In the summer of 2007, my family decided to go on a trip to Bear Mountain. We got in the car, entered the data of the location of the destination onto the GPS and drove off.
After a drive of about one and a half hours, the GPS announced that we have arrived at our destination and the GPS shut off. The location where it shut off was on a road in the middle of the woods. Lucky for us, there were people walking along this road. We asked for directions and continued driving according to the directions. Along the way we passed a lake. After seeing the lake and its beach we decided to stop there, instead of driving to Bear Mountain.
The area was perfect for a barbecue, and picnic. The lake had the best beach I have ever been to. The water was not dirty and there was shade so I wasn’t always in the sun. The location was Lake Tiorati of Harriman State Park.
In the following year, we decided to return to the same place. When we arrived at the parking lot of Lake Tiorati, we saw that the parking lot was closed because it was full. A policeman directed us down the road and told us to go to the next lake. After driving for about two miles we arrived at the next lake, Lake Skannatati. This lake did not have a beach and swimming in it was not permitted, however it was great for fishing and boating. The lake can get deeper than 20 feet in some areas. The most popular fish in it is bass.
Because we came to the lake with expectations that we will be swimming, we couldn’t do much at the location other than have a picnic. After lunch we walked the two miles back to Lake Tiorati so that we can swim.
In the summer of 2009, we returned to Lake Skannatati, this time we came prepared. We came with fishing equipment and we fished all morning. Unfortunately we didn’t catch anything this time.
Out of curiosity, I went on the internet to see if Harriman State Park has any more lakeswhich are good for fishing. Indeed, I did find a good lake, Lake Sebago. It was one of the biggest lakes in the park covering an area of about 310 acres. On the following weekend we returned to Harriman State Park and this time we went to Sebago Lake where we caught many fish.
My many trips to Harriman State Park have convinced me that this is the best park in New York State in which one can enjoy participating in many outdoor activities all year round, from picnics and swimming in the summer, to hiking, boating, and fishing in the spring and fall, to skiing in the winter. I have never tried skiing at Harriman State Park but I would love to give it a shot. After participating in most of the activities in Harriman State Park I was left satisfied; that is why I believe that my experience skiing there would be a positive one.
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