G4. Old NY Route 17 to Long Path

Feature: Wurtsboro Ridge
Distance: 1.00 mile
USGS Map Quads: Wurtsboro
Trail Conference Maps: Online SRT map (pdf file) at
http://www.nynjtc.org/files/2008SRTmap3.pdf

General Description

Upon leaving Old Route 17 (Sullivan County Route 171), the Shawangunk
Ridge Trail quickly gains the ridgetop. From there it follows the ridgetop to
its intersection with the Long Path. This ridgetop trail section is one of the
most dramatic in southern New York, with many spectacular views in all
directions. With the forest primarily scrub oak, blueberry and occasional pitch
pine; the hiker is frequently above the trees with unlimited visibility. There are
also sections of Shawangunk slab, though not as frequently as found in the
northern Shawangunks.

Access

Take the New York State Thruway to Exit 16 (Harriman). Take NY Route 17
(the Quickway) west 29 mi to Exit 114, Highview. Turn left at the end of
the exit ramp onto Old Route 17 (Sullivan County Route 171) and go down
the hill 0.7 mi. As the road makes a hairpin turn to the left, there is a turn
right on a gravel road to the old Wurtsboro High Line O&W Rail Station
(now a VFW post) where there is parking, and where a white trail leads in
about 0.1 mi to the Long Path.

Parking

0.00 Old Wurtsboro High Line O&W Rail Station. (18T 544459E 4602949N)
1.00 There is room to park a couple of cars along Shawanga Lodge Road,
0.5 mi east of the ridge.

Camping

Camping on DEC land.

Trail Description

0.00 The Shawangunk Ridge Trail turns left off Old Route 17 just east of a
gravel road that leads to the old Wurtsboro High Line O&W Rail Station.
This section of trail is on the New York State DEC Wurtsboro Ridge Parcels
and is thus marked with blue DEC discs. The trail turns onto a piece of the
abandoned New York, Ontario & Western Railroad and then immediately turns
right into the woods. Across Old Route 17 from this turn is an abandoned
bridge abutment. Following the rail bed in the opposite direction leads to the
abandoned Highview Tunnel (about half a mile). This was the main line of
the New York, Ontario & Western Railroad, which was the major travel route
to the Catskills in the heyday of the Sullivan County resorts. One of the first
railroads to fall upon hard times, it was abandoned in the 1950s. The trail goes
north in the woods, paralleling the rail bed as it gradually climbs up toward the
ridgetop.
0.10 A white-blazed side trail leads to the VFW post.
0.20 Past a stream crossing, the trail switches right and then left to gain the
top of the ridge. As the trail approaches the ridgetop, the trail steepens and the
forest cover begins to thin. At the higher elevations the forest is predominantly
scrub oak and blueberry. As the trail reaches this dwarf forest, views begin to
open up.
1.00 The trail reaches the top of the ridge, turns north and comes to a section
of rock slab where there are spectacular views up and down the ridge. This is
the junction with the Long Path. To the south you can see the Basha Kill
Wildlife Management Area. This is an excellent area to watch migratory birds.
To the west you can see the Village of Wurtsboro below, with NY Route 17 in
the distance crossing the mountains to the west. Just to the north you can see
Wurtsboro Airport, where it is common to see airplanes towing gliders aloft to
float above the updrafts created by the ridge. To the far north the Catskill
Mountains can be seen. Beyond this vantage point, the trail follows the western
slopes of the ridge. Unlike the northern Shawangunks, where the most
interesting topography is in the east, the southern Shawangunks are much
more interesting on the western side. Development reaches high up on the
ridge on the east side, as witnessed by the gravel road that is just east of our
vantage point. This gravel road is part of a failed subdivision that would have
resulted in houses being built on the mountaintop; before that could happen,
however, the owner went bankrupt and the state purchased the land. Going
north follow the directions in Section 11 along the Shawangunk Ridge, which
brings you in 3.05 mi to Ferguson Road. To continue southeast into Orange
County, turn right on the Long Path, and you will reach Shawanga Lodge
Road after 0.5 mi, following the description in Section 10.