OSI begins Restoration of Minnewaska’s High Point Carriage Road

Posted 4/26/22

Building on its four-decade commitment to protecting and improving Minnewaska State Park, the Open Space Institute (OSI) announced that a restoration of the High Point Carriage Road at Minnewaska …

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OSI begins Restoration of Minnewaska’s High Point Carriage Road

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Building on its four-decade commitment to protecting and improving Minnewaska State Park, the Open Space Institute (OSI) announced that a restoration of the High Point Carriage Road at Minnewaska State Park Preserve is underway. The project will reestablish recreational access in a part of the Park Preserve that has not been accessible to the majority of users for more than 25 years. Once the High Point Carriage Road restoration project is completed, OSI will have achieved a longstanding organizational goal of connecting the interior of Minnewaska State Park Preserve to Sam’s Point, linking the park’s two visitor centers, and fully restoring more than 15-miles of the park’s popular carriage roads.

The $1.2 million High Point Carriage Road restoration project is on-track to be completed by the end of the summer in 2023.

Improvements to the High Point Carriage Road include a mix of restoration and full reconstruction, including a 1,200-foot realignment, new bridges, and enhanced drainage installations. The suite of critical upgrades will repair the washed out, rocky, and uneven surfaces of the existing carriage road, improve the flow of stormwater in the area, and widen the current path to accommodate multiple user groups, including walkers, hikers, runners, bikers, cross-country skiers, and equestrian patrons.

“OSI’s commitment to the restoration of Minnewaska’s carriage road builds on decades of work to protect the spectacular landscape and make it more accessible and enjoyable for the public,” said Kim Elliman, OSI’s president and CEO. “Over the years, we have proudly restored more than 15 miles of carriage roads, doubled the park’s size through the addition of more than 12,000 acres, and most recently helped build the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center. We are proud that our park improvement work here is ensuring the land is both protected and welcoming to the public.”

State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, “Minnewaska State Park Preserve is an unforgettable destination, offering incredible views and vast open spaces – and the park carriage roads are vital to park experience. I am grateful to the Open Space Institute for its continued work to improve the carriage roads and help visitors to explore all that Minnewaska has to offer.”

“The restoration of the High Point Carriage Road will be a significant contribution to all the important work OSI has undertaken to restore Minnewaska State Park Preserve’s historic carriage road network,” said PIPC Executive Director Joshua Laird. “The Palisades Interstate Park Commission is grateful for OSI’s years of dedicated effort to expand Minnewaska and to protect the Shawangunks as a special place of nature and scenic beauty.”

“The historic carriage road network within Minnewaska is a tremendous resource that offers miles of recreational opportunities for visitors while protecting the sensitive resources within the park preserve, aides in search and rescue operations, and forest fire management. One of my biggest priorities since my tenure began at Minnewaska has been to restore the entire carriage road system, and the progress that we have made to date would not have been possible without our tremendous partnership with OSI,” said Minnewaska State Park Preserve Park Superintendent Erik Humphrey. “The current restoration of the High Point Carriage Road will create a functioning carriage road connection from the Sam’s Point Area to the Lake Awosting Area of Minnewaska State Park Preserve with improved recreational opportunities. I look forward to working with OSI in the years to come to complete the High Point Project and the remaining carriage roads in need of restoration.”

OSI’s High Point project is part of a larger, ongoing effort to restore major sections of Minnewaska’s 35-mile Victorian era carriage road system. Over the last several years, OSI has fundraised for and completed restoration of 4.6-mile Castle Point Carriage Road, the 2.9-mile Hamilton Point Carriage Road, portions of the Lake Awosting Carriage Road, 3.6 miles of the Old Smiley Carriage Road, and several small carriage road sections on Mohonk Preserve.