Harriman State Park after Hurricane Irene

Rockland County,
New York

This was the day after Hurricane Irene. It was a calm and beautiful day, and I wanted to do a hike in Harriman State Park to check the damage in the park. I had tried several routes towards Harriman, but many of the roads were closed due to downed trees, downed power lines, and washed away bridges. I finally got to the entrance at Gate Hill Road, but the park was closed with barricades along the road. I parked the car to investigate, and clearly saw why the park had been closed. Some parts of the road were entirely washed away, other parts had large rocks strewn across the entire surface area, and there were downed trees and power lines all over the place. The park had clearly experienced significant damage, the worst that I can remember. I hiked down to the waterfalls along the Minnesceongo Creek below the road, which were roaring and furious. I was afraid to venture further due to the flooding and downed lines and trees, so cancelled my hiking plans and went back to work. Unfortunately my camera battery had died, so I was forced to take the pictures with my cell phone camera, so the photos are not great and don't do justice.

Willow Grove Road. All Covered with Rocks.

The Minesceongo Creek Waterfall.

Gate Hill Road closed into the park.
Parts of the road up ahead were washed away.

Downed trees and Power Lines on Gate Hill Road.
This was already two days after the storm and there are still live wires!

Part of the road washed away.