Ashokan Reservoir: Trail Hike

Ashokan Trail Walking Tour

Sunday, February 9 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 

This is a free event! Please register to reserve your spot on the walk!

The Hudson River Maritime Museum, in partnership with NYC DEP Bureau of Water Supply, will lead a walking tour along the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade, led by Director of Public Affairs Adam Bosch. The Ashokan Reservoir supplies approximately 40 percent of the 1.1 billion gallons of drinking water that sustains 9.6 million New Yorkers every day. The reservoir was the first of six built by New York City in the early and mid 1900s. Ashokan was constructed from 1908-1915, first providing water to part of New York City on Dec. 27, 1915. The reservoir – formed through the construction of nearly 26,000 linear feet of dams – is part of a broader water supply system that is considered a marvel of modern engineering. Its water flow from the Catskills to New York City by gravity alone, traveling through the 92-mile-long Catskill Aqueduct, which plunges 1,114 feet under the Hudson River. Join us for a walk-and-talk about the reservoir, it’s role in the largest water system in the United States, and an overview of New York City’s work to operate, maintain and protect the reservoir for generations to come.

This event coincides with the Water Concert at The Ashokan Center. Visitors will have ample time to travel from the Ashokan Reservoir to The Ashokan Center to listen to musical performances by Jay Unger, Molly Mason, and Betty and the Baby Boomers. Viewing of a portion of the film "Deep Water" by Tobe Carey about the construction of the Ashokan Reservoir will also occur as part of the concert. Tickets to the Waterways Concert are sold separately here: Concert Tickets

Participants will meet at the "Frying Pan" located adjacent the parking lot on Route 28A

Directions to the parking area:

By car from South: NY Thruway to exit 19 (Kingston). From the exit, take Rt 28 West about 5 miles to the traffic light where Rt 375 goes to Woodstock, then continue on Rt 28 West about another 5 miles. Turn Left onto Reservoir Rd and go South 1.8 miles. Turn Left onto Monument Road and go East 0.3 miles. Turn Left onto Rt 28A and go East 0.9 miles. Turn Left into an unsigned road (perhaps marked "Dead End"), and go 0.3 miles to a parking circle, sometimes called the "Frying Pan" area.

Note: If Reservoir Rd is closed, the parking area can also be reached by taking Rt 28A around either end of the reservoir.

GPS latitude-longitude = N41.9478,W74.1815 = 41.9478,-74.1815

By car from North: NY Thruway to exit 20 (Saugerties). From the exit, turn Left onto Rt 32 North, then continue straight on Rt 212 West about 7 miles. As it enters Woodstock, turn Left on Rt 375 and go about 2.4 miles to a traffic light. Turn Right onto Rt 28 West and go about another 5 miles. Turn Left onto Reservoir Rd -- and follow the directions under "from South".

By car from West on Rt 28: coming from Phoenicia on Rt 28 East, note where Rt 28A turns off just after Boiceville. Continue Straight on Rt 28 East about 3.4 miles. Turn Right onto Reservoir Rd -- and follow the directions under "from South".