I took the dog for a two hour walk around Tarrytown Lakes the other day.

“At the northeast edge of the village of Tarrytown, New York, is the Tarrytown Lakes Park, a 72-acre scenic escape to walking and biking trails, kayaking in season, birding and, for local residents, fishing.

The park encompasses two man-made reservoirs, the large Lower Lake and smaller Upper Lake. They once provided water to the village, but the lakes are “retired” now, and serve as habitat for flora and fauna, and a place for accessible recreation.
The village created the Tarrytown Lakes in 1897 as drinking water reservoirs for Tarrytown. As Tarrytown villagers required more water than the lakes provided, they were decommissioned as a drinking water source in 1993. Now this area, together with the 60 acres surrounding it, comprise the Tarrytown Lakes Park, almost 5% of the acreage of Tarrytown.

The New York & Putnam Railroad had been established in 1880, with a single rail line that connected Brewster to the Bronx. During its lifetime the railroad had stops in White Plains, Elmsford, Pocantico Hills, Carmel and Brewster. Also along the route were stops at Tarrytown Heights, at the southernmost tip of the reservoir near the present-day intersection of Neperan Road and Sunnyside Avenue, and at East View.

The railroad’s initial path in the area, then known as Swampy Brook Valley, went over a wobbly 80-foot-high trestle bridge at East View, which so frightened passengers that a portion of the rail line was relocated closer to Rockefeller’s estate in Pocantico Hills. Because of the dangers of crossing the trestle, which often required that trains slow down to a crawl, the line was rerouted west around that valley in 1881. The trestle was torn down in 1883 and the valley became the Tarrytown Reservoir.

John D. Rockefeller was annoyed by the railroad that ran through his family’s estate in Pocantico Hills. Rockefeller approached the railroad with a plan to move the line off his property. On April 15, 1930, a construction crew of 500 men began work on the railroad relocation. Three stations were closed: Tarrytown Heights, Tower Hill, and Pocantico Hills. The new route opened in 1931. It served fewer people and generated no freight traffic. The last trains ran on May 29, 1958 and the tracks between East View and Lake Mahopac were removed in 1962.

Today, the 72-acre preserve, just 35 miles north of New York City, serves as a recreation area for local residents and visitors. The park’s two lakes, two bike paths, walking trails, opportunities for kayaking, bird study, ice skating and cross-country skiing in winter, and connections to the county’s extensive network of hiking and bike paths are easily accessible”. (Scenes from the Trail)

Taken with a Canon EOS 5D and Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 USM