Black Rock Forest to Welcome TC Annual Meeting Oct. 13

Come with your family and friends to Black Rock Forest in New York’s western Hudson Highlands for a memorable day of guided and unguided hiking, biking the woods roads, and viewing the beautiful colors at the peak of the leaf season. Black Rock scientists will lead interpretive hikes of the fascinating ecological research on the reserve. All of this and more will be available at the NY-NJTC Annual Meeting at Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY, on October 13.

The meeting is open to all Trail Conference members, club delegates, their immediate families, and invited guests.

The day will begin with light refreshments and coffee at 9 am. The business/annual meeting, including awards ceremony, will begin at 10 am (see separate story for slate of candidates for the board). From 11:30 am to 4 pm there will be hiking, biking, science tours, and other recreational activities. The day’s events will conclude with a refreshment reception from 4 to 5:30 pm. You may want to bring a hiker’s lunch. Parking is limited, so please arrange to carpool if possible.

The Black Rock Forest is a 3,785-acre natural area in the Hudson Highlands. It features a diversity of habitats, ranging from young to mature forests, both deciduous and evergreen, and includes numerous streams, ponds, and natural wetlands. It was originally established as a facility for forest management research in 1928. The forest is administered and used as a field station by the Black Rock Forest Consortium, which comprises private and public educational and research institutions, including the Trail Conference. The consortium’s mission is to promote scientific research and excellence in education, while carefully managing the ecosystem of the Black Rock Forest.

Please complete the reservation form below and return it to the TC by September 30. Driving and parking directions will be sent to registrants and also posted on the TC web site. Early registration is appreciated.

Register for Annual Meeting

Please print.

Name(s): ___________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _____________________________________________
Daytime telephone: (______)__________________________________
Evening telephone: (______)__________________________________

_______adults @ $7 each

Please enclose payment and make checks payable to the NY-NJ Trail
Conference. Please return the registration form by September 30 to:

NY-NJ Trail Conference
156 Ramapo Valley Road
Mahwah, NJ 07430

You can pay via credit card by registering online at hikers' Market Place or by phone, 201-512-9348.

Driving directions to Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, New York

The Black Rock Forest is located adjacent to Route 9W in the town of Cornwall, NY in Orange County, on the west side of the Hudson River. It is located between West Point to the south and Newburgh to the north.

The main entrance to the Forest is on Reservoir Road on the western side of Route 9W, across the highway from the Storm King School. A large parking area is located at the main forest gate on Reservoir Road, about 1/2 mile in from Route 9W. The BRF Science and Education Center (the site of the annual meeting) is located at 235 Reservoir Road, just over 1/2 mile further into the forest, past the main gate and parking lot.

See the instructions below for getting to the Forest, depending on the size of your vehicle and the direction from which you approach. Only smaller sized vehicles may access Reservoir Road from the Storm King School via the tunnel under Route 9W. All other vehicles will need to access Reservoir Road from the southbound lanes of Route 9W only.

From the South

• For vehicles with access to the Palisades Interstate Parkway. Take the Parkway to its northern terminus at the traffic circle just before Bear Mountain Bridge. Take Route 9W to the north for 9.5 miles, passing West Point. Entrance to Storm King School on Mountain Road on the right side of the highway.
• If you are driving a small vehicle, turn right here and make an immediate right shortly after to enter a tunnel under the highway. Proceed 1/2 mile further on this road to the main gate, pass through, and proceed another 1/2 mile to the Science and Education Center.
• If you are driving a larger vehicle, continue north past the Storm King school for 1.5 miles to the Angola Road exit on the right. Turn left at the end of the exit ramp and left again after passing over Route 9W to gain the southbound lanes on the highway. After passing the Museum of the Hudson Highlands at Kendridge Farm, continue for 1.1 miles to the Forest entrance road on the right, marked by a black sign on a wooden post. Continue for under 1/2 mile to a T-intersection with Reservoir Road, turn right and proceed 1/2 mile to the main gate, pass through, and proceed another 1/2 mile to the Science Center.
• Vehicles traveling north on the New York State Thruway will take exit 16 at Harriman. Bear right after the toll booths and turn right at the light on Route 32 North toward Newburgh. Continue for 9.6 miles to the first traffic light, which will be Quaker Avenue (Route 107). Turn right here and proceed for 1/2 mile to the on-ramp for Route 9W heading south, on the right.

  Heading south on 9W, pass the Museum of the Hudson Highlands at Kendridge Farm and continue for 1.1 miles to the entrance road for the forest on the right side, marked by a black sign on a wooden post. Continue for under 1/2 mile to a T-intersection with Reservoir Road, turn right and proceed 1/2 mile to the main gate, pass through, and proceed 1/2 mile to the Science  Center.

From the North

• For vehicles traveling south on the New York State Thruway take exit 17 Newburgh. Stay left on the exit ramp to access Route 17K. Turn left (east) at the light onto Route 17K and continue for about 3 miles to the light at Route 9W. Turn south on Route 9W and continue for 7.2 miles to the entrance road to the forest. Follow the directions above from this point to the Science Center.
• By bus- From the Port Authority Terminal in Manhattan, take either Shortline's 2515A bus or the 2525A bus. For the 2515A get off at either the Mountainville or Vail's Gate stop. For the 2525A get off at the Cornwall stop. Please call Shortline at 212-736-4700 for additional information.