New York, NY (June 27, 2022)— The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (NYS Parks), the Open Space Institute (OSI), and the Taconic Regional Commission today announced the opening of the newly renovated Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail. The Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail is part of a series of OSI-led park enhancement projects aimed at making Fahnestock State Park more welcoming to visitors by improving access to OSI-protected land at the northern end of the park.
The two-year, $1.5 million project overhauled 9.5 miles of multi-use trails in the popular park to better accommodate walkers, hikers, runners, bikers, snowshoers, cross-country skiers, and equestrian users.
"Fahnestock State Park is a remarkable destination, offering incredible vistas and vast open spaces – and quality park trails are key to park experience,” State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. “I am grateful to the Open Space Institute, the U.S Military Academy, and the project supporters for these improvements to the Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail, which will help visitors to explore what Fahnestock has to offer.”
“OSI’s work in the northwestern section of Fahnestock is making a largely inaccessible section of this amazing park a true centerpiece,” said OSI’s president and CEO, Kim Elliman. “As we build on our legacy of more than doubling the size of Fahnestock, we are proud that our park improvement work here ensures the land OSI protected is open and welcoming to the public.”
This trail project caps a public-private partnership between New York State Parks and OSI to increase public access and improve accessibility to an underutilized area of the park. Over the past eight years, OSI has raised more than $9 million, with lead support from Lucy R. Waletzky for trail improvements, signage upgrades, safety enhancements, and new public amenities at the park’s Canopus Lake.