As in last year, and the year before, Sebago Beach at Harriman State Park will be closed for 2014. I don’t know if it will ever reopen, but I was told it won’t.
You can still hike in to see this beach. It seems to change all the time as the sands shift, the buildings sag a little more. The roads are still cracked from Hurricane Sandy, who wrought all the damage in the first place.
To get to Sebago Beach, you can park in the pull-out lots along Route 106, on the west side of Little Long Pond, and take the blue-blazed Victory Trail to its intersection with a woods road, and from there, it’s a short walk to the beach. (See map below).
I assume that the designated parking (P) places on the above map is then incorrect?
the above map with the parking locations are correct.
The only problem is, they’ve blocked the road entrance to Sebago Beach, where those two parking lots are. Now, the closest lots are the two offroad “P” spots on Route 106. Still, it’s a really pretty hike on the Victory Trail in to the lake, and the old Sebago Beach area is just so, so pretty.
I am afraid that Sebago will never reopen. It will end up like Anthony Wayne which was closed over 20 or 25 years ago.
Why keep Tiorati open? Sebago had a much larger, nicer beach.
Bob M
At least you can still park at Anthony Wayne.
Mr. And miss Maloney, are you two still reg visitor to sebago?
I’ve heard that ordinary people don’t tell supermodels that they look good- it is just assumed that they do, so the compliment goes unsaid. Is it redundant to tell a New York Times photographer that the photos on her blog are awesome? I love the sad, Chernobyl-esque quality of the Sebago Beach photo.
Well, believe me: Times photographers aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be. :0) And sometimes the laziness creeps in.
Sebago’s a cool place now. I’d love to half-bury a Statue of Liberty crown somewhere in the sand, just enough so the points stick up.
Much obliged, Robert! That was very kindly of you.
I remember going to that beach in the 1950’s and 60’s… What happened to it that it closed?
It was destroyed in 2011 by Hurricane Irene, according to another blog. This is the same hurricane that really deviated some areas in the Oneonta area and the way up there from Bear Mtn.
What can we do to restore it?
Has anyone assess the damaged and what it would cost to restore the beach is there any possible way to get the parks department or Trail conference to help raise funds to reopen Sebago Beach
I too remember going there in the 60s with my parents, sister, aunt, and uncle – it was such a quiet and peaceful way to spend the day. Such a shame that it has closed or maybe a good thing with the things that folks of today 🙁
I am glad to have fond memories of Sebago Beach
Give anything to the government and in several decades it will be decrepit. First Anthony Wayne park with its popular bathhouses was shut down due to “budgetary restraints” and now Sebago won’t be rebuilt. Work hard so your tax dollars can be diverted secretly to politician’s and their worker’s accounts or spheres of influence bought with your money. The lady that donated Harriman Park to the state made a horrible mistake.
If you join the American Canoe Association you will have access to the lake from the south end. Bring a canoe or kayak and paddle to the north side where the beach is. The ACA camp has a swimming dock, tent sites and cabins…a great place to spend the day.
Or, rent one of the Sebago Cabins right off the road at the south end of the lake. Still beautiful!
Billions spent by NY State on Hurricane Sandy recovery, and they couldn’t find a small amount to allocate to restore a park visited for decades?
Rather sad. I hope there’s an initiative to restore the park.
It is now a maintenance area. We drove in the other day and there was one person there working a backhoe on what was the bus parking lot. I suspect if you parked your car and walked around they wouldn’t bother you. It’s gated so you’d probably need to go on a weekday since the gate is probably closed on the weekend. I am going to go back and try it. In the mid sixties I would go to Camp Sebago for two weeks every summer. I learned about it the the Flatbush Boys Club. It started many years earlier and by the sixties it had been moved over the hill to Lake Skenanto. The used to take us on hikes around the area by the beach. There used to be a roller rink by the beach too. I am going to hike back to that camp.
Just found this site. I believe that N.Y.C. wants to control Harriman Park Lakes for water supply. And is forcing the closing of the lake facilities. If m
y memory serves me , this was stated by a much older person I knew in the 1990 ‘ s. The concept would be interesting to research.
I used to go to Lake Welch and Lake Sebago Beach as a child with my parents and close family friends. we lived in Manhattan so it was a great way to get out of the city during hot summer days and cool off while swimming. As an adult with my own family, I introduced my wife and young sons to Lake Sebago Beach as a getaway from The Bronx where we have lived. It was always a nice alternative to the noisy but still decent Lake Welch. One decade later, I have still not gotten over the closing of Lake Sebago Beach. My youngest son is now 16 and it pains my heart every time we are headed to Lake Welch (presently closed due to a harmful algal bloom) and I see the ancient sign for Lake Sebago with a diagonal “CLOSED’ sign over it. The memories of the times we spent there are sweet and my eyes well with tears to this day at the thought of how suddenly it was taken away from us New Yorkers who depended on it for some respite and how little the politicians seem to care.