Victor C. Waryas Park
Main Street, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York
9 acres

located on the Hudson River waterfront

History:

The area of today's park was once a large industrial area.

The Park was named for the late Victor C. Waryas who served as Mayor of the City of Poughkeepsie from 1960-1964. Today people often use the park at lunchtime. 

Facilities:

has a municipal launch ramp; deep water dock, floating docks, parking, amphitheater, river walk, grassy areas, a restaurant, and the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum (which recently relocated to the north-end of the newly constructed walkway at Waryas Park).

Trails:

There is talk of building a trail from the southern waterfront to the city parks that skirts the river to the north (Kaal Rock Park then Waryas). At Waryas, people can walk up Main Street to Poughkeepsie's downtown shops.

The park lies between the north side of the Mid-Hudson Bridge and the railroad bridge.  There are two fishing peers.  There is a refreshment stands (currently closed).  At the northern end of the park is The Pavilion with a bar and plenty of benches on which to sit. Just north of the pavilion is a creek/brook that stops the walker.  The next building north of the park is privately owned.

11/10/2006.  Found out you can connect from Waryas Park south to Kaal Rock Park.  From near the south end of the park there is a huge white apartment building.  Head between the apartment on the left and the woods on the right.  You will find one or the other of two paths that both lead to the top of Kaal Rock.  From here you can walk down to the base of the rock and the park itself by heading down the side of the cliff.  You have to be careful since it is not a formal path. 

Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
date = date of field trip when plant found in bloom 8/10/04; 11/10/2006

Trees:
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven) lots of it
Celtis occidentalis (hackberry)
Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)
Maclura pomifera (osage orange)
Morus alba (white mulberry)
Paulownia tomentosa (empress tree)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Pinus thunbergii (black pine) planted
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Prunus sp. (cherry) planted
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Pyrus sp. (crab apple) planted
Ulmus americana (American elm)
Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm) ? planted

Shrubs:
Amorpha fruticosa (false indigo bush)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Forsythia sp. (golden bells)
Rhus sp. (sumac)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Taxus sp. (yew)

Vines:
Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed)
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Cuscuta sp. (dodder)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Sicyos angulatus (one-seeded cucumber)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Amaranthus sp. (amaranthus)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) 8/10/04
Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed)
Arctium sp. (burdock)  8/10/04 waning
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Barbarea vulgaris (common wintercress)
Bidens sp. (beggar ticks)
Chelidonium majus (celandine)  11/10/2006
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy) 8/10/04
Cichorium intybus (chicory) 8/10/04
Conyza canadensis (horseweed) 8/10/04
Coronilla varia (crown vetch) 8/10/04
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace) 8/10/04  11/10/2006
Duchesnea indica (Indian strawberry) 8/10/04
Erechtites hieraciifolia (pileweed)
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane) 8/10/04
Euphorbia maculata (spotted spurge) 8/10/04
Galinsoga sp. (gallant soldier) 8/10/04
Glechoma hederacea (gill over the ground)
Impatiens capensis (orange jewelweed)
Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort)
Lepidium virginicum (poor man's pepper) 8/10/04
Lotus corniculatus (birdfoot trefoil) 8/10/04
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) 8/10/04
Matricaria matricarioides (pineapple weed) 8/10/04
Medicago lupulina (black medick) 8/10/04
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) 8/10/04
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain) 8/10/04
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed) 8/10/04
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Polygonum pensylvanicum (pink smartweed) 8/10/04
Polygonum spp. (dooryard or similar knotweeds) 8/10/04
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed) 8/10/04
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Senecio vulgaris (common groundsel) 8/10/04
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion) 8/10/04
Trapa natans (water chestnut)
Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover) 8/10/04
Trifolium pratense (red clover)
Trifolium repens (white clover) 8/10/04  11/10/2006
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain) 8/10/04
a yellow mustard 8/10/04

Sedges:
Cyperus sp. (nut or umbrella sedge)

Grasses:
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Echinochloa sp. (barnyard grass)
Eleusine indica (zipper grass)
Panicum dichotomiflorum (fall panic grass)
Poa annua (annual bluegrass)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)
Setaria viridis (green foxtail grass)