Sojourner Truth State Park
Community Info Page
Sharing information and opportunities to connect people to nature and history on a 520-acre riverfront park.
Sojourner Truth State Park Now Open!
PARK OPEN DAWN TO DUSK.
100 Sojourner Truth Way, Kingston, NY 12401
Access the Park from Post Road (at Main Street) Kingston, NY.
Directions: Take NY Route 32 in Kingston and turn onto Main Street in East Kingston. Follow Main Street for approx. 1.5 miles to the park entrance.
Governor Hochul Announces New State Park Named for Sojourner Truth
In recognition of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a new State Park planned for more than 500 acres of former industrial property along the Hudson River shoreline in Ulster County will be named for 19th century African American abolitionist and suffragist Sojourner Truth. This will be the first State Park in the City of Kingston and the Town of Ulster and the first new State Park to open since July 2019.
Get Involved!
Welcome!
The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC), New York State Parks (State Parks) and Scenic Hudson collaborated over several years to establish the first State Park in the City of Kingston and Town of Ulster, Sojourner Truth State Park. Scenic Hudson will continue to manage this land when the park opens.
We heard valuable feedback from the community in 2020 and 2021 to identify the themes and values important to achieving a community-shared park vision, what park spaces could look like, and how design and programming can serve the public. Phased development of the park will occur over time as funding becomes available.
Please share your story here!
We want to include your memories, family adventures and more in the Sojourner Truth State Park community story collection.
RESOURCES:
For more information, check out our FAQ’s or email contact@SojournerTruthStatePark.info
Watch the February 2021 Community Information Session here.
On a special edition (2020) of The Kingston Land Trust’s Facebook series, Land and Resilience, an early interview included a mix of local residents to discuss the possibilities for this unique landscape. Watch it here – Land and Resilience: Re-Imagining Quarry Waters 520 Acre Park.
Explore The Land Photo Gallery
The Land
Access to diverse recreational activities.
Scenic Hudson acquired this magnificent 520-acre landscape because of its outstanding potential to benefit residents of and visitors to the City of Kingston and Town of Ulster:
- Its remarkable diversity of natural features makes this an ideal place for people of all ages and cultures to connect with wildlife and the inspiring power of the Hudson River.
- The ways indigenous cultures previously relied on this land for sustenance offer lessons in environmental stewardship.
- It will host a key segment of the Kingston Greenline Trail, connecting Kingston Point Beach with East Kingston, and one of the few places where the 750-mile Empire State Trail will connect directly with the Hudson River.
- It offers opportunities for a range of outdoor experiences—from intimate hikes and family gatherings to larger community events.
- Its complex industrial history and extraordinary geologic bedrock provides an ideal opportunity to explore the important role the Hudson Valley played in New York State’s development.
- Thinking forward, the park can become an even greater economic asset to local communities and support residents’ livelihoods by attracting visitors to complementary revenue-generating activities appropriate to the land’s significant conservation values.
Exciting features include over 1-mile of Hudson River shoreline; river overlooks affording breathtaking vistas; over 17 unique habitats (including woods, wetlands, and a dramatic cliff and ridgeline); historic remnants of the brickmaking and ice harvesting industries; and quarried canyons.
What We’ve Heard So Far
A collection of community feedback and ideas for the park from the survey held in February 2021.
COMMUNITY IDEAS FOR RE-IMAGINING SPACES IN THE PARK
Recreational Opportunities, Now and Future
New trail is open. Scenic Hudson and the City of Kingston collaborated to complete the 1.9-mile Hudson River Brickyard Trail (as part of the Empire State Trail and the Kingston Greenline. Learn more about this trail here.) Pedestrians and bicyclists can enjoy spectacular views of the Hudson River, including features like the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, along the 10’-wide paved shoreline trail.
A state park. Continued development of the park may occur over time as resources may allow. Scenic Hudson, State Parks and PIPC have worked together to create access to some areas of the site for passive recreation.
Motivated by the Hudson Valley’s beautiful landscapes and extraordinary people, Scenic Hudson uses its expertise in land conservation, park development, public advocacy and strategic planning to make the region a better place to live, work and play for everyone. From the start, our work has been all about the power of partners—we engage residents and communities to work with us in protecting and connecting people to the irreplaceable natural and scenic treasures that make the valley unique.
We’ve been successful in transforming industrial sites all along the Hudson River into magnificent public parks, and we are excited by this opportunity to envision a new state park along the Ulster County riverfront. We look forward to collaborating with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC), City of Kingston, Town of Ulster and community members to ensure this project is responsive to the goals and meets the needs of the community, region and state.
