ORANGE COUNTY, NY (VINnews) – Harriman State Park has been ranked among the nation’s top hotspots for tick-borne illness, according to a report by the Times Herald-Record.

The 48,000-acre park, which stretches across Rockland and Orange counties and features roughly 200 miles of hiking trails, ranked No. 3 nationally on a new World Atlas list examining state parks with significant tick activity and documented cases of tick-borne illness.

Green Lakes State Park in Onondaga County ranked No. 2, while Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania took the top spot.

According to the Times Herald-Record, World Atlas cited Harriman’s large deer population and heavy visitor traffic as contributing factors to its high tick activity.

The ranking comes as tick activity continues to increase across New York. The Times Herald-Record reported that New York has averaged more than 17,500 new Lyme disease cases annually over the past three years, with nearly 19,000 cases reported in 2024.

The number of ticks submitted to a SUNY Upstate Medical University laboratory also increased by 145% between 2024 and 2025, according to the report.

“Every year, the number of people who encounter ticks is increasing,” said Saravanan Thangamani, director of the laboratory.

Deer ticks remain the most prevalent in New York, while researchers are also seeing more Lone Star ticks and dog ticks in areas where they were previously less common.

The World Atlas report noted that Harriman is located in the Lower Hudson Valley, where state surveys have detected pathogens associated with Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus in blacklegged ticks.

Health officials recommend that hikers wear protective clothing, use insect repellent, stay on marked trails and conduct thorough tick checks after spending time outdoors. New York health officials note that ticks can remain active whenever temperatures are above freezing.