Lake Welch Parkway
Encyclopedia
Lake Welch Parkway is a scenic road located within Harriman State Park in southern New York
in the United States. It extends for 5.9 miles (9.5 km) on a southwest–northeast alignment from an intersection with Seven Lakes Drive
to a partial interchange with the Palisades Interstate Parkway
. The highway is located entirely in Rockland County
, although it runs close to the border with Orange County
. It is inventoried by the New York State Department of Transportation
as New York State Route 987A (NY 987A), an unsigned reference route; however, it is owned by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission
. The portion of Lake Welch Parkway that lies south of Tiorati Brook Road
is closed during the winter.
. Access to and from southbound Seven Lakes Drive is available with U-turns on the other side of this divider. The first intersection north of here is with a dead-end dirt road known as Johnstown Road, which previously ran uninterrupted from Seven Lakes Drive to Lake Welch by way of the Lake Welch Parkway corridor. At some point in this vicinity, Long Path
crosses the road. Past the trail crossing, a paved section of Johnstown Road serves as the southern connection between the parkway and County Route 106
(CR 106). This segment of Johnstown road is home to St. John's-in-the-Wilderness Church. Lake Welch Parkway crosses over CR 106, formerly part of NY 210
, about 0.75 miles (1.2 km) northeast of Johnstown Road.
The only other connection between the parkway and CR 106 is located about 1 miles (1.6 km) northeast of the bridge, where the road connects to a highway leading to Lake Welch Beach. Here, the parkway becomes a divided highway with a wide median containing a southbound turning ramp into the park, and a northbound-to-southbound U-turn where the divided section ends. The Lake Welch Beach area also provides close access to the Beaver Pond Campground. Lake Welch Parkway continues as a two-lane road for another mile to the vicinity of Tiorati Brook Road
, where it widens into a divided highway once again. The parkway connects to the road by way of a wye interchange with a northbound-to-southbound U-turn. The median ends just east of where the southbound ramp from exit 16 of the nearby Palisades Interstate Parkway
merges into the highway. Lake Welch Parkway ends at Palisades Interstate Parkway exit 16, a partial interchange lacking a connection between Lake Welch Parkway northbound and Palisades Interstate Parkway northbound.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the United States. It extends for 5.9 miles (9.5 km) on a southwest–northeast alignment from an intersection with Seven Lakes Drive
Seven Lakes Drive
Seven Lakes Drive is a 17.91 mile long parkway in the U.S. state of New York. The southern terminus of the route is at New York State Route 17 in Sloatsburg. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 9W and U.S. Route 202 a mile south of Fort Montgomery in Bear Mountain State Park...
to a partial interchange with the Palisades Interstate Parkway
Palisades Interstate Parkway
The Palisades Interstate Parkway is a long limited-access highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The parkway is a major commuter route into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties in New York and Bergen County in New Jersey...
. The highway is located entirely in Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
, although it runs close to the border with Orange County
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
. It is inventoried by the New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
as New York State Route 987A (NY 987A), an unsigned reference route; however, it is owned by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission
Palisades Interstate Park Commission
Palisades Interstate Park and its creator, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, was formed in 1900 by governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster M. Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the destruction of the Palisades by quarry operators in the late 19th century...
. The portion of Lake Welch Parkway that lies south of Tiorati Brook Road
Tiorati Brook Road
Tiorati Brook Road is a scenic road located within Harriman State Park in southern New York in the United States. The highway extends for between Tiorati Circle, a traffic circle connecting Tiorati Brook Road to Seven Lakes Drive in Orange County, and an interchange with Lake Welch Parkway just...
is closed during the winter.
Route description
Lake Welch Parkway begins at the northbound lane of widened section along a traffic median on Seven Lakes DriveSeven Lakes Drive
Seven Lakes Drive is a 17.91 mile long parkway in the U.S. state of New York. The southern terminus of the route is at New York State Route 17 in Sloatsburg. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 9W and U.S. Route 202 a mile south of Fort Montgomery in Bear Mountain State Park...
. Access to and from southbound Seven Lakes Drive is available with U-turns on the other side of this divider. The first intersection north of here is with a dead-end dirt road known as Johnstown Road, which previously ran uninterrupted from Seven Lakes Drive to Lake Welch by way of the Lake Welch Parkway corridor. At some point in this vicinity, Long Path
Long Path
The Long Path is a long-distance hiking trail beginning at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey and currently ending at Altamont, New York, in the Albany area...
crosses the road. Past the trail crossing, a paved section of Johnstown Road serves as the southern connection between the parkway and County Route 106
County Route 106 (Rockland County, New York)
County Route 106 is the continuation of Orange County Route 106 in Rockland County, New York. The route is long and heads east–west through Harriman State Park. The route originated as New York State Route 210 and as County Highway 416 back in the 1920s and 1930s...
(CR 106). This segment of Johnstown road is home to St. John's-in-the-Wilderness Church. Lake Welch Parkway crosses over CR 106, formerly part of NY 210
New York State Route 210
New York State Route 210 is a state highway in Orange County, New York, in the United States. It runs north from the New Jersey state line—where it continues south as Passaic County Route 511 —along the west shore of Greenwood Lake to the eponymous village of Greenwood Lake, where it...
, about 0.75 miles (1.2 km) northeast of Johnstown Road.
The only other connection between the parkway and CR 106 is located about 1 miles (1.6 km) northeast of the bridge, where the road connects to a highway leading to Lake Welch Beach. Here, the parkway becomes a divided highway with a wide median containing a southbound turning ramp into the park, and a northbound-to-southbound U-turn where the divided section ends. The Lake Welch Beach area also provides close access to the Beaver Pond Campground. Lake Welch Parkway continues as a two-lane road for another mile to the vicinity of Tiorati Brook Road
Tiorati Brook Road
Tiorati Brook Road is a scenic road located within Harriman State Park in southern New York in the United States. The highway extends for between Tiorati Circle, a traffic circle connecting Tiorati Brook Road to Seven Lakes Drive in Orange County, and an interchange with Lake Welch Parkway just...
, where it widens into a divided highway once again. The parkway connects to the road by way of a wye interchange with a northbound-to-southbound U-turn. The median ends just east of where the southbound ramp from exit 16 of the nearby Palisades Interstate Parkway
Palisades Interstate Parkway
The Palisades Interstate Parkway is a long limited-access highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The parkway is a major commuter route into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties in New York and Bergen County in New Jersey...
merges into the highway. Lake Welch Parkway ends at Palisades Interstate Parkway exit 16, a partial interchange lacking a connection between Lake Welch Parkway northbound and Palisades Interstate Parkway northbound.