Carmel is a town in Putnam County, New York, about 70 miles north of Manhattan in the Hudson Valley region. The area is best known as the home of Lake Carmel, a private lake community that draws summer visitors, and for its connection to Sybil Ludington, the 16-year-old who in 1777 rode through the night to muster militia troops against a British raid on Danbury, Connecticut — a feat that covered twice the distance of Paul Revere's famous ride. A bronze statue of Ludington on horseback stands near the lake.
Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park is a significant local site. The town center has a handful of shops and restaurants, and Carmel Bowl draws locals for bowling. The surrounding Putnam County landscape is quiet Hudson Valley countryside — wooded hills, small reservoirs, and stone walls.
Carmel is primarily residential and does not have major tourist infrastructure, but it sits in a scenic corner of the Hudson Valley that rewards those who prefer to get off the main roads. The nearby Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park offers hiking and swimming. From New York City, Metro-North's Harlem Line reaches Brewster, the neighboring town, in about 75 minutes.