hi! last winter i did the stretch of russell brook road between the mud pond trail and the trout pond trail (to make a loop, starting from the trout pond trail end). i've never come from cooks falls. is this lower stretch of the old russell brook road passable (on foot, of course). also, is there available parking at that cooks falls end of the road? thanks!! (this is in the western catskills)

Are there any blueberries left on High Point in the Catskills, or am I too late?

Occupation? That's a bit hyperbolic.


In Harriman we share the trails with groups large and small and people from all walks of life.


It's not like they are playing war games, they are hiking. It's little different than encountering one of those huge hiking groups we see in Harriman, only these people are wearing camouflage.


Even if I considered their presence an inconvenience, these are the the men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line to defend our country. If that means that I'm inconvenienced for a few days by their presence, so be it. A few days of sacrificing my peaceful enjoyment of the trail is insignificant to the sacrifice they are willing to make.

Often when I hike the Camp Smith trail up to Anthony's Nose, I pass troops in full gear on the trail. I make way and applaud them, thank them for their service etc. It is an honor to be on the same the trail. ...

There were dozens of army vehicles and perhaps hundreds of army personnel all over the southern part of Harriman yesterday. They didnt appear to be carrying guns, but was a bit surreal. Anyone have any idea what was going on?

The Yellow Trail bog bridges south of Camp Yaw Paw and north of gas line are in passable shape but hikers should use caution. Full replacement due by October 2010

Source: John Moran, Trail Chair

Claim in the Dan Chazin description of the new AT route up Bear Mtn: "this new trail segment has been constructed to sustain the impact of the millions of feet that annually make their way up this popular route." I challenge the TC to provide statistics to support this claim. The credibility of the TC is at stake.

A continued caution to hikers at Split Rock Reservoir.  Do not park along Split Rock Rd - tickets are being issued.  The only parking is in the fishing access parking lot  on the East side of the dam.  We hope to resolve this issue, but for now, no parking along Split Rock Rd.

The reroute of the BW/C and Highlands Trail has been completed.  All the HT blazing is done, some of the BW/C yellow blazes will be completed shortly.  The HT crosses Clinton Rd, Pequannock Watershed at P4 and now continues straight up the hill. It turns left and co-aligns along the newly created Bearfort Waters/Clinton (yellow) trail.  Since it's new, take care to follow the blazes.  There is no longer a loop hike possible since the trail across the beaver dam is closed. The beavers have made this crossing nearly impossible!  It's possible to hike from P4 to parking area P9 using a car shuttle.  This is a beautiful hike along ridges, with, at one point, a view of Buckabear Pond and Clinton Reservoir. After the beaver dam, the rest of the hike is along the reservoir.   Check the Highlands Trail webpages for further detail. 

Happy hiking!

The semipaved "old perkins road" which connects the AT at its first road crossing on the east side of Bear Mt and the AT again across Perkins Drive on the west side of the Mt is closed as the trail relocation begins the next phase.

Does anyone else disagree with the new Appalachian trail at Bear Mountain? I think its rediculous in many ways. First, this easy stair case is going to make it easier for people to get to parts of the trail/forest that they would never have even tried to get to, because it would be to difficult, so they would stay at the bottom, by the inn. But now, its just been made easier for people to get up there, litter, get loud have screaming kids etc. It used to be kinda peaceful, tranquil and clean up there, but I guess those days are now over. Also, what about all the wildlife that was displaced by this staircase? Everything from tiny ants to deer and bear have either been displaced, killed, scared off or something. In other words, this did nothing for the wildlife of Bear Mountain. Kind of makes NYNJTC and their supporters look and act like the Marines and corporations in Avatar. They had a goal and just did it, with only thinking of themselves and the money they are hoping will come in with new NYNJTC members and donations. I know thats the main goal. And yes, I have read enough and talked to enough people these past few years about how desperate the TC is for money. Seams that the TC and trail maintainers are forgeting what the forest is all about. BEING WILD AND CHALLENGING! Almost every time I'm on a trail in Bear Mountain or Harriman SP, there is some kind of stairs, bridges, steps, chainsaw cut blow downs and other man made things to let me know that this area is not wild and free. Its being made for the weak and the filthy. Yea, I always leave with a backpack full of others garbage. Maybe if people wouldn't mind walking over/around a blown down tree, we wouldn't have to walk through garbage as much. The TC seams to always be fighting for open space, to do with what THEY want, not for whats good for the forest/wildlife. They just took millions of dollars away from the EPF. And this is in the NYNJTC own words: "The bad news is that in exchange, the Environmental Protection Fund, which pays for land, water, and air protection measures across the state, will be reduced to $134 million from the $222 million it was at in 2009/10. This disproportionately large cut of almost 40% comes on top of the nearly $500 million that has been swept from the EPF in recent years, and which has created a significant backlog of unfunded projects, straining organizations, municipalities and others partnering with the state on environmental programs." So yea, the TC has a bunch of non self thinking droids to go and speak out for what the TC wants. So go ahead, try to justify this raping of the park and open spaces to boot. I won't be supporting them, and trust me, I'm not the only one who wants to keep the parks/forest wild and staircase free.

"the Bear Mountain section of the trail, used by a half-million people a year" That adds up to 1,370 people using the AT at Bear Mtn each and every day of the year. Rain, snow, whatever. On many off season weekdays you would be lucky to find 30 cars in the parking lot and I'd guess half the visitors don't hike at all. The true number of Bear Mtn AT Trail users in a year is?

Hey, my name is Tim, I'm from Rochester, NY. I leave in two weeks to attempt a north to south thru hike of the Long Path. Planning on spending about 4 weeks on the trail, a few days off in NYC to rest, and heading up to VT for a north bound hike of the Long Trail. Any support you can offer about blow downs, trail closings, cheap eats, short side trips, or a place to rest in the no camping areas would be truely appreciated. Wish me luck! Tim tzapetis@yahoo.com

Anyone know what's up with this MUA adjacent to the Mohonk Preserve, which is shown with campsites on the 2008 map #105? Is it still open for camping, and if so, is it still "a noisy, garbage filled rat hole with drum circles until 4am"?

That quote comes from this 2008 thread about possible closure: http://gunks.com/ubbthreads7/ubbthreads.php/topics/38299/1

This seems to be the closest thing to any official info online: http://gunksclimbers.org/MUA.shtml

I'm considering heading there for Memorial Day weekend to do day hikes into the preserve, but if it's closed or generally crowded on weekends then I'll make other plans.

can someone please explain what these park closings will mean for us hikers? such as anthony wayne--does this mean the parking lots will be blocked off or just not maintained? at this point the south lot has never reopened from its winter closing. is there anything we can do to take care of this ourselves? are rangers being let go? inquiring minds want to know...

I like the idea of park rangers checking in on some of the shelters, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. A few years ago I spent four days backpacking through the park. I stopped at the Lake Welch Beach area and spoke to a couple of rangers telling them I was going to spend the night at the Big Hill Shelter and they had no idea what I was talking about, or even where the Big Hill Shelter was. Perhaps the trail conference can put some time into placing posts inside the lean-to's about Leave No Trace and the dangers of leaving food and garbage out to attract bear. If not, maybe I'll take the initiative and spend a couple bucks on plastic sleeves and thumbtacks and do it myself.

I've done extensive hiking in Harriman State Park for the past ten years and often stay overnight. I'm becoming increasingly worried about the full 30 gallon bags of garbage and empty liquor bottles I'm finding at the lean-to's. I've seen this at the Tom Jones shelter most recently, and other shelters around the park. Of the bear encounters that I've read about in the area, the bear seem to be becoming comfortable with a human presence and often stand their ground or flank hikers who continue along the trail. Bear population in the area has been increasing, areas around the park are densely populated, and if "Leave No Trace" is contunually ignored and the shelters remain baited with garbage then a bad bear encounter is inevitable.