Ashokan Reservoir, New York — Attraction in Town of Olive

This is the one of the reservoir provides drinking water to New York city. You will see Department of environmental protection(DEP) presence around the reservoir. Reservoir is well guarded by DEP staff at all times and cameras all over the place around the walking area of the reservoir. Views are fantastic specially around the fall. Roads around the reservoir are well maintained.

Ashokan reservoir, the property of NY city department of environmental protection(DEP), product of power struggle between major city and the rural area of Catskill for building Catskill water system.

Reservoir at the cost of moving 2000 people, 500 homes, 35 stores, 11 schools, 5 railroad stations, 10,000 acres reclaimed by NYC and 10 churches were moved to a new location or 10 towns were destroyed in making Catskill aqueduct system.

I saw plastic bench supplied by DEP for someone who wants to sit and enjoy reservoir view.

NYC to spend $750M to upgrade...

If you're from NYC, you'd be fascinated to learn that your tap water may have originated from here, as this is one of the city's main sources of water. The place is calm and scenic as expected.

Start your visit at the parking lot. There is a separate listing for it here on Google Maps - definitely pin it to help with your navigation. From the parking lot, it's a short walk to the reservoir's walk path, which offers a breathtaking view. You can keep going and walk to the bridge, another scenic spot. Total walking time from the parking lot to the bridge is roughly 20 minutes for the average person.

Another interesting tidbit: As with other man-made reservoirs in the area, construction involved sumberging several communities and the forced relocation of their residents. You begin to imagine what the place would look like if all the water...

Breathtaking views in all directions, and a long circuit for jogging or bicycling. Plaques spaced out along the perimeter describing the reservoir’s topography, history and fauna. Signs posted everywhere reminding people that NYC owns every drop of the water. There are solar-powered buoys which monitor the water’s quality, and there is a weather station’s antenna to monitor the climate. Meticulously landscaped embankments which rise up easily fifty feet in some places. Keep this in mind since there are only a few points which feature foot trails for descending back towards the parking area. Also, this reservoir is great if you want your land lady Tova to drink your...