Ashokan Reservoir Promenade

June 2, ‎2024 – Olivebridge, NY

June 5, 2024 – Kingston, NY

Issue: Straightforward

Size: Roughly 5.8 miles – whole elevation acquire roughly 180 ft.

Route sort: Out and Again

Map: Ashokan Day Use Space

Ashokan Reservoir Promenade East Parking Lot: 27 B W S Rd, Kingston, NY 12401Room for 30 autos

Ashokan Reservoir Promenade West Parking Lot: Olivebridge, NY 12461Room for 20 autos

Moveable Bathrooms on website

No canine allowed

Please be suggested that there is no such thing as a tree cowl and you can be totally uncovered to the weather, together with the recent solar.

Overview:

Ashokan Reservoir, situated 14 miles west of the Metropolis of Kingston in Ulster County, was created in 1915 by the development of 5-1/2 miles of dams and dikes inside the Esopus Creek drainage. This 8,315 acre reservoir is a serious part of the Catskill System of the New York Metropolis Water provide. The reservoir is damaged into two basins by a dividing weir close to its middle. The Dividing Weir, pinches and separates the higher west basin from the decrease east basin.

Except for being a beneficial freshwater useful resource, the Ashokan Reservoir can also be an pleasing leisure website seeing about 75,000 native guests and vacationers yearly. The day use areas on the south facet of the reservoir characteristic spectacular views and pure magnificence.

There are some very particular guidelines and rules in place relating to the usage of the reservoir although. The reservoir is closely monitored to make sure that it isn’t contaminated, and guests must comply with particular pointers and guidelines to benefit from the space across the reservoir safely.

Take be aware that leisure customers of NYC DEP trails are required to intently observe utilization limitations and will incur fines for non-compliance with posted guidelines.

There is no such thing as a swimming allowed at Ashokan Reservoir.

A paved handicap accessible path alongside the southern fringe of the Ashokan Reservoir provides stunning views and a number of leisure alternatives. The trail is 2.9 miles a method and 5.8 roundtrip. The 2 parking areas are on both facet of the strolling path: one in Olivebridge, and the opposite in Kingston.

A tranquil space inside the Catskill Park and Catskill Forest Protect, it’s full of wildlife, majestic mountain peaks, and limitless alternatives for the outside lover. Guests can stroll, trip bikes, rollerblade, or cross-country ski within the wintertime. With a DEP Entry Allow, fishing is permitted on the reservoir.

Public entry to the Day Use Areas alongside the reservoir is supplied free of charge by the New York Metropolis Division of Environmental Safety (NYC DEP).

Historical past:

Ashokan, which means “Place of Fish” is aptly named given the leisure fishing alternatives for each coldwater and heat water fish that the reservoir supplies.

The Ashokan Reservoir was constructed between 1907 and 1915, by the New York Metropolis Board of Water Provide, by impounding the Esopus Creek. 1000’s of acres of farmland have been submerged. The impoundment lined twelve communities situated in a valley the place farming, logging, and quarrying prevailed. The world that turned the West Basin of the reservoir contained 504 dwellings, 9 blacksmith outlets, 35 shops, 10 church buildings, 10 colleges, seven sawmills and a gristmill. A number of of those communities have been re-established in close by areas. The dam was primarily constructed by native laborers, but additionally attracted an inflow of itinerant employees from exterior of the Hudson Valley, together with numerous Italian immigrants. Along with development, these laborers additionally did the job of razing many of the timber and buildings within the space. A police drive was shaped to maintain watch over the development website, which might later change into the New York Metropolis Division of Environmental Safety Police, an company that right now is charged with defending and preserving the New York Metropolis water provide system.

At over 8300 acres, it was the world’s largest on the time and the primary of six to be constructed within the Catskills between 1907 and 1965. It might maintain 122.9 billion gallons at full capability. Impressively, all of the water flows by gravity by way of greater than 100 miles of underground piping to achieve New York Metropolis. In sheer scale, ingenuity, and performance, the achievement was thought-about on a par with the constructing of the Panama Canal, which opened only one yr earlier.

In the present day, greater than a billion gallons of Catskills water reaches New York Metropolis per day.

After the September 11 assaults, the town and state determined to completely shut the spillway street to vehicular visitors as a safety precaution.

The closed roadway was become a muti-use pedestrian pathway referred to as the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade. The paved walkway supplies guests with panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains.

Stroll Overview:

Visiting the Catskills is all the time enjoyable and fairly scenic. Coping with some leg points, however nonetheless desirous to benefit from the outdoor, this place was excellent. For the reason that whole paved path is comparatively flat, it allowed me to log some miles with out the elevation. The surroundings is totally beautiful and on a gorgeous Sunday morning in June, there weren’t too many individuals on the promenade.

I visited the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade twice in three days and began from reverse ends on every go to.

On my first go to, I parked on the 5 Pines Parking Space on the West Basin entrance in Olivebridge. The out and again mileage was about 3.3 miles.

Once I was achieved, I additionally visited the Catskills Customer Middle which is about 10 miles away (15 minute drive) and climbed their hearth tower.

Once I returned three days later, I parked on the Frying Pan parking space in Kingston, on the East Basin entrance.

I’ll describe the 2 separate walks the way in which they have been achieved. You may select to do that stroll as an out and again, park a automobile at every finish, or do it as two separate walks.

From the Olivebridge Parking Space:

The western part of the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade is known as the Olivebridge Dam. This parking space is also called the 5 Pines Parking Space.

Proceed previous the retractable bollards to start your stroll alongside the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade West.

Indicators like this across the Ashokan Reservoir mark the websites of former communities that have been displaced or submerged by its development.

The paved path alongside the Olivebridge Dam supplies stunning views of the reservoir.

There are interpretive indicators unfold out alongside the promenade that element the Ashokan Reservoir’s historical past.

The promenade continues throughout a piece of the dam beneath which water will be launched into the Esopus Creek.

The Olivebridge Dam is the principle construction that types the Ashokan Reservoir by impounding water from the Esopus Creek. The dam is 4,650 toes lengthy. It’s 1,000-foot fundamental part is made from concrete and enormous blocks of Bluestone harvested from native quarries. Its two wings are made from earth tightly compacted round concrete cores.

Ashokan Excessive Level dominates the panorama on the western part of the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade.

The Slide Mountain Wilderness to the west of the promenade.

As you’re strolling on the promenade, go searching. Deer can typically be seen grazing on the grassy slope.

Benches are supplied for guests to take a relaxation and soak within the views.

This part of the promenade goes alongside the reservoir after which enters a wooded part passing a monument devoted to J. Waldo Smith, engineer of the New York Metropolis water provide system.

After a couple of mile from the 5 Pines Parking Space, there’s a street on the precise. Flip proper and comply with the street a brief distance as much as Winchell Hill

The historic monument was in-built 1908 as a whole bunch of employees constructed the dam, dikes, chambers and tunnels that might change into Ashokan Reservoir. It was constructed atop Winchell Hill, a excessive level within the neighborhood of the development and used as a triangulation tower to supply surveyors with an elevated and unimpeded view from which to take measurements.

On Nov. 11, 1908, the tower was devoted because the McClellan Monument. It was named after New York Metropolis Mayor George B. McClellan, who efficiently pushed for the development of Ashokan Reservoir, the Catskill Aqueduct, and the opposite reservoirs and infrastructure that comprise NY Metropolis’s Catskills Water Provide System.

In 1936, a memorial pill was added to the monument in reminiscence of J. Waldo Smith, the chief engineer for the Board of Water Provide, who directed development of the Catskill System.

Persevering with east alongside the promenade.

The Dividing Weir Bridge, which carries Reservoir Highway over Ashokan Reservoir.

The Dividing Weir, atop which Reservoir Highway crosses the reservoir, capabilities to abate sedimentation that periodically happens in waters that enter the higher reservoir basin. The weir slows the movement of water between the basins in order that the sediment is allowed to settle earlier than the much less turbid water is launch from the decrease basin to start its journey to the faucets of New York Metropolis. The dividing weir provides spectacular views of the reservoir and the backdrop of forested mountains.

The Fountain Day Use Space is situated south of the reservoir wall and halfway alongside the promenade, close to Reservoir Highway. Water that runs by way of the ornamental fountain can also be used to show two turbine mills located beneath the bottom to provide a complete of 4,750 kilowatts. The small hydroelectric plant was put in in 1982 and is operated by the New York Energy Authority.

Take time to examine Ashokan Reservoir’s historical past alongside the way in which.

Right here the western part of the promenade ends to permit vehicular visitors to move from Reservoir Highway alongside a NYC Board of Water Provide (BWS) Highway to Route NY-28A. When you resolve to proceed previous this level, use warning whereas strolling alongside the street.

The concrete Dividing Weir on Reservoir Highway. The Ashokan Reservoir is separated into two basins by Reservoir Highway. Water doesn’t move freely between the 2 basins, and the jap basin is seven inches decrease than the western basin.

The Dividing Weir Bridge, as it’s referred to as, is made up of concrete arches that carry Reservoir Highway between the north and south sides of the Ashokan Reservoir.

From the Dividing Weir Bridge, there are nice views over each basins of the reservoir.

This yellow machine is a robotic monitoring buoy. This explicit buoy at Ashokan Reservoir is a part of a community that transmits real-time knowledge again to their water provide operations middle, offering DEP with key info to make sure the highest quality water is all the time despatched from the reservoir system to the Metropolis. The synthetic owl on prime of the buoy is utilized to scare away cormorants, stopping them from fouling the buoy.

Trying west in the direction of Ashokan Excessive Level.

A concrete Dividing Weir on Reservoir Highway.

Preserve a watch out for passing visitors as you make your means again to the promenade.

If you return to the western part of the promenade, retrace your steps alongside the paved path, again to the 5 Pines Parking Space, the place the stroll started.

From the Kingston Parking Space:

The Frying Pan space types the jap entrance and exit level to the reservoir’s pedestrian-only promenade. The location is outlined by a flat, round garden with a central cluster of tall, previous pines surrounded by a drainage ditch and street. Guests primarily use this house to relaxation and picnic earlier than and/or after biking, strolling, or jogging on the promenade. It sees use by guests in all seasons. The round garden options an info kiosk that’s linked to the street by a flat path and a scattered association of picnic tables which are positioned or eliminated seasonally.

This gathering house supplies guests with a lovely view to the west that captures the vastness of the promenade and reservoir. Restricted vegetation supplies minimal shade and leaves many of the website uncovered to the solar. Parking for autos is concentrated alongside the outer perimeter of the street, in parallel vogue.

Ashokan Reservoir Promenade East is about 2.5 miles if doing an out and again. It’s completely flat, with solely about 8 toes of elevation acquire.

On the western finish of the parking space, proceed previous the retractable bollards onto the promenade. The open, paved path runs westerly alongside the sting of the reservoir for roughly 1.25 miles.

The jap part of the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade is named the Center Dike.

Virtually instantly you can be greeted with views of the Ashokan Reservoir and a number of the Catskill Mountains to the north, throughout the reservoir.

From left to proper: Sugarloaf Mountain (3,810′), Twin Mountain (3,557′ South Summit – 3,643′ North Summit), Indian Head (3,573′), and Overlook Mountain (3,140′).

From left to proper: Ticetonyk (2,509′), Little Tonshi (1814′), Tonshi Mountain (1991′).

As you proceed west alongside the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade, you will note the Slide Mountain Wilderness in entrance of you.

Ashokan Excessive Level (3081′) completely dominating the view south and west, with South Mountain, Balsam Cap, Friday Mountain, Cornell Mountain and Wittenberg Mountain trailing off to its proper.

View of the Slide Mountain Wilderness from the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade East.

The Dividing Weir Bridge, which carries Reservoir Highway over Ashokan Reservoir, and separates the east and west basins.

Numerous Geese will be seen alongside the way in which.

The panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains are magnificent.

The Dividing Weir Bridge, also called the 15 Arch Bridge was in-built 1915.

The jap finish of the promenade ends on the retractable bollards, then runs alongside the shoulder of NY-28A, crosses Reservoir Highway then connects to the western finish of the promenade.

NYCDEP onerous at work. On the boat is Discipline Supervisor Paul Perri, intern Emily Beeler, and Scientist Water Ecologist Caitlyn Korren.

Though it’s solely a brief stretch alongside the shoulder, keep alert for autos in each instructions.

Heading again the way in which you got here.

Optical Rain Gauge, a software used for rain measurement.

Again on the Frying Pan Parking Space.

Evaluation:

A splendid approach to stretch your legs and benefit from the mountain air and views. I might not counsel to do that stroll in sizzling climate as there is no such thing as a shade anyplace on the promenade. Nonetheless, it’s price a go to on it’s personal or to wind down after doing a hike within the space.

Professionals:

Scenic space within the Catskills, simple paved strolling path, wildlife viewing.

Cons:

No shade.

Sources: