Mine Kill State Park, NY - Partial Long Path Section 29 to Nickerson Campground

ABOUT THE PARK:
Mine Kill State Park - New York State Parks
Long Path Section 29 - NYNJ Trail Conference

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 42.437342, -74.458414

Swimming Pool Parking (there is no fee to enter this park)

TRAIL MAP:
Mine Kill State Park Trail Map - New York State Parks

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HIKE DISTANCE:  12 miles

THE HIKE:

Facing the pool, turn right and head towards the picnic area.

Turn left along the outer edge of the pool along the fence.

At the end of the pool fence ...

... a Long Path marker was visible straight ahead but overgrown with vegetation.

We followed the mowed path around to the right ...

... and met up with the Long Path that way.

There were a ton of birds in this area.

We came in from the opposite direction of the arrow.

It's all mowed path through this section.

To the right around the maintenance building ...

... then across the park road.

At this bridge ...

.. waterfalls to the right.

A view of Mine Kill Falls from this side.

Then up to Route 30 ...

... over the guardrail and a short road walk over the bridge.

View from the bridge.  The falls are directly below.

Left to the Mine Kill Falls Overlook parking ..

... and straight through to the far end.

Leaving the Long Path to head straight to the view of the falls from higher up.

The falls under the bridge we just crossed over on.

A view from the second landing to the right.

Heading back up ...

... then continuing left on the Long Path ...

... to a left on the white trail which leads to the bottom of the falls.

Mine Kill Creek heading downstream from the falls.  The white trail crosses over farther along and meets back up with the Long Path heading back to where we started.  This would be our return route and is only possible during low water so from this point it looked like it would be doable.

For now, retracing on white back to the Long Path and across the bridge.

This entire section of the trail is gorgeous.

Sometimes you are on ledges overlooking Mine Kill Creek down below and other times you are down at Mine Kill Creek level.  There are lots of ups and downs.

Mine Kill Creek

It's easy to see why this was designated a National Recreation Trail.

Crossing through a power cut with the first view of Schoharie Creek.

Very busy bees in the powercut.

New bridge over Pigeon Creek.

Coming back up on Schoharie Creek.

Schoharie Creek

From our break spot above Schoharie Creek I noticed a white speck far, far away and zoomed in ...

A bald eagle above a nest?  It is more clear in the picture than it was through the camera lens so I figured I'd have to wait to see if the trail came closer to where I could get a better shot.  I'd be able to identify that particular snag by the nest.

Finally, a closer shot through the tree branches and yes, a juvenile bald eagle, I am guessing about 2-3 years old.

A better view of the nest.  His childhood home, prehaps?

He was grooming away up there.

I came around to an opening and got a very clear shot.

As stealth as I tried to be about it (and I was still a good distance away), I was so busted.  But he never took off.

The picnic table marks the start of Nickerson's Campground.

We continued on through ...

... past a dog park ...

... and a water park.

Campers enjoying Schoharie Creek.

The trail leaves the gravel camp road on to a woods road.

Having rejoined the gravel camp road, the camp store up ahead.

An ice cold caffeine fix from the camp store mid way through a hike.  The hard lemonade looked very appealing but I was afraid I would want to go down for a nap if I drank that.

We circled around the camp store and headed back.  Amazingly, people actually did drive 5 mph through here.

Back into the woods.  The creek crossing referred to in the last paragraph would be Pigeon Creek where the new bridge is so that should no longer be an issue during high water.

Our eagle departed while we were away.

Pigeon Creek crossing at the bridge.

Back through the power cut.

A white trail goes straight where the Long Path turns right  This should lead directly to the Mine Kill Falls parking lot but we continued on the Long Path to pick up white at the falls where we had been before.

Just after the bridge around to the right to pick up white.

Where we had the falls all to ourselves early in the morning, it's a busy place later in the day.

Staying with white, we came up on nice views of the steep gorge walls ...

... and the falls from a different angle.

White continues on to ...

... a rock hop over Mine Kill Creek.

Taking white to the end ...

... then a right on the Long Path.

Right on orange then on to red and yellow to hike the park trails.

I lost yellow at the mowed disc golf course but ended up on the park road which took us back to yellow where it crossed over at the boat launch.

Boat launch at Blenhein-Gilboa Reservoir..

Picking up yellow again.

Yellow ends at the Long Path; left on the Long Path.

Coming out at the disc golf course, veer left ...

... towards the pool.

The Catskills visible from the pool.

Back to the parking lot.

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