Press Release
April 15, 2022
Dan Keefe
(518) 486-1868 | news@parks.ny.gov
Pilot Parking Reservation System for the Sam’s Point Area of Minnewaska State Park Preserve Opens April 17th
Reservations are required weekends and holidays from
Sunday, May 1 through the last weekend in October.
New
York State Parks, along with the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, are
introducing a pilot reservation system for parking at the Sam's Point Area of
Minnewaska State Park Preserve (Ulster County). Reservations can be made two
weeks in advance beginning April 17th online at https://newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com or
through the call center at 1-800-456-2267. One reservation is allowed
for any two-week period. Reservations are required weekends and holidays from
Sunday, May 1 through the last weekend in October.
All
weekend and holiday visitors will be required to make reservations. The
vehicle entrance fee is $10.95; there will be no reservation fee for Empire
Pass holders. Stopping and standing on the roadway is prohibited and no drop-offs
or pickups will be allowed in the Sam's Point Area.
The
pilot reservation system aims to protect the site's fragile ecosystem from
the impact of increasing visitation and to provide an improved visitor
experience for enjoyment of the unique features and natural beauty of the
Sam's Point Area, while reducing impacts on the surrounding community.
Annual
visitation to Sam's Point has steadily increased in recent years, with a
nearly 48% increase in visitors since 2015. This increase has led to severe
traffic congestion, illegal parking on local roads, and negative impacts on
the park's natural resources and the surrounding areas with documented trail
erosion, littering, and trampling of vegetation. Through the implementation
of this pilot program, State Parks aims to mitigate these environmental
concerns and reduce the disappointment of motorists previously turned away
once the park reached capacity.
Minnewaska
State Park Preserve's main parking areas located at 5281 Route 44/55
Kerhonkson, will remain as first come first serve access with no reservation
requirement.
New
York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees
more than 250 individual parks, historic sites, recreational trails, and boat
launches, which were visited by a record 78.4 million people in 2021. A
recent university study found that spending by State Parks and its visitors
supports $5 billion in output and sales, 54,000 private-sector jobs and more
than $2.8 billion in additional state GDP. For more information on any of
these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit parks.ny.gov,
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The
Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 under an
interstate compact to protect the Palisades from destruction by stone and
gravel quarries operating along the western banks of the Lower Hudson River.
As the nation's first bi-state partnership established to protect and
conserve natural lands, the Commission's role expanded through the years to
incorporate the Palisades Region of New York State Parks and the creation of
the Palisades Interstate Parkway.