Belmont Lake State Park

Belmont Lake State Park

Belmont Lake

Location of Belmont Lake State Park within New York State

Type State park
Location Southern State Parkway Exit 38
North Babylon, New York[1]
Nearest city North Babylon, New York
Coordinates 40°44′N 73°20′W / 40.73°N 73.34°W / 40.73; -73.34Coordinates: 40°44′N 73°20′W / 40.73°N 73.34°W / 40.73; -73.34
Area 463 acres (1.87 km2)
Created 1926 (1926)
Operated by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Visitors 578,226 (in 2014)[2]
Open All year
Website Belmont Lake State Park

Belmont Lake State Park is a 463-acre (1.87 km2) day-use state park[3] located in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York on Long Island.[4]

History

Belmont Lake State Park was established in 1926 on land that was previously a horse farm owned by August Belmont, namesake of the Belmont Stakes.[3]

The park was selected by Robert Moses as regional headquarters for all state parks on Long Island in 1935.[3] The park served as the headquarters of the Long Island State Park Commission and Long Island State Parkway Police from their founding in 1946 until their disbandment in 1977 and 1980, respectively. It now serves as the headquarters of the Long Island region of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, as well as the New York State Park Police.[3]

Park description

Belmont Lake State Park is a day-use park, featuring boating and picnicking facilities in addition to playing fields for popular sports. A modern children's playground is also available. Paddleboats and rowboats can be rented to enter the lake, however swimming is not permitted.[3]

The park is located near the Southern State Parkway at Exit 38. Bike and pedestrian entrances exist at several points around the perimeter which are free all year long. Although these entrance points are free, it is illegal to park along the roadway to access them.

Permits may be purchased at the Long Island State Park Headquarters, located on Belmont Avenue at Exit 37N.

See also

References

  1. NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. "Belmont Lake State Park - Getting There". Parks.ny.gov. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  2. "State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003". Data.ny.gov. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. "Belmont Lake State Park". Parks.ny.gov. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  4. "Belmont Lake State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved October 16, 2015.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, December 24, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.