Dyken Pond

Dyken Pond
Dyken Pond is located in New York
Dyken Pond
Dyken Pond
Location in New York
LocationTowns of Grafton and Berlin, Rensselaer County, New York
Coordinates42°43′24″N 73°25′32″W / 42.72333°N 73.42556°W / 42.72333; -73.42556
TypeLake
Primary outflowsPoesten Kill
Max. length1.4 mi (2.3 km)
Surface area134 acres (54 ha)
Average depth16 ft (4.9 m)
Max. depth35 ft (11 m)
Shore length15.1 mi (8.2 km)
Surface elevation1,625 ft (495 m)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Dyken Pond is a 134-acre (54 ha) lake in the towns of Grafton and Berlin in Rensselaer County, New York.[1][2] The pond gets water primarily from precipitation and outflows westward into the Poesten Kill, a tributary of the Hudson River. It is located in northwest Berlin, south of Grafton Lakes State Park.

Dyken Pond is 1.4 miles (2.3 km) long with a shoreline length of 5.1 miles (8.2 km); its maximum depth is 35 feet (11 m) with an average depth of 16 feet (4.9 m). It sits at an elevation of 1,625 feet (495 m).[1]

Formerly a small pond, Dyken Pond was enlarged to its current size in 1902 after a dam was built to regulate water power and reduce flooding. The dam was constructed by the Manning Paper Company, who later donated their land holdings in the vicinity of the pond to Rensselaer County in 1973.[3] That land became part of the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, a 594-acre (2.40 km2) property that is accessible to the public for the purpose of outdoor education and low-impact recreation.[4][5]

The pond facilitates fishing for chain pickerel and panfish, and ice fishing is permitted.

  1. ^ a b "Dyken Pond". New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Dyken Pond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  3. ^ Warren, John (2009). The Poesten Kill: Waterfalls to Waterworks in the Capital District. Arcadia Publishing. p. 12. ISBN 9781625842756. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  4. ^ "Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center". Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  5. ^ "Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center". New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved September 7, 2016.