One of the benefits of being an YPRC member is the privilege of using the club facilities at the American Canoe Association (ACA) Camp, at Lake Sebago in the Harriman State Park. Just one hour from the George Washington Bridge and one half hour from Yonkers, the Camp is leased from the Palisades Interstate Park System to the ACA- Atlantic Division. You must be an ACA member to use the facilities, though you can bring non-member guests with you. The YCC/YPRC cabin sleeps 5 in two small rooms and one more on the couch in the main room. It is fully carpeted, has refrigeration, cooking facilities (microwave), an outdoor propane powered charcoal grill, an outdoor fireplace, and a picnic table. Expenses are recovered from the overnight fees the club collects from those who spend the night. Cabin overnight renters have exclusive use of the building after 6:00pm. It is available to all members during daylight hours for picnicking, changing clothes, and using the refrigerator and it's large freezer. Cabin Registrar for this season is Erik Johanson To arrange overnight stays or obtain additional info, email him at: knifeedge3@aol.com

General Information
Area: 297 acres; maximum depth: 37 feet
Open for paddling April I through November 30.
If launching boats from points other than the ACA camp, a boating permit is required.

Sebago is the largest lake in the Harriman State Park and has six miles of shoreline that offer splendid paddling. The wildest portion of the lake extends in a northeast-southwest orientation, and a long arm extends to the north from its midpoint. Prominent fish species include Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, and Chain pickerel. The lake also hosts frogs, turtles, at least 2 beaver lodges and numerous birds. Sebago's shoreline is rocky. Massive slabs of granite and gneiss, a metamorphic rock, extend down into the water in places, some carpeted with mosses and polypody fern. Along the banks grow thick stands of mountain laurel, which is spectacular when in bloom in June. Highbush blueberry also grows in profusion here, so if you're paddling in August, you may want to bring along a container and pick some.

The surrounding woodlands, comprised almost entirely of deciduous trees include oaks (white, chestnut, scarlet, and red), beech, hickory, black birch, white ash, sugar maple, black locust, witch hazel, and American chestnut. Once one of the most abundant and economically important trees in the Northeast, the chestnut succumbed to the chestnut blight in the early 1900s. Saplings still sprout from rootstock, but these typically die after reaching 20 or 30 feet. The open woodlands around Lake Sebago invite exploration. Take the time to explore the woods from shore, or hike some of the 200 miles of trails, including the Appalachian Trail, that extend throughout the park. Even while paddling on the lake one can see lots of deer browsing along the shore, beavers, mallard ducks, loons and herons. An extensive swimming beach at the northern tip of Lake Sebago which included two picnic areas, playgrounds, and ball fields has been closed for the last few years and makes for a fun paddling destination and place to explore.

In addition to the ACA, there are several other group camping and cabin locations scattered around the southern section of the lake.

 

YPRC Fees & ACA Camp Fees	Area Hiking Map
Directions to the Cabin	ACA Camp Map