Harriman State Park Ranks No. 3 for Tick Illness as New York Lyme Cases Near 19,000
Updated
Updated · VINNews · Aug 18
Harriman State Park Ranks No. 3 for Tick Illness as New York Lyme Cases Near 19,000
3 articles · Updated · VINNews · Aug 18
Summary
Harriman State Park placed third nationally on a new World Atlas list of state parks with significant tick activity and documented tick-borne illness, behind Pennsylvania’s Pine Grove Furnace and New York’s Green Lakes.
World Atlas tied Harriman’s ranking to its 48,000 acres, roughly 200 miles of trails, a large deer population and heavy visitor traffic in the Lower Hudson Valley.
New York’s broader tick problem is worsening: the state has averaged more than 17,500 new Lyme disease cases annually over the past three years, with nearly 19,000 reported in 2024.
SUNY Upstate Medical University said tick submissions to its lab jumped 145% from 2024 to 2025, while deer ticks remain most common and Lone Star and dog ticks are spreading into more areas.
State surveys have found blacklegged ticks in the region carrying pathogens linked to Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus, prompting officials to urge repellent, protective clothing and post-hike tick checks.