Harriman Trail Receives Over $600,000

The Open Space Institute (OSI) has been awarded nearly $1 million in grants through New York State’s Regional Economic Development Councils (REDC) to complete significant projects at two of the state’s premier outdoor recreation destinations: most notably for Rockland, the popular Reeves Meadow Trail Network in Harriman State Park.

“We are grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and members of the REDC for their support of OSI’s longtime efforts to improve and expand parks and trails. These grants underscore the critical role outdoor recreation plays as an economic driver,” said Erik Kulleseid, OSI’s president and CEO. “Once completed, these projects will better welcome and orient visitors looking to enjoy New York’s unparalleled state parks and trail systems.”

Reeves Meadow Trail Network

OSI was awarded $675,000 through the Environmental Protection Fund Grant Fund Program for Parks, Recreation, and Heritage (EPF) to support improvements along 2.3 miles of trail between the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center and Pine Meadow Lake in Harriman State Park. Harriman attracts more than 1.4 million visitors annually, with the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center serving as the southern gateway into the park.

OSI’s $1.5M project includes resurfacing the trail, installing new wayfinding signage, improving drainage to prevent erosion and protect sensitive wildlife habitat, and rebuilding four pedestrian bridges damaged by Hurricane Irene in 2011. These efforts will bolster visitor safety, better safeguard the surrounding environment, and make the trail more accessible to visitors of all abilities.

Construction for the project is expected to begin in fall 2026 and conclude in fall 2027, with OSI managing the project in partnership with the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). OSI’s restoration of the trail will lay the groundwork for PIPC’s revitalization of the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center.

Additional support for the project was provided by Lucy R. Waletzky, M.D., Averell and Gigi Mortimer, and generous private donors.