Help AMC develop the Baker Outdoor Center
To provide a broad range of recreational opportunities in the greater New York region and beyond.
Since its opening in 2016, our Stephen & Betsy Corman AMC Harriman Outdoor Center (CHOC) has been in high demand. With the success of this location, AMC has now signed another 40-year lease with New York State Parks and Palisades Interstate Parks Commission to completely renovate and redevelop the old Baker Camp as a second, much larger outdoor center to serve the greater New York area.
Baker Camp, located on the shores of Lake Sebago in Harriman State Park, fell into disrepair and closed in 2017. In 2023, AMC officially launched a campaign to fully renovate the camp and transform it into a multisport, low-barrier oasis for individuals, families, and groups to get outdoors.
Our Vision
Established in 1910, Harriman State Park totals more than 45,000 acres, with over 200 miles of hiking trails, 31 lakes, multiple streams, great vistas, and roads popular for recreational biking. Since 2014 AMC has become a valued and trusted nonprofit partner for expanding offerings within Harriman State Park.
Since opening in 2016, CHOC has hosted more than 60,000 bed-nights from families, individuals, and groups of all ethnicities, races, religions, ages, and abilities, far exceeding our expectations for use. Sold out most weekends throughout its operating season, CHOC’s popularity speaks to the still-unmet demand for quality, affordable family camp-like accommodations within Harriman State Park.
We anticipate that AMC’s Baker Outdoor Center will attract thousands of visitors to the park each year. Baker Outdoor Center will provide outdoor recreational opportunities for new and existing recreationists of all ages and backgrounds to connect with nature. Sitting on the shores of Lake Sebago and easily accessible via Seven Lakes Drive, the Center will be designed for short overnight and longer vacation stays and will be especially well-suited for those looking for waterfront recreation opportunities, including boating, sunbathing, fishing, and swimming. Baker will also be a great base camp for day-hikers, trail runners, and cyclists exploring Harriman State Park’s beautiful road-biking network.
Baker Outdoor Center will serve not only as a welcoming home-base for adventure, but also as the largest AMC lodging and recreation facility in our region. Combined with CHOC and the two AMC-operated visitor centers, Reeves Meadow Visitor Center and the Palisades Information Center, Baker Outdoor Center will position AMC as a premier programming and public lodging operator within Harriman State Park at a time when more people than ever are looking to access the restorative power of the outdoors.
Help AMC Unlock $500K!
AMC began 2024 with an anonymous foundation donor awarding AMC a two-year, $500,000 grant for the Baker Outdoor Center! This funding will allow AMC to build a new four-person cabin, renovate a four-person cabin, renovate a six-to-eight person lodge, and renovate the manager’s residence and office. Successful completion of the challenge is contingent on AMC raising an additional $500,000 in matching funding from private sources by the end of 2024 in order for the foundation to release the final grant payment and bring the total amount raise for Baker Outdoor Center through this effort to $1,000,000!
These renovations and build-outs will include repairing inconsistent siding and window replacements; patching live-log siding and modifying the detail of vertical cedar board siding to recover the aesthetic integrity of the camp; replacing windows and doors, leveling floors, and truing roof lines without compromising the overall rustic aesthetic; reconstructing missing porches; replacing existing lighting with LED light fixtures to achieve higher levels of illumination with reduced power consumption.
If you would like to help us secure the $500,000 in match funding, please consider supporting AMC with a tax-deductible gift either online or by mailing a check to: Appalachian Mountain Club, 10 City Square, Suite 2, Boston, MA, 02129.
Helping AMC to secure this match will allow us to fast-track some of the construction, serving as model structures for visitors and helping to envision what the Baker Outdoor Center will look like once open to the public.
Latest Updates
Baker 2023 Volunteer Highlight: Jessica Doh
From April through October 2023, AMC held monthly volunteer days at the Baker Outdoor Center to engage the greater New York community and generate excitement for the Baker campaign. AMC hosted over 100 volunteers, who donated 4,000 hours of their time!
One of the Baker volunteers, Jessica Doh, joined us for six of those seven volunteer days, from the April volunteer day when it poured rain sideways to the warm and sunny September volunteer day when Jessica ventured into “dead man’s cave” along the shores of Lake Sebago.
Jessica helped clear out some of the invasive Japanese Barberry near the garage and dining hall, raked leaves and cleared pathways throughout the campsite, and removed lumber from the basement of the rec hall. Month after month, Jessica showed up with a smile on her face and ready to work. AMC is very appreciative of all her support and help; and hopes she comes back this year! The 2024 Baker volunteer day schedule will be posted shortly.
“My initial interest in volunteering for the Baker Camp was because my late husband's last name was Baker, but once I was volunteering there, I fell in love with the beauty of the place and its history. I was so excited to participate in this project that I wanted to be there every month.” — Jessica Doh
Thank you, Jessica, for your volunteer leadership!
Donate to AMC’s Baker Outdoor Center Campaign
To get involved with this exciting project or sign-up for the Baker Outdoor Center e-newsletter, please contact Esther De Vito, Regional Director of Development, Greater New York, at [email protected] or at 646-292-5256.