G2. US Route 6 to NY Route 211

Feature: Southern Shawangunk Ridge
Distance: 9.60 miles
USGS Map Quads: Otisville
Trail Conference Maps: Online SRT maps (pdf files) at
http://www.nynjtc.org/files/2008SRTmap1.pdf and
http://www.nynjtc.org/files/2008SRTmap2.pdf

General Description

This section is a mixed bag of ridgetop hiking, abandoned rail beds, an active
rail line, and woods roads. This section begins with the trail passing through
the Hathorn Lake (Hawthorne Lake on some maps) development to a dead
end, where it heads north along the ridge. After a short distance it then
descends to the active Conrail Port Jervis line, which it follows north for a half
a mile. There is one good view across Shin Hollow in this section. Where Shin
Hollow Road crosses the Port Jervis line, the trail leaves the rail bed and follows
an abandoned section of Shin Hollow Road, which is a nice woods walking
section. After about a half a mile, the trail leaves Shin Hollow Road and
begins a gradual descent to Guymard Turnpike, paralleling the Conrail Port
Jervis line in the woods. After crossing Guymard Turnpike at a bridge over the
railroad, the trail descends to the abandoned Erie Port Jervis line. It continues
north on the rail bed, which it follows to NY Route 211, where this section
ends.

Access

Take the New York State Thruway to Exit 16 (Harriman). Take NY Route
17/future Interstate 86 west to Interstate 84 in Middletown. Take Interstate
84 west to exit 2, Mountain Road. Turn left on Mountain Road and continue
a short distance to US Route 6. Turn right on Route 6 west, cross under
Interstate 84 and turn right on Hathorn Boulevard.

Parking

0.00 Hathorn Boulevard and US Route 6 (limited parking). (18T 531563E
4580348N)
0.35 End of Lakeside Drive. (Unlocated)
3.10 End of paved Shin Hollow Road. (18T 532117E 4583717N)
5.15 Guymard Turnpike and rail bridge. (41*25.595'N 74*35.787'W)
9.60 NY Route 211 and Otisville Road. (18T 537219E 4591738N)

Camping

From Hathorn Lake the trail passes around Huckleberry Ridge State Forest,
where camping is allowed. The state forest is just to the left between miles
0.35 and 1.40, and again at mile 1.90. The trail passes through a DEC state forest
parcel between mile 3.9 and mile 4.65 also.  At mile 7.15  more DEC land can be
found to the east of the trail.

Trail Description

0.00 The Shawangunk Ridge Trail turns right onto paved Hathorn Boulevard.
0.10 Hathorn Boulevard veers left, but the trail continues straight ahead along
the eastern shore of the lake on Lakeside Drive. On the right is Lookout
Drive.

Hathorn Lake [JAKOB FRANKE]

0.35 The trail reaches the end of the road, where there is a cul-de-sac. There
is room to park several cars here. The trail heads into the woods on an old
woods road, and continues north through the woods along the ridge. The trail 
is in a stream valley that separates the eastern and western sides of the
ridge, and passes several stone walls.
0.95 The trail turns left and crosses the stream valley on a bog bridge, then
turns right and climbs up a small rock wall to the western side of the ridge.
The trail continues to the west across the level ridgetop, where it begins to
descend toward Shin Hollow.
1.25 The trail crosses a stream that comes in from the left and continues down.
As it descends, the trail crosses the stream several times.
1.40 The trail crosses the stream for the last time, turns right and then begins
to climb to the top of a knob that is west of the main ridge.
1.65 The trail reaches the top of the knob and then makes a sharp left. From
the top of the knob there are seasonal views to the west. The trail then begins
a steep descent, heading back to the stream valley.
1.90 The trail reaches the stream valley and turns right to follow an old tote
(logging) road. The trail continues to descend more gradually on the tote road.
2.15 To the left of the trail is open slab where there are 180-degree views
across the valley. Occasional pitch pines just barely cling to the slab. From this
vantage you can see south to Port Jervis and the Delaware River with Pennsylvania
beyond, west across Shin Hollow directly below and northwest across
the Neversink Valley toward the Sullivan County Catskills. Just past the view
the trail turns left and leaves the tote road, which is overgrown with blueberries
at this point, and continues to descend through a switchback. It then
heads north, gradually descending off the ridge.
2.45 After passing through a grassy area, the trail emerges on the Port Jervis
line of Conrail. This line still sees daily passenger service to Hoboken. The
trail turns right and follows the service road of the railroad north. This service
road was once the second track of this line. This is the bottom of Shin Hollow,
with a parallel north-south ridge to the west. The trail passes a milepost that
states "JC 82." This signifies that it is 82 miles to Jersey City, where the Erie
Railroad terminated prior to its merger with the Lackawanna in the early 1960s.

Conrail tracks at Shin Hollow [JAKOB FRANKE]

3.10 The trail turns right, leaves the rail bed and climbs the steep embankment
where Shin Hollow Road crosses the rail line. Shin Hollow Road is paved
across the tracks and leads back to Port Jervis. To the north, Shin Hollow
Road is a woods road that is passable to jeeps heading to hunting camps along
the ridge. The trail follows Shin Hollow Road north through the woods as it
ascends.
3.80 A gravel road leads right uphill. The Long Path continues on Shin Hollow
Road for another 150 feet, when it turns left into the woods and parallels
Shin Hollow Road. After another 300 feet, the trail descends gradually on a
faint old logging road. The trail turns right and parallels the ridge north.
4.15 The trail crosses a stream at the head of a beautiful waterfall. Above the
waterfall is a nice place for lunch in a deep hemlock grove. The trail continues
north through the hemlocks, gradually descending to just above the railroad
tracks.
4.65 The trail crosses a stream above a second waterfall and continues north
in the woods, just above the railroad tracks.
5.15 The trail crosses Guymard Turnpike near a bridge and follows the tracks
just inside the woods. After about 0.1 miles, the trail descends into a hollow,
which was formerly a passing track for heavy freight trains. After crossing the
hollow, the trail climbs up to an abandoned rail bed and continues north
along it.
5.55 To the right is a short gravel road that connects to Guymard Turnpike
and was once the tunnel portal for the freight siding. The trail continues north
along the original Erie Railroad Port Jervis line, which was the original route
through Otisville Notch. When the Otisville Tunnel was constructed, a new
line was constructed at a lower elevation and the original line, which the trail
follows, was abandoned. The original line intersects the new line just south of
the Guymard Turnpike bridge. The trail continues north along the rail bed,
which is passable to passenger cars, and is lined with trees on both sides.
6.45 The trail passes the remnants of some old structures.
7.15 To the right are two trails: the Graham Fire Tower Trail (red blazes) and
the Ravine Trail (white blazes), which are both almost one mile long and lead
to the top of the ridge. The trails form a figure eight and are on DEC land.
7.60 The Marcy-South power lines follow the rail bed north. Where the power
lines intersect the rail bed, there are views across the Neversink Valley.
8.90 The Marcy-South power lines turn left and descend off the ridge. The
trail continues along the rail bed as it continues north through the woods.
9.60 The rail bed reaches NY Route 211 in Otisville Notch, where this section
ends. The trail turns left, crosses Route 211, and continues on Otisville
Road (Orange County Route 61).