Harriman State Park overnighter

[peter tooke]

Nice hike Bob. I've been up there a couple of recent weekends for some day loops. But from your pics it looks like the foliage is about to really pop soon and I'll give the overnight a go asap. Many thanks!

[Bob Moulder]

@Peter R… that is a cool link! I'll check it out more thoroughly to see how the trails and distances are measured. There are very few bits of marked trails I haven't done, but a lot of the old roads and unmarked trails remain for me to do. Could make for some flatter snowshoe routes come winter. @peter t… I'm guessing the colors will peak in about 2-3 weeks. As you say, they are indeed about to pop, but I'm wondering how the moderate drought will affect the colors.

[Peter Rodrigues]

Bob I took all the mileage from the Harriman Trails: A Guide and History by William Myles and updated by Daniel Chazin. Some of the unmarked stuff needed some estimation, but its a fun little project. For all – it looks like we could put together a good little Harriman BPL group. Pete

[Bob Moulder]

Ah, I didn't see that guide before — good catch. I know there is a whole bunch of history in that park dating waaaayyy back pre-Revolutionary… mining, logging, homesteading (Parker Mtn Cabin… with only a tiny chunk of the fireplace remaining). Some really cool AT shelters with the Manhattan skyline visible some 50 miles away. I've not kept a log book of trips, but I have a few GPS tracks and some well used maps. But I'd like to tick off the last few bits I haven't done. We really should have some sort of not-too-fancy Harriman GGG… easy trip perhaps to the vicinity of the Stockbridge Shelter which has a rather large flat area to camp… REI uses it for their instructional trips.

[dirtbag]

I would be up for a November trip to Harriman. I am planning my next hike in the catskills to do the Devils Path on October 14 to 16. So for me, November would work if anyone interested. And Bob..Yes..nice TR and that is a nice loop you mapped out there. Very cool.

[Bob Moulder]

Joe, November is definitely possible for me. I'm on a shorter leash for the time being with my wife's work schedule, but we've negotiated one good trip for me each month, lol — gotta get my fix! October is taken already. Who's interested, and what are you interested in doing?

[Steven Hanlon]

I'm in for November. I'll be hitting Harriman in two weeks as well.

[Bob Moulder]

Nov 14-15 good for me We need a name for it like "BPL Northeast Nano GGG"

[Joshua L]

This sounds like fun. That weekend I'm supposed to go up to the Catskills with my brother to hike a loop of Windham High Peak, Black Dome and Thomas Cole. If for some reason that falls through, could I tag along with you guys?

[Joshua L]

Did you guys ever pull off that North East Nano GGG?

[Bob Moulder]

It was super nano, lol :^) I took my nephew, Jonathan, who is in his mid 20's, on his first overnight camping trip ever. We did the loop that I mapped above, starting at Turkey Hill Loop parking area and camping on The Timp. It was super windy, but there was a fairly well protected hollow a couple of 'steps' down from the top where we got some shelter from the wind. Although we could hear the wind howling through the trees above us, we had only a slight breeze and the high winds finally abated quite a bit during the night. For the Sunday walk we had spectacular conditions. Fortunately, all my gear and clothing fit him, so he had to supply almost nothing besides underwear, and for boots he was able to borrow some decent ones from his Dad. I warned him that although he was extremely lucky to start off his backpacking experience with an all-UL kit, it was going to ruin him for hiking with even the most lightweight stuff available at REI or other outdoor retailers! He was able to appreciate this concept right away because we encountered quite a few folks suffering under huge trad loads, particularly on the Menomine trail from Silvermine Lake to the Brien Shelter on the AT. On Black Mountain there was a guy and his wife doing a day hike, but they looked pretty fit and were likely experienced backpackers. The guy asked if we were going to be camping and when we responded in the affirmative he said "Wow, are you sure you have enough gear?!" We did. Jonathan used my Arc Blast pack, Duplex tent, Enigma 20 quilt and a full length REI Stratus sleep pad. I was carrying the Arc Haul, and for shelter I used the Duomid and slept in my Prodigy 40, using my trusty Neoair Trekker wide/short. I took a Jetboil Flash — acquired recently for further testing of my HX strip set-up — and wished I had already made a strip for it because its performance was dismal even with the temperature only around 32F! Anyway, we had a great time and Jonathan is raring to go on another trip soon. Jonathan on the (un-named?) mountain near Cat's Elbow Next morning, on top of The Timp Taking a photo of Bear Mountain and Bear Mtn Bridge from somewhere on West Mountain On West Mountain, looking west

[Joshua L]

thanks for sharing. I'll try to put up a bit of a trip report from our Catskills walk later.

[Bob Moulder]

Josh, thanks, and looking forward to hearing about your Blackhead Range loop!! That's a fantastic area. Good place to take Jonathan for his second trip, perhaps.

[Steven Hanlon]

I’m planning on another Harriman Overnighter – possibly this weekend if everything works out… haven’t decided on my route, but Bob’s route to the Trim looks like a possibility.

[David K]

Reviving this thread from a few years back ….. I’m planning a 2-night loop in Harriman Park, I read your post on your nice one-night loop.  Wondering if there are any suggestions for a 2-night loop?

I’m relatively new to BPL, bought a TarpTent on the BPL gear swap for a week-long TMB hike in Europe (which was incredible) and have been meaning to try something closer to home … so I thought Harriman would be a good idea.

I’m in Westchester, NY so would be open to something else in the area 2 or 3 night loops, in one of the other parks nearby too (e.g. Minnewaska).

Thanks!

[Ben H.]

I did a two-nighter in Harriman, but it was at a much more leisurely pace than most around here do.  I took the train to Harriman Station and hiked to Bald Rocks the first night.  The second day I hiked to Dutch Doctor.  The third day was a leisurely hike out to Tuxedo Station.

There are tons of trails in Harriman with infinite possibilities.  Its quite easy to put together a loop for your desired distance.  Get the trail map if you have not already done so:  http://www.nynjtc.org/maps/harrimanbear-mountain-trails-map-set

My favorite part of the hike was the Lichen Trail.  It is a small connector trail between the Long Path and the Ramapo-Dunderberg trail.  I included it in my hike based on advice I got here and am glad I did.

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