Croton Parks Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Parks · Preserve

Paradise Island

Undeveloped, wooded 22-acre island in the lower Croton River, owned by Westchester County. No facilities and no bridge — reached by canoe or kayak.

Operated by Westchester County Parks · also known as Paradise Island County Park, Paradise Island Park

Open on the map

The park today

The island is entirely undeveloped: wooded, unmarked and without trails, docks or any facilities. The village and county describe it simply as an undeveloped island best accessed by canoe or kayak. Paddlers typically reach it from the Echo Canoe Launch at the Croton-Harmon station or from Mayo's Landing on the south bank, a short distance up the tidal river.

The surrounding water is popular for fishing, and the lower river's channels braid around the island group. Swimming in the Croton River is prohibited, and releases from the New Croton Dam upstream can raise the river and stiffen the current with little warning.

History

Paradise Island is the largest of the islands in the lower Croton River, the tidal stretch between the New Croton Dam's gorge and the Hudson. The islands were summer recreation spots in the early 20th century — a 1907 postcard shows a tent camp on a neighboring island (identified by local historians as Deer Island or a smaller island beside it, photographed from Paradise Island's shore).

The island's ownership has long been ambiguous in local listings: the village's 2013 Parks & Trails Guide includes it in Croton's parks-and-open-space inventory, while federal GNIS records and OpenStreetMap carry the name "Paradise Island County Park." The county classification is the correct one. The village's own 2003 Comprehensive Plan tabulates it under "County parks (Croton Point Park and Paradise Island)," crediting it 22.2 of the two parks' combined 526 acres, and Westchester County's parcel records list the island parcel's owner as the County of Westchester. It has never appeared among the county parks department's operated facilities — it is county-owned open space rather than a staffed park.

Visiting

Hours
No posted hours; unstaffed open space.
Fees
Free.
Parking
None on the island. Park at the Croton-Harmon station area for the Echo Canoe Launch, or use Mayo's Landing street access from Nordica Drive.
Getting there
By water only: canoe or kayak from the Echo Canoe Launch (20 Veterans Plaza) or Mayo's Landing (Nordica Drive), then up the lower Croton River.
Rules
Swimming in the Croton River is prohibited; dam releases can raise the river several feet in minutes. Carry in, carry out — there are no facilities of any kind.

Accessibility

Not accessible: boat-only access to an undeveloped island with no landings or paths.

Accessibility facts for Paradise Island.
Step-free access No
Accessible parking Not documented
Accessible restroom Not documented
Surfaces Natural riverbank and woods; no maintained surfaces.

Sources

  1. Westchester County GIS, DataHub Tax Parcels (parcel at the island, SBL 079.014-2-1, addressed S Riverside Ave, Croton-on-Hudson: PRIMARY_OWNER 'County of Westchester', 148 Martine Ave, White Plains; queried via the county's public ArcGIS REST service) — retrieved August 15, 2026
  2. Croton Comprehensive Plan (2003), Chapter 3 — open-space inventory ('County parks (Croton Point Park and Paradise Island)', 526.0 acres; Paradise Island 22.2 acres, 'undeveloped island in Croton River accessible by boat') — retrieved August 15, 2026
  3. 2013 Croton Parks & Trails Guide (undeveloped 22-acre island, best accessed by canoe or kayak) — retrieved August 15, 2026
  4. Croton History (crotonhistory.org) — 'Camp Schrader, Mesmonk Island, Croton River in 1907' (early-20th-century recreation on the lower river's islands; Paradise Island as photo vantage) — retrieved August 15, 2026
  5. OpenStreetMap / GNIS — 'Paradise Island County Park' (way 55604061; GNIS feature 1001754586) — retrieved August 15, 2026

Researched August 15, 2026.