Kakiat Park in Montebello and its popular dog run will be closed until further notice. A construction project is underway to replace several wooden footbridges that cross the Mahwah River. Work will continue through mid-September.

Dogs and their owners can still use the run at located at Kennedy Dells County Park in New City.

The 376 acre Kakiat Park offers hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, scenic outlooks, a pavilion, fishing in a stocked river, an off-leash dog run and guided tours by Park Rangers. The $304,602 reconstruction project will be paid for by Columbia Gas and Algonquin Gas Transmission Companies for use of permanent and temporary construction easements.

According to the NYNJBotany.org, Kakiat is derived froma Minsi Indian name, Kackyachtaweke. The word means what westerners call a “draw” — a neighborhood open on one side and closed by hills on the others. The Blauvelt family had a place here known as Kakiat Farm for over 200 years.

Source: Rockland County, NYNJBotany.org
See also: Journal News

Photo Credit: Barbara Socor