SOUTH COLTON -- Finishing touches are being made on a new playground, Higley Trail Lodge, and shower and bath facility at Higley Flow State Park.

The projects were paid for in part through $500,000 of state funding obtained through the North Country Regional Economic Development Council’s work.

The $140,000 playground features a climbing and sliding set, swing set, seesaws and rock climbing wall. This replaces the worn-out equipment near the park’s swimming area.

The shower and restroom building for the park’s campground has been completed. The $300,000 facility was built to replace a deteriorated 32-year-old washhouse.

The new Higley Trails Lodge was a joint project of the Friends of Higley Flow State Park, State Park staff and volunteers from local elementary and high schools, Clarkson University, SUNY Potsdam, and St. Lawrence University. A $60,000 Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) grant was applied to the project, an all-season, multi-purpose facility with rest rooms, heat, shelter, classroom and display areas. Accessible to people with disabilities, the lodge will serve as a site for nature education programs in the summer and a warm resting place for cross-country skiers in winter.

“Higley Flow is used by thousands of people in every season for camping and boating to skiing and hiking,” said Tom French, president of the Friends of Higley Flow State Park. “It is a gem within the parks system and one of the most visited parks in the state during the winter months.”

The park swimming beach opened for the season on Saturday, June 22. The campground opened on May 17.

“Developing the full recreational potential of the Raquette River corridor is among the Regional Council's identified priorities for tourism development in the North Country,” said Garry Douglas, president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce and co-chair of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council.

“This project is particularly exciting because it provides year-round access to recreational facilities for North Country residents in their own backyard and contributes to the world-class tourism assets across the region that make us an international destination for visitors,” said Anthony G. Collins, president of Clarkson University and co-chair of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council. “By adding value to our State Park lands, the collective marketing of all of the region’s robust recreation and sporting opportunities will spawn additional private investment.”

Higley Flow State Park is nestled among the Adirondack foothills on the picturesque Raquette River. Spacious campsites, separated from neighbors by pine trees, abound in the park. The terrain is hilly and heavily-wooded and there is a sandy beach on the reservoir of the Raquette River. The scenic river is ideal for canoeing and fishing. Higley Flow State Park is open year-round.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 179 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 60 million people annually.