount Washington State Forest Mount Washington State Forest is a state forest in the Mount Washington, Massachusetts. The forest conjoins with New York state and the state of Connecticut in the southern Taconic Mountains of the southwestern Berkshire region of Massachusett ...

, Mount Riga Forest Preserve, Mount Riga State Park, the protected

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

corridor, and properties managed by several land trusts including The Nature Conservancy, New York - New Jersey Trail Conference, and the

Berkshire Natural Resources Council The Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) is a non-profit land habitat conservation, conservation and Environmental policy, environmental advocacy organization formed in 1967 that protects and maintains more than 50 properties and of conserv ...

, form an interconnected of protected open space approximately wide by long spanning southwest Massachusetts, northwest Connecticut, and adjacent areas of New York. The Taconic State Park tracts are located on the west face of the South Taconic Range of Taconic Mountains and include the summits of Brace Mountain, , and the west faces of

Alander Mountain Alander Mountain is a prominent peak of the south Taconic Mountains; it is located in southwest Massachusetts and adjacent New York. Part of the summit is grassy and open and part is covered with scrub oak and shrubs; the sides of the mountain ...

, Sunset Rock, and Mount Fray.

Recreation

Both the Copake Falls and Rudd Pond areas offer camping and swimming. Amenities include cabin rentals, life guards, and interpretive programs in season. Hunting is also allowed in the park, in season. Trailheads are located on Rudd Pond Road and Quarry Hill Road (at the southern terminus of the South Taconic Trail) in North East; on Undermountain Road in Ancram; and on Falls Road, Valley Road, and Sunset Rocks Road in Copake Falls. Bash Bish Falls is located in Massachusetts, across the border from the Copake Falls Area and accessible via a short path from the trailhead in New York. The Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a paved bicycle and pedestrian path, partly completed, that will run from Wassaic to

Chatham, New York Chatham is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 4,104 at the 2020 census, down from the 2010 census. The town has a village also called Chatham on its southern town line. The town is at the northern border of ...

. of the trail have been completed; trailheads within Taconic State Park are located at the Copake Falls Area and at Undermountain Road in Ancram. The South Taconic Trail runs the western ridgecrest of the South Taconic Range, paralleling the Appalachian Trail which runs along the east ridgecrest of the same range; the trail features

bald Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body. Typically at least the head is involved. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body. Inflammation or scarrin ...

s with views spanning the

Hudson River Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to Yo ...

. It runs along the east side of the park at the state border and ridgecrest and descends to Bash Bish Falls. The Appalachian Trail is located east of the Copake Falls Area.

Mount Frissell Mount Frissell, , which straddles the border of southwest Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut, is a prominent peak of the Taconic Range. Frissel's south slopes include the highest point in Connecticut. Frissell's summit and the majority of i ...

, the highest point in

, is accessible from the central tract trailhead in Ancram. The Alander Mountain Trail and Mount Frissel Trail link the Appalachian Trail to the Copake Falls Campground and South Taconic Trail. The trails at Rudd Pond are not yet integral to the rest of the trail system. but a connection is in the works

Copake Falls area

This section of Taconic State Park is located on

, and offers several different attractions for the visitors. The park is open all around the year, with hours of sunrise to sunset and can change due to weather. The park hosts a campground, which is only open from May to December, and a cabin area, which is open year-round, with access to nearby skiing areas. The Copake Falls area of the park services several different attractions. These include a beach for swimming, a wading pool, cabins, camping sites, hiking trails, the Iron Works Museum, a visitor center, picnic tables, scenic overlooks, snowmobiling trails, waterfalls, biking trails, playground equipment, fishing and hunting, a pavilion for parties and picnicking, and winter activities such as cross-country skiing. The primary swimming site is a flooded ore pit on the western side of the park. The hamlet of Copake Falls (formerly Copake Iron Works), just outside the park, was an iron mining and smelting center during the 19th century and several smaller ore pits dot the vicinity. A portion of the former New York Central Railroad right-of-way that runs through Copake Falls has been converted into a paved bike path that winds through forest and farmland south of the town.

Rudd Pond area

Rudd Pond area is in the northeast corner of Dutchess County, New York. The park is located in the town of North East, near the border of Connecticut, north of the village of Millerton. The park offers a beach, picnic tables, a playground, hiking, deer hunting, fishing, a boat launch, a campground with tent and trailer sites, and ice skating.

References

External links

Nature Conservancy overview of the South Taconic RangeThe Harlem Valley Rail Trail
* New York - New Jersey Trail Conference
New York State Parks: Taconic State Park – Copake Falls Area

Friends of Taconic State Park

New York State Parks: Taconic State Park - Rudd Pond Area

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference: Taconic State Park details and trail information
{{authority control State parks of New York (state) Taconic Mountains Parks in Dutchess County, New York Parks in Columbia County, New York Museums in Columbia County, New York Industry museums in New York (state) North East, New York