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North County Trailway

Discovering the Revitalized Parks & Trails Inside Briarcliff Manor

February 18, 2021 by Anna Young

Scarborough Park.  Photos by Grace Bennett/Inside Press

As Briarcliff Manor officials undertook a mission to revitalize and publicize the areas many parks and nature trails, the coronavirus pandemic resulted in residents and visitors rediscovering the outdoor luxuries the village has to offer. 

With nearly a dozen parks and walking paths neglected over the years, the Briarcliff Village Board and Recreation Department have taken on an initiative since 2019 to clean up the grounds, introduce new programs and enhance the trail system to make the outdoor amenities more accessible and interactive to those using it.

A Newly Marked Pocantico Park

Henry Jamin, Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, said an area like Pocantico Park, the village’s largest park at nearly 71 acres, had several sections that were never formally designed to support a walking or hiking path. Those routes are now marked trails, he said.

“One of our initiatives was to improve our trail systems and do a better job of promoting it to the public, so that’s an ongoing effort,” Jamin said. “The trails have been there for years, but they were not marked.”

Improvements included replacing worn signage, grooming entranceways, creating new parking areas, and marking and mapping all the trails. With officials determined to bring more attention and foot traffic to village, a collaboration was made with The Hiking Project, an app that includes walking paths and trails across the country and allows users to add additional routes to explore. 

Briarcliff Manor Deputy Mayor Peter Chatzky took the Inside Press on a Park and Trails tour, much to our delight. “All the Briarcliff trails are mapped,” Chatzky noted with great enthusiasm, “and an interactive app can run on your phone to help you navigate a trail and pick an appropriate route based on topography and amenities.”

Exploring with a Handy App

The app, which also has a website equivalent, provides recommended trails, photos, difficulty ratings, mileage, trail conditions, and special features to look out for on that route. In addition, users are informed of available amenities, parking, ADA accessibility, pet rules, bicycle usage and if a location is family friendly. 

While the Law Memorial Park Walking Path is an easy, half-mile, family-friendly area where dogs and bicycles are allowed, the Pocantico Park Loop, which spans the Yellow Trail and Red Trail, is a nearly one-mile scenic loop that is rated at an intermediate/difficult level. 

But part of the plan was ensuring residents and visitors alike were aware of the new improvements and boosting those efforts to the public.Then the pandemic hit, and the desire and near desperation to be outside made the village’s attempts to promote its parks and trails almost pointless. 

“The pandemic really helped us get people out there,” said Village Trustee Sabine Werner. “We saw a real increase of utilization of parks and trails as people were looking to get out of their house.”

Jamin added how COVID re-emphasized the need for parks and recreation, noting how several programs have popped up in Law Memorial Park since March, including stroller stride workout classes, running groups, and yoga in the park. 

What is ‘Geocaching’?

With increased interest, the village opted to introduce a new activity last summer: geocaching. 

Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt using GPS devices via cell phone that is played all around the world. Participants download the Geocaching App and navigate to specific coordinates to find hidden containers at various locations with trinkets inside. 

There are currently nine containers hidden in trails and parks throughout Briarcliff. 

“It was helpful in getting people out who wouldn’t ordinarily want to take a walk in the woods. It’s just an activity that’s fun and gets you into the outdoors,” Jamin said. “We’re constantly brainstorming what we can offer that is safe and helps people enjoy themselves and have some fun.”

For those looking for other types of amusement, Chilmark Park located on Macy Road offers two clay, two NovaPro all-weather and two har-tru tennis courts. The 8.3-acre site also provides a half-court basketball court, a soccer field, an athletic field, and a large playground. 

Law Memorial Park, which is in the heart of Briarcliff on Pleasantville Road, is home to the village pool and four tennis courts–three clay courts and one year-round all-weather court–with lights for evening play. The 7-acre park has a playground that includes swings, a sandbox, and play structures. Furthermore, the Village Library is on the Park’s eastern edge, with a new two-story pavilion officially open for use. 

Sunset Destination: Stunning Scarborough Park

Scarborough Park is the perfect place to take in the sights of the Hudson River or go fishing. The six-acre, 97-year-old park’s shoreline recently underwent a shore stabilization and erosion project. “It’s one of the only areas of Briarcliff that is actually on the Hudson,” noted Chatzky. “For years it was badly eroded. With $100,000 earmarked to resolve the erosion, the Village Department of Public Works bought huge boulders, and receded the grass twice with new dirt. Some new tree plantings enhance this gem which falls right below the Scarborough train station. Two memorial benches were donated by a current trustee Kevin Hunt in memory of his mother and father, Cathi Hunt and Charles “Chuck” Hunt, and of his son, Lars Hunt.

What a difference a village’s dedicated attention makes. Today, Jamin said Scarborough is the perfect place to relish the sunset. 

While the village has made progress over the last year, there are still many projects on the horizon. 

While officials are currently looking to connect the North County Trailway to Pocantico Park, other connections are in discussions along with park upgrades and new program ideas presently, two tennis courts at Chilmark Park are being converted into six pickle ball courts that are scheduled to open this summer.

“It’s all about expanding opportunities,” Jamin said. “There’s a lot to be done and a lot more to discover we can do.”

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Briarcliff Manor, Chilmark Park, Geocaching, Kate Kennard Trail, Law Memorial Park, North County Trailway, Pocantico Lake, recreation, Scarborough Park, Westchester Parks, Westchester Trails

Millwood and West End: Nature, Fitness and Great Shopping, too

November 13, 2019 by The Inside Press

By Marianne Campolongo

The hamlet of Millwood, which just celebrated its 200th Anniversary in 2018, boasts extensive shopping, many choices for both casual and fine dining, and New Castle’s largest and most popular year-round recreation area, the 126-acre Gedney Park, which offers fun and memory making opportunities for the entire family.

Every April, Gedney Pond is stocked with over 500 rainbow, brook and golden trout for fishing throughout the spring, summer and fall. There’s even an annual fishing derby, where anglers age six to 60+ can catch their own dinner and compete for prizes. Come winter, you will find the best sledding hill in town there, and if you don’t have a sled, you can buy one at the large sporting goods store just down the road. There is also a large playground and ballfields. A gazebo and picnic tables interspersed throughout the park are great for snack time or a picnic lunch.

Geese at Gedney. Photo by Grace Bennett
North County Trailway  Photo by Grace Bennett

Four miles of well-marked hiking trails meander through wetlands and woods, providing shade for spring and summer hikes, breathtaking colors when the leaves change in autumn, and a fun trek in snowy winter weather. A handicapped accessible paved path runs from the parking lot to a fishing pier on the pond. The path to the monument remembering those lost on 9/11 is also handicapped accessible. A ceremony to remember the three town residents as well as all the others lost that day is held there each year.

The park is also dog-friendly, allowing your furry friends to be off-leash along the trails and to even swim in the pond and streams during designated morning hours; they are permitted on-leash at all times.

Photo by Grace Bennett

The 22-mile North County Trailway runs through Millwood providing a safe and scenic paved path where you will often find friends biking, roller blading or strolling, and see New Castle’s bicycle cops making sure no stragglers need help. A portion of the path runs parallel to Millwood Plaza, a shopping center anchored by the new family-owned DeCicco & Sons grocery store. You can also do your banking, pick up prescriptions or sunscreen, toys and gifts, wine, stop for lunch, or get your nails done there. Millwood also has its own post office in that convenient location. A short walk around the corner brings you to Millwood Town Plaza with an eco-friendly cleaners, jeweler, specialty foods store, a spa and hair salon, and fine dining options.

Across the street, Millwood Park has tennis courts and more ballfields, conveniently located near a family-owned deli, which has been serving customers throughout the area since 1961; other stores and businesses in the hamlet have been run by the same families for 40 years or more.

A lumberyard, hardware store and garden center are a boon for all you DIYers. Whether or not you are an experienced gardener, you can join a team at the InterGenerate Community Garden to grow vegetables for yourself and for those who cannot afford fresh produce.

Want someone to do the work for you? It’s easy to find a plumber, veterinarian, tech center, movers, a limo service, and other business in Millwood as well as the nearby West End neighborhood. For those lucky enough to live in the Hidden Hollow neighborhood, there is a sandy beach and swimming pond for its residents. In the West End of town, beautiful Stillwater Lake offers swimming and boating for neighborhood residents. Additional recreation choices in the West End include ballfields at Amsterdam Park, hiking and cross-country skiing at Sunny Ridge Preserve, and the Hudson Hills Golf Course, a public course high in the hills with lovely scenic views.

Across the street, Millwood Park has tennis courts and more ballfields, conveniently located near a family-owned deli, which has been serving customers throughout the area since 1961; other stores and businesses in the hamlet have been run by the same families for 40 years or more.

A lumberyard, hardware store and garden center are a boon for all you DIYers. Whether or not you are an experienced gardener, you can join a team at the InterGenerate Community Garden to grow vegetables for yourself and for those who cannot afford fresh produce.

Want someone to do the work for you? It’s easy to find a plumber, veterinarian, tech center, movers, a limo service, and other business in Millwood as well as the nearby West End neighborhood. For those lucky enough to live in the Hidden Hollow neighborhood, there is a sandy beach and swimming pond for its residents. In the West End of town, beautiful Stillwater Lake offers swimming and boating for neighborhood residents. Additional recreation choices in the West End include ballfields at Amsterdam Park, hiking and cross-country skiing at Sunny Ridge Preserve, and the Hudson Hills Golf Course, a public course high in the hills with lovely scenic views.

Filed Under: Discover New Castle Tagged With: Commerce, Gedney Park, InterGenerate Community Garden, Millwood, North County Trailway, Shopping, Stillwater Lake, West End

Celebrating Spring in the Castles

March 8, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

Call me a curmudgeon but I was deeply disappointed when the groundhog said we wouldn’t have an early spring this year. I know I’m supposed to relish these last few weeks of winter but frankly I don’t. We aren’t a skiing or snowboarding family so the thought of more snow, icy roads and school closures is enough to drive me batty and have me counting the days until the official start of spring.

But there are subtle signs of spring all around us. I start to notice more joggers out on Quaker Road without hats and gloves, the streams bubbling with running water instead of frozen ice. As I pass the duck pond, I see that it is slowly starting to melt and is that a crocus growing in my front yard?

One of my favorite parts of being an editor of this magazine is meeting residents and hearing their stories. The idea of doing an article on some of the expats that live in this community had been germinating in my mind for quite some time. As a former expat living in London, I was highly attuned to accents that I would hear in the library or at a local coffee shop. I wanted to highlight what an enriching experience it can be living in the Castles and from what I learned these expats are fully acclimated to the community and you just might bump into them on the soccer field or in your local park this spring. Be sure to give them a warm welcome!

With spring’s arrival, maybe it’s time to step out of your comfort zone and try your hand at surviving in the wilderness. A great course offered by New Castle Recreation and Parks can teach you how to build a fire, create a temporary dwelling or compass reading. If that doesn’t suit you, catch up with a friend on a walk around town or on the North County Trailway and soak in some early spring sun. Be sure to stop for a delicious (perhaps iced?) coffee afterwards. Check out Amy Kelly’s story for some local suggestions.

As soon as April showers begin, I’ve got one thing on my mind: CAMP! Preparing for my older two to attend sleep-away for the first time and trying to figure out what to do with my youngest. Luckily Shauna Levy’s article offers some tips as you plan for summer.

So how do you plan on celebrating spring in New Castle? Write to me at stacey@insidepress.com and your idea just might turn into an article for a future edition. I love hearing from readers who have story suggestions.

Enjoy,

Filed Under: In the Know Tagged With: April Showers, Celebrating Spring, expat, library, North County Trailway, Spring, stacey, Subtle Signs of Spring, Surviving in the Wilderness

The Magic of Millwood & The West End

August 5, 2015 by The Inside Press


In addition to hiking trails, ballfields and a playground, Gedney Park has a pond that is stocked with trout each spring for fishing. / Photo by Marianne Campolongo
In addition to hiking trails, ballfields and a playground, Gedney Park has a pond stocked with trout each spring for fishing.
Photo by Marianne Campolongo

The rustic hamlet of Millwood boasts New Castle’s largest and most popular recreation area, the 126-acre Gedney Park, a year-round attraction. The park’s lovely pond is stocked with over 500 rainbow trout, brook trout and a few golden rainbow trout each April for fishing throughout the spring, summer and autumn. There’s even an annual fishing derby, where kids from six to 60+ gather around Gedney Pond to catch their own dinner and win prizes. Gedney is also home to a large playground and the best sledding hill in town (and if you don’t have a sled, you can buy what you need right in Millwood). Four miles of well-marked hiking trails circle Gedney Pond and meander through beautiful woods and wetlands, well shaded for hiking in the spring and summer, breathtaking when the leaves change color in the fall, and a fun trek in snowy winter weather. A gazebo and picnic tables interspersed throughout the park are great when it’s snack time or if you want to bring along a picnic lunch after having fun on the swings or after a game on the ballfields. A lovely trail also heads out to a monument to those lost on 9-11.

The 22-mile North County Trailway also runs through Millwood, a family-friendly paved path that snaking through the woods and over streams and wetlands, where you will often find friends biking, roller skating or strolling, and see New Castle’s bicycle cops making sure no stragglers need help. A portion of the path runs parallel to a shopping plaza where you can go grocery shopping, do your banking, pick up prescriptions or suntan lotion, toys and gifts, wine, sandwiches or baked goods, or get your nails done. Millwood’s post office is conveniently located there.

 

 

The hamlet also has its own little beach, though it’s only open to those in the neighborhood and their friends. Millwood Park is home to tennis courts and additional ballfields, conveniently located near a deli, pizza place, and other restaurants, making it easy to grab a snack. The Stillwater Lake neighborhood in the West End of town also has its own beach for neighborhood residents, large enough for both swimming and boating.

Millwood and the West End also boast some of the area’s finest restaurants. Between the two you can find plumbing, home building, garden suppliers, musicians, movers, veterinarians, convenience stores, non-profits, and several other businesses, large and small.

Stunning Stillwater Lake in New Castle’s West End
Stunning Stillwater Lake in New Castle’s West End

The West End of town is characterized by rolling hills and rambling country roads with lovely old colonials sitting on two acres or more. It is home to Amsterdam Park and its soccer fields, the 82-acre Sunny Ridge Preserve with trails for hiking and cross-country skiing, and the Hudson Hills Golf Course, a public golf course high in the hills with lovely scenic views, run by Westchester County.

 

 

Filed Under: Inside My New Castle Tagged With: 200 year celebration, Gedney Park, Lake, Millwood, North County Trailway, outdoors, Town of New Castle

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