How to Enjoy the Best "Dam" View of the City of Binghamton

A short hike just outside Binghamton can lead people to a spot where they can enjoy a spectacular sight of the Parlor City.

The special place is near Wittman Dam in the town of Dickinson. It's just above the location where Broome County officials once considered building a massive trash-burning plant in the 1980s. Parts of the proposed site were in the city and in the town of Dickinson. It had been used by the Binghamton Brick Company for several decades.

The Wittman Dam was part of a Broome County flood control project built in 1994. Hikers can get access to trails near the dam from Wittman Lane, a private road off Old State Road. (If you choose to go, DON'T park on Wittman Lane!)

A sign identifying the Wittman Dam site in the town of Dickinson. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The hiking trails southwest of the dam are fairly easy to navigate. They can be muddy at times, especially following periods of heavy rain.

Logging has continued in the area in recent years with heavy equipment causing ruts in some of the trails.

Brick fragments - along with an occasional complete brick - can still be found while navigating the trails.

"Brick art" on display near the former Binghamton Brick Company property in the town of Dickinson. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

There are few choice locations to take a break and take in an incredible view of Binghamton and the surrounding area. It's a great opportunity to spend some time feeling "above it all."

A view of the Interstate 81/Route 17 interchange from the above the old "Brickyard" site. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

WATCH a video shot during a recent visit to the site off Old State Road in the town of Dickinson.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

RANKED: Here are the most popular national parks

To determine the most popular national parks in the United States, Stacker compiled data from the National Park Service on the number of recreational visits each site had in 2020. Keep reading to discover the 50 most popular national parks in the United States, in reverse order from #50 to #1. And be sure to check with individuals parks before you visit to find out about ongoing, pandemic-related safety precautions at www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

LOOK: Here are the best lake towns to live in

Many of the included towns jump out at the casual observer as popular summer-rental spots--the Ozarks' Branson, Missouri, or Arizona's Lake Havasu--it might surprise you to dive deeper into some quality-of-life offerings beyond the beach and vacation homes. You'll likely pick up some knowledge from a wide range of Americana: one of the last remaining 1950s-style drive-ins in the Midwest; a Florida town that started as a Civil War veteran retirement area; an island boasting some of the country's top public schools and wealth-earners right in the middle of a lake between Seattle and Bellevue; and even a California town containing much more than Johnny Cash's prison blues.

LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.