Once home to Native Americans and mountain settlers, Harriman State Park is today a 73-square-mile wilderness and recreation area lying 30 miles north of New York City. Offering over 200 miles of hiking trails, swimming, boating, fishing, and camping, it has been an oasis for city dwellers for 100 years. During the 1800s, the land was home to hardworking farmers, miners, and woodcutters. As the new century dawned, it evolved into a park of stunning beauty. Part of the Palisades Interstate Park System, it is the second-largest state park in New York.
Ronnie Clark Coffey is a teacher, author, historical researcher, and lecturer. A longtime resident of the Hudson Highlands, her personal history with Harriman State Park began as a young camper at Lake Cohassett. She is a member of the Palisades Parks Conservancy and the Historical Society of the Palisades Interstate Park Region. Coffey is the author of three other Arcadia books: Highlands, Bear Mountain, and Constitution Island.