Sterling Forest, NY - Indian Hill and Arden Mountain

ABOUT THE PARK:
Sterling Forest State Park - NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.262393, -74.179839

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It's a short rutted gravel road and up a short hill with a huge gouge in the driving surface to the parking lot.

TRAIL MAP:
Sterling Forest Trails Map 100 - NY/NJ Trail Conference
Sterling Forest State Park Trail Map - NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Sterling Forest, NY - Indian Hill to Arden Mountain at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE:  7.5 miles 

THE HIKE:

The trail starts at the kiosk and takes you around in a counter clockwise direction.  The return path is on the gated woods road.

White-stripe-on-yellow Indian Hill Trail.

Views at the first overlook.

Taking the red-blazed Furnace Loop Trail down.

The bridge of the white-blazed trail to the right.

Southfields furnace ruins.

Lots of wildflowers along the trail.

Ascending on red.

This trail is a woods road on the map (black dashed line) but it is actually a blazed trail to the pond.

The trail continues to the far side of the pond where it goes straight as a woods road and meets up with yellow.  The trail also appears to go around the pond (unmarked) but ...

... became too overgrown and thorny so we had to backtrack.

To see so many pretty things then this.  What a letdown.  But the next person won't see it because it was packed out.

Continuing on yellow ....

... and up ...

... to views on a rock ledge ...

... and a break.

A short distance ahead is better break spot.

Yellow goes through pretty woods along the ridge.

Old stone wall.

View to the east into Harriman State Park with I-87 in the cut.

Several different kinds of mushrooms along the way.

For a short distance, yellow follows between two massive stone walls.

After leaving the woods road between the stone walls, a few giant old growth trees.

Blue connector trail climbs to the AT through a very pretty area.

Trail register.

Still a few thru-hikers coming through.

Though pitch pines and scrub oak.

Some partial views along the way.

Views to the right off of the AT from rocky ledge.

Ripe blueberries at the overlook.

Heading back the way we came on the AT.

It did not seem this steep on the way out!

Back on blue, a startled black rat snake took off FAST!  I was able to get a shot with the zoom before he disappeared behind the rock.

Leaves changing already?

Back on yellow, the trail crosses over a few stone walls.

The last stretch, a smooth woods road.

HIKE SUMMARY:

[  0.00]  Start on the white-line-on-yellow trail to the left of the kiosk in the parking lot

[  0.60]  Views

[  0.65]  Right on red when yellow/red continues straight

[  1.00]  Left on red towards Southfields Furnace when white starts to the right

[  1.65]  Left on red/yellow when yellow goes right

[  1.75]  Right on yellow-bird-on-green when red/yellow goes left

[  1.90]  Far end of pond trail continues to left as woods road, unmarked trail continue around pond but is overgrown; retrace

[  2.15]  Left on red/yellow

[  2.25]  Left on yellow when red leaves to the right

[  2.40]  Views on the right

[  3.90]  Through stone wall then right on blue when yellow goes left

[  4.30]  Boundary marker

[  4.40]  Left on white-blazed AT when blue ends; trail register on right short distance ahead

[  5.25]  After short, steep descent, turn right on woods road along rock outcrop to get on top of rock for views; retrace

[  6.00]  Trail register on left, up over short ascent, right on blue at cairn

[  6.50]  Blue ends at stone wall, turn right before stone wall on yellow

[  6.85]  Keep right at fork around large blowdown, meets back up with trail

[  6.90]  Cross woods road between the massive rock walls

[  7.15]  Yellow trail goes right on woods road when yellow-bird-on-green goes left

[  7.40]  Through gate at end of woods road, left up hill to parking lot