Dorchester Park

Quick Bits

Main Activities - Hike, Bike, Boat, Fish, Picnic, Camp
Distance - 2 to 10 miles.
Quiet - Some road noise at spots  depending on conditions, but relatively quiet.
Surface - mix of very nice paved walkway to very mucky mud.
Elevation -  relatively flat.
Pets - on leash.
Address - 5469 NY Rt 26 Whitney Point, NY 13862

Dorchester Park Click W&P Map.JPG

Complete cirucit of the Lake with a few miles on NYS Route 26.

In a Nutshell

Dorchester is a Broom County Park centered around a 1200-acre reservoir with easy boat launching. They also rent boats. Mixed in with picnic areas and playgrounds are some walking paths and trails. This includes relatively easy park pathways and then slight more rugged trails through various woods. Fishing is very popular here, including an annual winter crappie derby when conditions permit. This entry also includes the general Whitney Point Lake.

Location and Parking

The main area for the park is located off New York Route 26.  There are several parking lots. One by the lake is reserved for boat and trailer parking. Alternatively, on the west side of the lake is a small parking lot on Keibel Road. 

More details

Dorchester is one of the Broome County owned and operated parks, in this case with cooperation of the NYS DEC and the US Army Corps of Engineering. The reservoir was created by a 95-foot high dam built by the Baltimore District of the Army Corps of Engineering. Started in 1938, It was completed in 1942 to create recreational opportunities and to aid in flood control. The lake created by the dam of the Otselic River creates 10.5 miles of shore line. The dam is on the south end of the reservoir. Rentals, cash only and in season, are available for paddle boats, canoes, paddle boards, and saliboats. Powerboats are limited to 25 hp or less and a speed limit of 10 mph.

The County Park is adjacent to the Whitney Point Multiple Use Area. The County Park controls the area on the east side of the lake as well as a portion on the north shore. The rest managed by the DEC apart from the Army Corps of Engineering controling the dam itself.

In terms of hiking, there is about 2 miles of paved walkways along the east side of the lake and across the dam on the southside and over to the Keibel Road parking area. You could continue walking north on Keibel Road which becomes a packed gravel road running north along the western side of the lake. This will spill you into the DEC Multiple Use Area and you can eventually end up on Merrill Creek Road (aka Whitney Point Upper Lisle Road) going east you'll cross the Otsilec River on an iron bridge. Be aware that hunting is permitted in the Multiple Use Area. Once off the gravel road, the trail can be very muddy at times. 

There is a snow mobile corridor passing through a section of the Multiple Use Area. You'll hear reference to the Anderson Trail and the Clay Banks Trail. The Anderson Trail is on the west side and is an extension of the Keibel Road. Keibel Road goes from paved to gravel.  The Clay Banks Trail is along the northern section of the Lake.

I've been told there is a trail off  Merrill Creek Road that connects back to Dorchester Park on the east side of the lake, but I have never tried that. I have followed Merrill Creek Road back up to NYS Route 26 and back to the park. 

Links of Interest