New York physician Ernest Stillman donated the park's initial 800 acres (3.2 km2) to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in 1922, hoping to protect land surrounding the Storm King Highway. The park has since grown to its current 1,972-acre (7.98 km2) size through additional donations and purchases of land.[3]
The park was the focus of preservation efforts in the early 1960s after a proposal by Consolidated Edison to build a hydro-electric power plant on the property. The Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference was formed by citizens opposed to the project, and the proposal was eventually dropped following a 17-year battle to preserve the park's natural state.[5][6]
A 1999 forest fire at the park caused the detonation of unexploded ordnance that had been fired over 100 years prior by a cannon manufacturer across the river. Additional unexploded shells were also discovered that likely originated from a nearby West Point artillery range. After the fire was put out, the park remained closed to hikers for three years as remaining explosives were located and removed.[5][6]
Description
Storm King State Park is undeveloped except for limited parking and trails. The park offers hiking and seasonal deer hunting.[1] Several named trails are included within the park, which features Storm King Mountain as a central feature.[5]
^ ab"Storm King State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
^ ab"Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook(PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. p. 674. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 16, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
