Hiking Trail Conditions Forum

would anyone know if old mine road is opened up to the rail head of the coper mine trail? and the same for the parking lot @ the bottom of buttermilk falls is opened as well?? i cant seem to get any answers from anyone? any help would be great....     

I was considering doing Breakneck Ridge hike on Monday.  I was concerned because I know it is a fairly strenuous scramble but the weather is supposed to be pretty dry Sunday and Monday.  Does anyone know the current conditions and if it would be safe to do the hike at this time of year assuming the weather is ok over the next few days?  I am in pretty good shape so that part is not a concern - I would just prefer not to slip or endanger myself as I have never done this hike/scramble.

Thanks.

Two questions about trails in two totally different areas.

1.  School Mountain Road in Fahnestock SP from Hubbard Lodge - is this passable following the washing out of two bridges during hurricane Irene last year?

2.  Terrace Pond North trail from Warwick Turnpike.  I am assuming this is now open again following gas line disruption.  However this trail used to be quite overgrown in places between the gas line and Terrace Pond.  Having been out of use for sometime, is the trail now clear or is it quite overgrown?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Simon 

I was planning on doing this hike this weekend:

http://nynjtc.org/hike/stony-brook-cascades-and-ramapo-torne-harriman-st...

But I read some things in the comments about footbridges being washed out  - although that was a few months ago - and the people said they were still able to do the hike and it was good.

Wanted to know if anyone knew the conditions of the trails in this hike and if it would be doable and if the streams would be crossable.  Seven Hills Trail, HTS, Racoon Brook Hill, Kakiat, Stony Brook from the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center.

Thanks

The bridge over Stahahe Brook on Old Arden Road is totally gone and is not likely to be replaced, at least for a long time.  It is a responsibility of the park.  However, at this time you can walk along the brook upstream and find several places where crossing is not too difficult. Then bushwhack up the hill to regain the Stahahe Brook Trail (or descend again to continue on Old Arden Road.)  The two bridges over the close-together branches of the Stahahe Brook on the Nurian Trail are gone but crossing is not too difficult, as reported to me about a week ago.

 Alternatively, the brook can be followed along its east side from the missing bridge around to the Nurian Trail, with no need to cross the stream at any point.  Doing so is relatively easy, the area is quite open with no significant brush to scramble through.  There are some blowdowns to go over or around without significant difficulty.  This route can not be encouraged without a degree of reticence due to the park policy that users are to remain on "established ways."  Development of a trail reroute will be considered. 

The next edition of the Harriman-Bear Mountaint Trails maps, to be available in about a month, will flag eight  locations of bridges missing due to the storms where crossings may be difficult or highly impractical, such that alternatives can be planned. 

Though based on no authority I have always heard and used pronunciation of Stahahe as three syllables: Stah- ha'- he; ending with a long e.  

Does anyone know if Stahahe Brook (on the Stahahe Brook Trail near the Elk Pen) is crossable?  Are both bridges out?

Also, does anyone know how to pronounce 'Stahahe'?

Thanks!

Hi I want to hike on Saturday heading south on the AT from the AT stop on Metro North from NYC. I haven't been there since Irene and am wondering about the condition of the raised wooden walkway over the swamp that's just a short distance on the trail from the train station. I could go the other direction, but I did that last time I was up there and wanted to go the other way this time. Any info is appreciated. 

-Ingrid 

As of 1/7/2012 the trails to Mt. Slide from the Mt. Slide parking area were passable (yellow to curtis/ormsbee, blue to red to summit, red to PA), however, very slippery. Water appears to have frozen all over the trail making walking difficult. Traction gear strongly recommended. Reports from hikers that were out over the weekend on the steep side of Slide reported needing crampons & fixing ropes to descend & re-ascend this area.

Views from Curtiss / Ormsbee trail great. Views from summit of Slide marginal. While I'm a tree hugger and hate to cut down trees, in this case I think it would be justified. Many people I hike with want to see views, myself included, and this being the highest Catskills peak you would think most people would like to see the view. My recommendation to NYDEC, either top the trees (usually not good for the trees) or take them down ( topping may be a better choice in this case to hold soil and prevent erosion).

1/4/2012

Recently hiked the section from Peekamoose Mt. over Table Mt. over to the Slide Mtn. Parking area this past December 2011 w/brother Ray. What a great section, the views were great. I did miss the trees being green but the endless mountains were uplifting to view. The only unsettling observation was of a rather large white, domestic rabbit above the 3500' elevation level. Why it was there was unknown and its chances of survival appear to be slim depending how long & cold the winter is. Trail conditions at that time were good. A bridge across the stream at the Slide Mtn. parking lot would be an improvement for this area, instead of trying to navigate all of the ankle twisting, loose rocks in the stream bed. If the Trail Conference takes up this project, please let me know, I would volunteer to help w/the construction.

Has anyone been in the Slide Mtn. area within the last week or so? We are looking to hike Slide Mtn. to Woodland Valley but have no idea about thow much snow is there. Or if you have any good contacts to recommend in the area to get information I would really appreciate them. I've been depending on a local highway department supervisor for information but I don't want to wear out the welcome, so to speak.

89 year old section hiker seeking hiking partner(s) to hike short sections (5 miles or less) in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut during May and June 2012.  Send email to edzook89@gmail.com or call 540-869-3097 with name and availability."

The most accurate method of measuring trails is with a surveyor's measuring wheel, which is pushed along the trail and records the distance very accurately -- including each minor twist and turn in the trail.  Virtually all of the trails in Harriman have been measured in this manner, and the measurements are set forth in the hikng guide Harriman Trails: A Guide and History.  Another method is to use a GPS receiver.  With the improvement of the accuracy of GPS receivers in recent years, the distance measurements with GPS receivers have become more accurate, but they still do not capture every twist and turn in the trail.  Thus, wheel measurements are more accurate.  Measuring trails by scaling them on a map is generally not a reliable method, as many minor twist and turns in the trail cannot be shown on maps produced to the scale that we publish.

Thank you very much for your comments. I was able to change my hiking plans and ended up parking at Elk's Pen and hiked to the Lemon Squeeze and a bit further. It turned out to be a wonderful day and a great hike.

Regarding the measurement of hike length or trail length, I'm wondering what the most accurate method is for doing this?

There is a loose board on the bridge that crosses Stony Brook on the Stony Brook and Kakiat Trails (it's the only bridge in the area since Irene). If you're heading west to east, it's about the fourth board in. Only one nail is left, and if you step on it at the edge, it will "flip up", and could lead to an accident/injury. Report and picture sunmitted to the TC. Hopefully the maintainer (or someone with a hammer and some nails!) can get this fixed soon.

Route 106, between Route 17 and Seven Lakes Drive, was damaged during Hurricane Irene at the end of August.  Apparently, most of the damage was just west of Seven Lakes Drive, and the section from Route 17 to the damaged area probably could be reopened with a relative minimal effort.  However, this road is not maintained by the Park but by Orange County, and it would appear that repairing and reopening this road is at the very bottom of the County's priorities.  You might want to contact Orange County directly to find out what is going on with this road.

Hi, I'm planning on doing a hike this Sunday along the R-D toward Bald Rock Ridge, starting from the parking lot on 210/106. I want to stay on the R-D until the Times Square junction and continue along the A-SB to the AT until the SB (Old Arden Valley Road). I want to take the SB to the Nurian through the Valley of Boulders and stay on the Nurian until I'm back at the R-D to the Parking Lot. Now here's the thing.  Besides wanting to know about the trail conditions, I have another question that may or may not be appropriate for this forum. However, I don't know where else to ask this question. So here it is. I found this hike in the book, " 60 Hikes within 60 Miles," but the book reports this hike to be 11 miles. When I measure it on my NY/NJ Trails Conference Map I come up with approximately 8 - 8 1/2 miles. The book's 11 mile report and what I have found, seems to me to be a significant difference. Does anyone know how long this hike actually is? I've been using a piece of string to follow the trail and measure against the maps scale.

Can someone tell me if the section between 17 and 7 Lakes is open yet? What is/was the issue anyway?

Thanks!

We advise you not to cross on the Beaver Dam, and both the NY-NJ TC and NWCDC consider this crossing Closed. There are no plans to remove the Beaver Dam at this point, although it's been the subject of many conversations. The dam is very overgrown with brush and trees and there are gaps where the water flows through.

To avoid drowned trail sections of the BWC Trail along the western shoreline, a new trail section has been completed on the ridge above the pond, but this still does not facilitate a "loop" hike. Best bet is to park at "P-4", and have a shuttle at "P-9" or the parking area on Rt. 23.

The new 10th Edition of the North Jersey map set shows the beaver dam area at the southern end of Buckabear Pond (where the Clinton West Tr. terminates at the same point as the Buckabear Pond Tr., and both of them try to reach across the beaver dam toward the new Bearfort Waters-Clinton/Highlands Tr.) as a dashed red 'Unmaintained Trail'.  Is this short section of trail passable?  How deep is the water and how far must one walk thru it?  Can it be bypassed at all or can one hop on rocks, logs, etc.?  I hiked it a few years back when it was semi-frozen and was able to cross by hugging some branches, but I hear the beavers have made significant progress since then.

I would love to make a loop by crossing at this point and would appreciate any info on how "unmaintained" it is.

Thanks! 

Found a lot of blowdowns on this section of the trail today. Nothing impassable, but worth the attention of the local maintainer.

is a soggy, muddy mess. Other than the ridges, the trails are overflowing in places, and wet everywhere else. The eastern part of the Western Ridge Trail (blue blazed) is submerged under at least 6 inches of water. Every water crossing i did today (with the exception of one) was difficult, and if it had not been for me bringing my overboots, my feet would have been soaked. 

There is still snow on the ground in many spots, that will continue to melt, so i don't see this area drying out anytime soon. Lots of slippery, wet rocks, tough descents. Just wanted to give a heads up to anyone planning on hiking there this weekend on what to expect.

Also, the Shortline bus that goes to SM is the same bus that stops at Woodbury Commons- not fun.

Road is closed between rt 17 and seven lakes drive but what about east of seven lakes drive.  I am looking to get to the parking area by Lake Skannatati and I usually come from the Palisades Interstate to Rt 106.  Is that still possible?