QUAKER RUN — New York State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid came to Allegany State Park on May 25 to cut the ribbon on a 3.6-mile extension of the Quaker Run Area Multi-Use Trail.
The trail now runs from Taft Cabin on ASP Route 3 to the Quaker Lake Beach area. It includes eight pedestrian bridges and some beautiful vistas on the paved pathway along Quaker Lake.
The 3.6-mile extension from Quaker Store to Quaker Lake began last year and was finished in recent weeks. Its $6.8 million cost includes a $1.2 million contribution from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.
The initial 1.6-mile trail from Taft Cabin to Quaker Store opened in the fall of 2020. Besides accomplishing its mission of enhancing safety, both the trail and its bridges fit into the environment, Kulleseid told a small group of officials and invitees.
Jay Bailey, regional director, said the entire 5.2-mile multi-use trail is now open. He thanked local staff, the park’s partners and those who helped fund the trail.
“It is a badly needed alternative to the roadway” for thousands of visitors, both pedestrians and bicyclists, he added.
Kulleseid brought greetings from Gov. Kathy Hochul, a native Western New Yorker who camped in Allegany State Park with her family while growing up in Lackawanna.
The commissioner said Allegany State Park “is a very special park with an incredible legacy” and is truly “a crown jewel in the state park system.”
The largest New York State Park with the “vision and grandeur of a national park,” it is also “one of the largest residential areas in the Southern Tier on a summer weekend, Kulleseid said.
Wendy Brand of Allegany, the acting chairman of the Allegany Region Commission, thanked those who worked to design and fund the project. She also recognized Tom Livak, retired Quaker Area manager, who pushed for the trail for safety reasons. She said the trail will “enhance our visitors’ experience, protect the environment and provide safety” for walkers and bicyclists.
State Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Joseph Giglio praised the completed trail.
Borrello said, “It didn’t happen by accident. It was a lot of hard work.” Giglio said the trail was a wonderful addition to the park, which he called “part of our community. It always has been.”
Retired Allegany Region director Hugh Dunne, who is now a member of the Allegany Region Commission, said the Quaker trail was a great addition for park visitors and credited Bailey for pushing the project at the Albany level.
Even before the ribbon was cut, several visitors could be seen walking along the trail or zipping along on fat-tired bikes.
The trail includes some picturesque vistas along Quaker Lake, where it winds in and out of wooded areas. The trail also blends into the wooded areas and streams along the route.
