Minnewaska State Park Preserve - New York State Parks
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.71341, -74.38261
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| Berme Road Park parking in Ellenville |
TRAIL MAP:
Shawangunk Trails Map #104 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference
HIKE DISTANCE: 8.4 miles
THE HIKE:
There were three different weather forecasts for the day of this hike giving me no compelling reason not to go:
- Accuweather: Sun and clouds, great day for leaf viewing
- NOAA: 20% chance of rain before 10 AM
- Weather.com: Cloudy
Reality: Fog, drizzle and rain the entire time making for slippery rock surfaces which, in spite of being very careful, resulted in a fall and an urgent care visit for 13 stitches where I hit my head when I went down. Fortunately I felt OK otherwise so once I was able to get the bleeding under control I made it the last 3 miles with no problems.
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| The connector trail to Smiley Carriage Road starts at the kiosk behind the picnic pavilion. |
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| Smiley Carriage Road - nice and smooth early on. |
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| The trail become rockier and it was with extreme caution that I proceeded along the wet, slippery and slanted rock surfaces, trying to avoid them as much as possible. |
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| The trail enters a fire damaged area. I did not think the Napanoch Point fire of August/September 2022 had come over this far but I guess it did. |
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| This is noted as "overturned 1938 truck" in the Gaia app. |
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| Extensive fire damage. |
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| There is an overlook along the way but nothing to be seen with low clouds and fog. |
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| Everything becomes green again leaving the fire area. |
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| Another old wreck. |
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| This is where the fall happened but on the way back. Going out I had stepped on the small rocks in the center then over to the larger flat white rock on the left. I had not stepped on that first larger gray rock on the left going out. But on the way back I did and that one rock happened to be covered with invisible, wet slime and I went down and whacked the side of my forehead before I knew what was happening. But that was later. For now, onward. |
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| Coming up on the manicured part of Smiley Carriage Road. |
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| Napanock Point Overlook - nothing to see here today. |
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| Turning left on the Long Path/Mine Hole Footpath. |
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| I did not recall the trail being this wide - no doubt widened to fight that fire. |
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| Turning right on the white trail to Panther Rock. |
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| Climbing up Panther Rock ... |
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| ... for a view of the Catskill Mountains. Or not. They are there in those clouds. |
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| Heading back to retrace on the Mine Hole Footpath. |
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| Lots of bulldozed trees from the fire along the sides. |
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| Right on Smiley Carriage Road. |
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| Still nothing to see at Napanoch Point. |
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| Right at the gate to retrace on the rugged part of Smiley Carriage Road. |
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| The side trail to Berme Road Park. |
Glad you're Ok. I hate it when the forecast is so wrong. Was that your worst fall? I once fell head first on frozen ground (tripped over a root) on a solo hike. Thought I cracked a rib or something, but just a very bad bruise, mostly due to a pen in my shirt pocket. As it was it took me about 1/2 hour until I felt steady enough to resume my hike.
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes! I bet that hurt. One of my doctors is a hiker and he told me he once fell into a ravine and broke four ribs. Hiking can be a dangerous activity! This was most definitely my worst fall. The amount of blood was incredibly scary. I encountered a couple of hikers going up as I was heading down. I would tell them what happened to warn them to be careful crossing that creek. Each one offered to escort me back to my car. How nice was that? But I told them although I appreciated the offer, it wasn't necessary and insisted they continue on.
Delete13 stitches is alot! You are really resilient!
ReplyDeleteI thought maybe a stitch or two. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would end up being 13! I told the doctor I did not think it was that bad. She said "Oh, it is THAT bad!" It's a 2-inch long split. It runs along my eyebrow down below the arm of my glasses so it was hard to see with my glasses on and of course I could see nothing with my glasses off.
DeleteSo glad you are OK!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteGlad you are okay! That area is one of my favorite places for fall foliage.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I agree, gorgeous area for fall foliage. I hiked Gertrude's Nose during peak foliage and one of my pictures was on an older Shawangunk map set that came out right after.
DeleteI’m glad you’re okay, that does sound scary! I loved hiking in Minnewaska, one of my favorites (but I say that about all the hikes).
ReplyDeleteThanks! You should see how cautious I am on wet rocks now! Minnewaska is one of my many favorite places, too.
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