Photo by Suzy Allman and courtesy of MyHarriman.com — a basic trailhead kiosk from Letchworth State Park in central New York State that shows trails, amenities, and pictures of viewpoints. A roof keeps you dry in the rain and a stamped concrete floor keeps your boots from getting muddy. On the opposite side is a description of park wildlife.
Sloatsburg as a community means something different to nearly anyone who might be asked to describe the village.
It’s a bedroom community. It’s a nice place nestled in the surrounding Ramapo Mountains and adjacent to woody Harriman State Park. To some, Sloatsburg’s just a drive through along the highway.
Read the MyHarriman article “That One Thing: Trialhead Kiosk in Tuxedo” that describes one important step in creating a vibrant trail town.
Sloatsburg is in reality all of these and more, and much like close neighbor Tuxedo, the Western Ramapo village is perfectly placed to be become a friendly “trail town” — or gateway community to the huge surrounding acreage of state, county and town parkland. The parks attract all sorts of adventurous people near and far, from the boroughs of New York to up and down the Hudson Valley, including hikers and bikers, house hunters and curiosity shoppers.
A view from the recently designated Liberty Rock Park in Sloatsburg that overlooks the Village looking south.
To borrow a saying from a smart Suzy, people want a cup of community with their coffee. And wherever people gather to seek out adventure, businesses soon follow.
Suzy Allman, who is all things MyHarriman and more, has written a demonstrative article that shows the power of park kiosks and signage (and other local markers for that matter be they park, historical or village signage — all can have significant impact on shaping the local personality of a place).
Yet, if one were to disembark from the Sloatsburg Train Station and step down onto Mill Street, you’d be hard pressed to find any local signage, directional or indication that you’ve arrived at a prime park gateway community.
Now, imagine a beautiful kiosk with cover and seating.
That one thing that marks a trail town: https://t.co/ZnsRF6bD3C @StradaThinks @hwprnews @nynjtc @Tuxedofarms @ioby pic.twitter.com/9tAnGsrcvb
— My Harriman (@MyHarriman) October 22, 2015
Park = that way. Village good things = this way and that way too. Good signage can set the stage for both the local community and visitors, and says, you are in the right place to have an adventure.
The Explore Harriman vibe has created park partnerships throughout the corridor communities of Suffern, Hillburn, Sloatsburg, and Tuxedo, with groups and individuals working to promote park-friendly environments, including opportunities for infrastructure funding.
The folks from MyHarriman (including friendly volunteers) have been setting up information in the Tuxedo Train Station since June for the weekend shuttle.
With this season’s newly installed Tuxedo-Harriman Shuttle taking visitors directly from the Tuxedo Train Station into Harriman State, Tuxedo has seen a significant uptick in weekend train and park traffic. The shuttle, an old yellow school bus that has run Saturday and Sunday since June and is helping Tuxedo define itself more closely as a viable trail town.
The some 52,000 acres and hundreds of miles of trails Harriman provides presents an opportunity for surrounding communities to create trail-friendly programs and services that then act as further magnets that attract seasonal visitors — think of Hudson Valley river towns and villages. With an additional 22,000 acres from Sterling Forest State Park, the Ramapo Mountains surrounding Sloatsburg are a real piece magic.
Just look at those October leaves fall!
