Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Harriman. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Harriman. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday, December 2, 2013

Harriman State Park, NY - Ramapo Torne and Reeves Brook



ABOUT THE PARK:
Harriman State Park - The Palisades Parks Conservancy
Harriman State Park - New York State Parks

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates to Reeves Meadow Visitor Center parking 41.173713, -74.168573

View Larger Map
Reeves Meadow parking lot at 7 AM - it fills up quickly but is always empty this early.

TRAIL MAP:
NY/NJ Trail Conference Southern Harriman Bear Mountain Trails Map 118
Harriman State Park, NY - Ramapo Torne at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE:  5.3 miles

THE HIKE:
Take the red-square-on-white Pine Meadow Trail on the opposite side of the parking lot from the building and kiosk.
Pine Meadows Trail
Looks like a newly downed tree from last week's high winds.
Some evergreen mountain laurel when all other leaves are gone.
The orange trail to the right leads to the summit of Ramapo Torne but it looks like there are some very steep sections, too steep for Shawnee at this point.  We stayed on the blue-on-white Seven Hills Trail and turned right at the next intersection with orange to approach from the opposite, less steep way.
On orange along the ridge of Ramapo Torne,
Looking south at I-87.
Some charring from the fire of October, 2013.
Heading back to the Seven Hills Trail...
... where orange joins for a while ...
... then the trails split apart.
At almost 13 years of age, she no longer sees the humor in navigating steep crevices.
Well now, this is a first.  Telling me she REALLY does not want to do this.  Actually there was no choice because turning back would have been worse since we had just come down a steep scramble.
I left my gear behind and got her up (under duress) then had to go back for my gear and see that "I told you so" look on her face when I had trouble getting through and up.
Looking back at the Torne.
Always happy that she made it up.
The reward.
On the Reeves Brook Trail with no Reeves Brook.  We hiked this trail last year in October and there were lovely cascades.
Seriously?  This is a first for us - illegal ATV use in Harriman State Park.  It's loud, it stinks, it's disgusting, it's destructive and it was reported to both the state park police and the NYNJTC.
A little bit of Reeves Brook finally.
Back at the parking lot at noon with quite a few more cars even though it was a dreary day with a few rain drops.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Take the red-on-white Pine Meadow Trail from the opposite side of the parking lot from the visitor center and kiosk
[  0.15]  Turn left on blue-on-white Seven Hills Trail
[  1.60]  Keep left on blue-on-white with orange starts to the right
[  2.05]  Turn right on orange when blue-on-white/orange goes straight
[  2.45]  Views at summit of Ramapo Torne, retrace
[  2.80]  Turn right on blue-on-white/orange
[  3.00]  Left on blue-on-white at "7 Hills" painted on rock when orange leaves to the right
[  3.30]  Torne view
[  3.40]  Straight on blue-on-white when black circle-on-white goes right
[  3.75]  Left on white Reeves Brook Trail when blue-on-white goes straight
[  5.20]  Left on red-on-white Pine Meadow Trail when white ends
[  5.30]  Back at parking

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Dater Mountain Park and Harriman State Park, NY


ABOUT THE PARKS:
Dater Mountain Park - County of Rockland
Harriman State Park - The Palisades Parks Conservancy
Harriman State Park - New York State Parks

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Cooridinates 41.171518, -74.176847

View Larger Map
Dater Mountain Park parking on Johnsontown Road.

TRAIL MAP:
NY/NJ Trail Conference Southern Harriman Bear Mountain Trails Map 118
Dater Mountain Park and Harriman State Park, NY at EveryTrail

HIKE DISTANCE:  7 miles

THE HIKE:
The orange trail uphill from the parking area,
Then left on blue.
New York State Thruway
Another view of the Tuxedo Park and the thruway farther along at a power line cut.
Wild Turkey!
There were icy areas left from the previous Sunday where freezing rain encased everything in ice causing multiple car pileups and closure of the thruway.
Several boulders still encased in ice.
Back on orange for a short distance to ...
... left on the white-blazed Kakiat Trail at the end of orange. 
Kakiat Trail going into Harriman State Park.
Her preferred way of navigating blow downs.
I wasn't comfortable with the options for crossing the creek so we bushwhacked uphill along the creek to find a better crossing spot.  Found lovely cascades up higher and a crossing spot!
The Kakiat Trail follows along the NY State Thruway down below.
On this side, long sections of trail were covered in sheets of ice.  Shawnee wiped out once - she was OK - but really avoided icy patches after that.
Because the Kakiat Trail continued steeply downhill and the trail was covered with ice, we took the abandoned telephone cut.
Some ice here, too, but easy enough to get around.
Taking a break in the abandoned telephone cut.
On icy days I like to take hot tea and it stays piping hot throughout the entire hike in an insulated Kleen Kanteen inside an insulated bag.  Shawnee is fine with ice cold water.
The red-dot-on-white Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail went steeply uphill on ice so we had to find a way around that.
Made it up without either of us sliding and falling.  I could have worn microspikes but I didn't so that I could find a safer  route for Shawnee.
Right on red-line-on-white Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy Trail.
Coming up on Claudius Smith's Den.
Claudius Smith's Den with a smoldering fire someone left behind.
Instead of scrambling up to the Blue Dot Trail, we went around to the right on a faint path that lead right to it.
We have hiked Elbow Brush a couple of times already so with all of the ice, took the easy bypass this time.
Looking down at Elbow Brush - we'd be squeezing through that if we hadn't taken the easy bypass.
It was very pretty along the upper easy bypass route.
Looking back where the trails merge together.
Views over Almost Perpendicular.
Descending steeply - no ice here!
But along some sections the trail was solid ice but nothing else was icy.
A burl with a hole.
Back on the Kakiat Trail.
The only bird of many that sat still long enough for a picture.
Back on orange.
Views from the orange trail.
Turkey vulture tracks in the mud.
Back downhill to the parking area.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Take the orange-blazed trail from the parking lot
[  0.20]  Left on blue when orange goes right
[  1.65]  Left on orange at end of blue when orange also goes right 
[  2.00]  Left on white Kakiat Trail at end of orange
[  3.00]  Right on abandoned telephone cut when white continues downhill
[  3.15]  Right at T-intersection to continue in telephone cut
[  3.25]  Right on red-dot-on-white Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail
[  3.60]  Right on red-line-on-white Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy Trail
[  3.95]  Claudius Smith's Den; keep right on unmarked footpath around rock scramble
[  4.00]  Right on Blue Dot Trail
[  4.25]  Left at split to take easy route around Elbow Brush
[  4.45]  Trails merge back together
[  5.45]  Right on white Kakiat Trail
[  5.70]  Left on orange
[  6.10]  Left on orange when blue goes right
[  6.80]  Left on orange when blue goes right
[  7.00]  Back at parking