Welcome to Copake Falls, New York
THE HAMLET OF COPAKE FALLS LIES IN THE HEART OF THE TACONIC MOUNTAIN RANGE, which takes its name from a Lenape word meaning “in the trees.” From the Mahican, Lenape, Haudenosaunee and other first peoples of the region, to the Dutch, German, and English colonists of the seventeenth century, on up to the area’s current residents and thousands of annual visitors, the great forests in this region have beckoned settlers and visitors for millennia. However, most of the trees seen today are less than a century old because, for most of the 1800s, Copake Falls was not just a haven of recreation, but a thriving hub of industry which focused around iron ore production. The ancient forests were felled to feed the mighty blast furnaces that were part of the iron ore production.
If you know what to look for, you can still spot signs of Copake Falls’ industrial past, with clues pointing to two centuries of revolutionary transformation from forest, to iron works, and back again.
More than 200,000 people visit Taconic State Park in Copake Falls, NY, each year to enjoy its scenic beauty and recreational delights – including Bash Bish Falls, Copake Iron Works, Roeliff Jansen Historical Society and Harlem Valley Rail Trail.
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Visit Copake Falls
Hike Bash Bish Falls
Bash Bish Falls is a 2.1-mile hiking trail to the highest waterfall in the state of Massachusetts. The trail winds through the Taconic Mountains of Berkshire County, which neighbors Mount Washington State Forest in Massachusetts and Taconic State Park in New York.
Learn About Historic Copake Iron Works
The production of iron in the region began in the mid-1700s, and Copake Iron Works and its iconic blast furnace opened shop in 1845. The ore was mined on-site in a large pit. The surrounding forests were felled to make charcoal. Dams and mill-wheels on the Bash Bish Creek provided waterpower for the machinery. One last advantage the location had was a railroad line scheduled to be built nearby. When the line was completed in 1852, the company had even quicker access to markets. For more information, contact Friends of Taconic State Park.
Visit Roeliff Jansen Historical Society
Founded in 1974, the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society serves the Towns of Ancram, Copake, Gallatin, Hillsdale and Taghkanic. Its mission is to preserve and present the history and cultural traditions of the Roe Jan community. Through ongoing research, a speaker series, exhibits, and a multimedia archive, the Society documents and conserves the heritage, bringing recognition to the stories, skills, and traditions of local folks, past and present.
Explore Harlem Valley Rail Trail
The railroad ceased running to Copake Falls in 1976, and since the mid-1980’s, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association has dreamed of a 46-mile rail trail in the Harlem Valley and Taconic Hills of eastern New York. The first segment of the trail opened in 1996. Harlem Valley Rail Trail extends North from the hamlet of Wassaic to Copake Falls and is growing year by year.
