Planning is needed to safely reopen public hiking trails that have been temporarily closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
With the weather warming, lots of people are eagerly anticipating the reopening
of public parks that have been closed due to COVID-19’s social distancing restrictions.
How and when the parks will reopen isn’t clear yet, but the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) recently published a blog
post by Theresa Pierno, the NPCA’s president and CEO, which looked at five
points to consider for the parks' reopening, including:
·
A sustained reduction in the number of new
COVID-19 cases
·
The continued use of social distancing and personal
protective equipment
·
The overall health of individual park’s surrounding
communities
·
Measures for the safety and care of each park’s
rangers and staff
·
A phased opening of parks
While New York State Park’s
grounds, forests and trails are open, many of the parks’ facilities are not, according
to the New York State Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation’s (NYSP) website, including playgrounds, visitor
centers, sports fields and other gathering places. Some parks’ trails and other
facilities, however, have been temporary closed altogether, like those of Hudson Highlands
State Preserve, including Mount Beacon’s parking area and trails in Beacon,
and in Fishkill Breakneck Ridge, Wilkinson Trailhead, Notch Trail, and Fishkill
Ridge, among others.
As well, according to the National Park Service, among historic
sites in the region with walking grounds that have been temporarily closed
are the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
in Hyde Park and Vanderbilt
Mansion in Hyde Park.
Talk of and planning for the reopening parks are hopeful indicators of
forward movement. In the meantime, for updates on when temporarily closed New York
State parks and their facilities will reopen visit the National Park Service or check with specific parks for details.