Located in Harriman State Park the WTEC offers a beautiful Lakeside setting with rustic cabins, a communal commercial-grade kitchen, and hot showers for after a hard days work!
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History
Beginning in 1913, the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission built dozens of group camps throughout Harriman State Park. The group camps have provided many people with their first outdoor experiences for generations. In 1952, Group Camp LT-1, also known as Camp Wakoda, was built along Lower Twin Lake. Camp Wakoda was first sponsored by the Newburgh Girl Scouts 1952-1965 and then by Sarah Wells Council 1966-2007. The Camp was closed in 2007 after the Girl Scout Council gave up the rental camp to use only Camps on which they owned the land.
The camp did not sit idle for too long before the Trail Conference started using the camp to house trail crews working in the area. When we started the Trail Conference Conservation Corps, the camp became an ideal location to offer our Corps members seasonal housing. Today we have a 10-year lease agreement with the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission to use the camp, which we have renamed the Welch Trail Education Center. In exchange for the property, make improvements and maintain the property. Maintaining the property is no small task as years of harsh weather and natural decay have taken their toll. But the Trail Conference is always up for a challenge!
Construction
The Trail Conference always has its eye on the future needs of the organization and the mission we serve. Therefore, providing a setting ideal for training the future stewards of our parks and lands is a priority. To further this goal, with the help of a matching grant, we are building a 960-square-foot Learning Pavillion at the Welch Trail Education Center to be used for Corps members, volunteers, or staff training. The design will be in keeping with the rest of the camp with a simple rustic look. Construction will begin in 2025, pending approvals.
The Learning Pavillion construction is being funded by a matching NYS Environmental Protection Fund Grant Program for Parks, Preservation and Heritiage. If you would contribute financially to the matching grant for this new facility, please email Don Weise at [email protected].
Getting There
The Welch Trail Education Center is in a gated group camp area of Harriman State Park on the south side of Route 6 between I87 and Palisades Interstate Parkway.
GPS coordinates: 41.315369, -74.079008
Donations Needed
We are in need of lightly used or new:
- Rustic wooden couches
- Native plants for the garden
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