Harriman State Park, located in Rockland and Orange counties, is the second-largest park in the parks system, with 31 lakes and reservoirs, 200 miles of hiking trails, two beaches, two public camping areas, a network of group camps, miles of streams and scenic roads, and scores of wildlife species, vistas and vantage points. Harriman State Park’s major facilities include Lakes Welch, Sebago, Tiorati and Silvermine, the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area, Sebago Cabins and Beaver Pond Campgrounds.

Group Camps:

Beginning in 1913, the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission built dozens of group camps throughout Harriman State Park to welcome the urban poor and provide them with hot meals and outdoor experiences. The Harriman Group Camps are the model upon which many group camping programs and sites throughout the world are based. The facilities at the camps, which are nestled in the woods next to the many lakes at Harriman State Park, consist of dining halls and recreation buildings, cabins and tent platforms, and waterfront facilities. Nature Centers offer environmental education programs designed to teach campers about the woods and instill in them a lifelong sense of wonder for the natural sciences.

For generations, the group camps have provided children and families with their first outdoor experiences. The camps are operated by a wide variety of organizations, from outdoor recreation clubs to not-for profits servicing homeless children and the disabled, from the surrounding New York and New Jersey area. The organizations are members of the Palisades Camping Association (PCA).