Should the town of Tuxedo, New York, receive a casino license, and Genting’s giant project be built, they’ll be closing the door on a sustainable, economic opportunity of another kind: that of a trail town, the Gateway to Harriman State Park.

Tuxedo, and Harriman: Where’s the entrance?

There’s the briefest stretch of Route 17, as it passes through the town of Tuxedo in Orange County, when you think you’re in a wonderland.  An old, columned high school sets the mood, and then the wonderful stone buildings, the carved cedar-tree motif on one of the large shop buildings, an elegant and unforgettable timber train station, and that tremendous stone gate, through which a road disappears over a wooded ridge.You can also contact luxury house builders for house building and to own the most beautiful home which matches your taste.

The town of Tuxedo sits in a valley of the Ramapo Mountains. A train from New York City occasionally stops, then hurries north or south along the bank of a river. The mountains steeply rise all around the town.  Behind the train tracks and on the other side of the Thruway, a visitor can look upward to see pine and cedar clinging to bare rock.

For years I knew nothing about Harriman State Park, despite passing it in my car countless times on my way north to Syracuse.  But when I finally learned what this park held, I thought, Tuxedo must be the entrance, right?  The gateway town?  The place to get your map, your camping needs, to have a meal and a drink afterwards before hopping back on the train to the city?  At least to read a map and set out from the train station?

Well, not exactly.  But in the past few months, even as the town has cast its lot with casino giant Genting Singapore, and their plans for a casino and resort, I’ve met some tirelessly energetic people who live in Tuxedo and see a different kind of opportunity.

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What Tuxedo Has, That No One Else Has: Exceptional, Close-to-home Recreation for New York City

I’ve gone on (and on) about what makes Harriman very, very special.  It’s beautiful, it’s peaceful, it’s relatively pristine.  But, in terms of attractiveness to the “outdoor/active” market, it has a wealth of amenities that make it a virtual playground.

Look:

Hundreds of miles of beautiful, sometimes breathtaking trails.  Lakes, rivers, ponds — some with public beaches, some so isolated that you could be the only one there all day.  Cabins that let you rent boats and kayaks to explore the lakes; campgrounds for tenting or hammocking.

Hundred-year-old, almost magical stone and timber lean-tos, a few with views of New York City, with no fees or reservations, just large grassy surrounds to accommodate other overnighters, if they show up. Caves that hid revolutionary war tyrants and (some say) their treasures.  Cross-country ski trails, and snowmobiling in the winter.  Multi-day adventure sports events like the North Face-sponsored Bear Mountain run, the national Cyclocross cup.  The ruins of mansions and whole villages, there to explore today.   A bird-watcher’s paradise, with different habitat types of fields, woodlands, rocky ledges and water. Trails for mountain bikers, photographers, history buffs.  Legal rock climbing and bouldering.  And the Ramapo River, already a place used by whitewater kayakers in the area.

Are you kidding?  Throw into the mix: a train that takes you from New York City to Tuxedo in a little under an hour.  That distance is perfect for a city-dweller’s weekend getaway.  Tired of the noise?  Get on the train early Saturday morning, and by late morning you’ll be on a trail that, combined with the train trip, make it possible to do a weekend loop “hike” from your New York City apartment and back.

I’ve also recommended the park for overseas visitors to New York City, tourists who want to see another side of the Hudson River and have a single weekend day to do it.

This is your sweet spot: affluent, educated, conservation-minded visitors from the city who come with scout groups, family and church groups, college orientation groups, family reunions, old summer campers who want to connect with childhood friends.  Couples.  Dog walkers.  Explorers.

I’m leaving something out, I’m sure of it.  It will come to me later.  But that’s the kind of place this park is.  One thing leads to another.   And Tuxedo, I’m telling you, it’s yours for the taking — and protecting.

The Outdoor Recreation Economy in New York State

In 2013, outdoor recreation contributed 33.8 BILLION dollars to the New York State economy.  Park users spend money on equipment, food, transportation, rentals, accomodation, and incidentals, and this spending has ripple effects in the local community.

So, why not take advantage of the financial support for trail towns and rural improvements that’s currently coming, not just from Albany, but from non-profits and outdoor retail giants as well?  Nobody is better positioned to reap the rewards of providing goods and services to a healthy population of New Yorkers, dying to escape the city for a weekend.

A Roadmap?

I don’t know what a roadmap to economic development looks like, but I’d like to think that a small community — especially one so close to the New York City market — can leverage local and outside resources to accomplish ambitious long-term goals.  I’d guess that the town of Tuxedo and Tuxedo Park has a concentration of creativity, resources, and love of the land that’s well above the national average.

Here’s what a roadmap might look like (from my completely inexperienced and uninitiated point of view):

1.  Realize the economic benefit of the park to the town, and assemble a group of park users, community members, the town planner and the Chamber of Commerce to guide the project, and adopt a non-binding Master Plan for the new gateway community.  Implementation is dependent on stakeholder support, volunteers and outside fundraising.  Form a non-profit to help see that the plan is implemented.
2. Gain the endorsement of an outside conservation or recreation group, or several, to recognize the value and potential of Tuxedo as a “Gateway Town” or “Trail Town”  If they don’t have such an endorsement, ask them to make one up. I can think of many: New York New Jersey Trail Conference, Palisades Interstate Park Commission or Palisades Park Conservancy, American Trails, Parks and Trails New York, just for starters, but other niche recreations groups could be approached (for example, American Trail Runner, Adirondack Mountain Club)
3. Rebrand Tuxedo as a gateway town.  Hold town-hall type meetings to identify ideas for promoting the new identity of the town; identify places where a sense of entering a gateway town might be enhanced.  See the town from the point of view of a park user and see how their needs can be met (water, maps, direction signage, shuttle service, bathrooms, bike racks or rental, equipment rental, etc.)
4. Court outside businesses — service and retail — that could relocate to Tuxedo to serve the needs of the tourist traffic right in the middle of town.
5. Apply for local and state grant money, including help from New Jersey Transit (they already offer grant money to help revitalize towns along their routes).
6. Imagine off-season and shoulder season events to draw visitors in the slower times of the year.

Already the Trail Conference and PIPC maintains the park and the trails, and the trails are well-established. Corporate grants could come from outdoor retail giants, such as L L Bean, EMS, North Face, and smaller, regional outfitters like Campmor.

The country is full of examples of small communities who shifted their economic development strategies to trail-based tourism (one that comes to mind is Narrowsburg, New York, a town that recently received a boost from a Long Island couple who built a small shopping/dining complex on the main street).

But I can’t think of too many that have the enormous advantage that Tuxedo has.  It’s the same one that Genting wants to leverage, but it’s the kicker here, as well: proximity to New York City.