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The Appalachian Trail
in NY and NJ

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Water Report

The availability of water supplies in both NY and NJ during the summer is highly weather dependent. Because neighbors are never too far away, streams may have polution and need more careful treatment than other places on the AT.

Relocations, planned changes, corrections to maps and guidebooks and other problems

Start date Finish date AT Sec. Change
4/20/2008 4/20/2008 NJ1 The AT reroute at Wawayanda between the Wm. Hoeferlin Trail and Iron Mountain Rd has been completed and is now open. It does now need to be GPS’d.  I think it has shortened the route just a little. The initial section from Hoeferlin to Old Wawayanda road was completed last year. The new section now ascends a ridge at Old Wawayanda Rd, walks along the ridge then crosses it and descends to Kazmer Pond and follows the outlet brook from the pond down to Iron Mtn Rd; a very nice reroute off the woods roads.
Summer 2008 3 years NY3 The puncheon between the RR station and the Swamp River will be redone with helical piers similar to the Pochuck Bridge in NJ. Before it is completed, in high water, you may have to wade a bit as the existing puncheon is not long or high enough, or consider using an alternate high water route. May 1008: The existing puncheon has been extended with single plank puncheon which should be adequate but a bit of a balancing act. Walk carefully or use a stick for balance.
Summer 2006 done
9/23/2006		 NY2 The trail is being relocated to avoid ATV problems from south of Leather Hill Road to The Nature Conservancy property. It will be 0.3 mile shorter. The new trail no longer goes past the Gates of Heaven cemetery.
6/30/2000 done NY5 There is a relo of about 1500 feet planned for this summer in the middle of the section between Hosner Mountain Road and Rt 52. It will avoid being able to see new houses being built on the east side of the trail. This will be barely noticeable on maps and the cutover will just happen when it is done. 
6/30/2000 done NY3 There will be a new loop trail around Nuclear Lake using new trail to be built this summer and fall on the east shore of the lake. 
2/12/1999 5/1/2000 NY6 The Taconic Parkway crossing relocation is now finished and the trail is back approximately where it was, i.e. the maps show it almost correctly except that the depiction of the Taconic itself is wrong. It is now a full cloverleaf instead of an at grade crossing. The trail crosses under the Taconic on Miller Hill Road.
8/6/99 7/1/2000 NJ2 Pochuck Pump/Well at Liberty Corners Road has been permanently closed. The water source is the house clearly visible as you cross the road going northbound on the Trail. Just walk up the Trail for 1/10 mile and turn left at the water sign. The water is gotten from the spigot at the back of the house.
1998 1998 NY3 Info about the relocation from what is now the Beekman Uplands Loop (old AT) to being along the west shore of Nuclear Lake.

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NY/NJ Trail Conference Role

The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference maintains the Appalachian Trail in New York and New Jersey. We are a volunteer, not-for-profit organization that has maintained the Appalachian Trail (known to insiders as the AT) since 1923 - when our founders and volunteers constructed and opened the very first section of the Appalachian Trail, putting into reality the dream of a trail along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. Our own Harriman-Bear Mountain State Park in the Hudson Valley was where the AT began. Through a network of hiking clubs and devoted individuals, volunteers continue their maintenance of this National Scenic Trail under a cooperative agreement with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the United States National Park Service.

The NY-NJ Trail Conference maintains the 162 miles of the AT in the bi-state region. Some projects undertaken include:

  • relocated 105 miles of the AT onto a publicly-owned, protected corridor of land. Of the 162 miles of AT in New York and New Jersey, only 5 miles remain to be permanently relocated.
  • project to complete the trail over the Pochuck Creek in NJ.
  • negotiating and signing Cooperative Agreements, and developing Local Management Plans, for both states with park agencies and other AT management partners, outlining each's responsibilities.
  • strengthening the system of trail maintenance carried out by clubs and individuals, and developing trail crews which are on call for major repair and building tasks.
  • holding workshops to attract and train volunteers in trail maintenance and building, corridor monitoring and other specialized skills.

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Local Management Committees

For management purposes the Trail Conference has three management committees to deal with local issues, New Jersey, Orange/Rockland, and Dutchess/Putnam. You can reach volunteers on these committees by following this link.

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Regional Partnership Committees

The Trail Conference has one member on the Regional Partnership Committee. He can be contacted if you have issues related to the governance of the Conference. We are in the MidAtlantic Region.

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Overview

The idea for the Appalachian Trail originated with a volunteer, forester Benton MacKaye, in 1921. He conceived the Trail as a refuge from modern stresses, stretching along the spine of the Appalachian mountains, where hikers could re-connect with the natural world. Once MacKaye's idea was published, over the years, volunteers from hiking groups in the Northeast made that dream a reality - a 2,167-mile-long hiking trail which is our nation's first National Scenic Trail!

Through a network of 32 hiking and trail clubs from Maine to Georgia, volunteers form the basis of a unique, volunteer-based, cooperative management system for this national parkland. Volunteers take an active role in safeguarding the quality of the Trail both for the hiking public and local communities. The private Appalachian Trail Conference oversees the volunteer effort along the Trail's length.

The AT enters New Jersey at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and runs northward along the ridgeline of the Kittatinny Mountains to High Point State Park. There it strikes east along the NJ/NY state line, crosses the Wawayanda plateau, and enters New York state on the ridge overlooking Greenwood Lake. It traverses Harriman-Bear Mountain State Park (site of its "birth"), crosses the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge, heading northeasterly towards and through Fahnestock State Park. Continuing northeast, it crosses into Connecticut near Kent, CT.

NJ AT map

White paint blazes, 2" by 6" vertical rectangles, indicate the route of the AT. A double blaze indicates a change in direction, with the upper blaze showing the direction to follow. A blue, 2" by 6" painted blaze indicates a dead-end side trail to a shelter/campsite, viewpoint or water source (except in Harriman Park, where some park trails are blazed in blue, too).

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Maps & Guides

The official guides to the Appalachian Trail, which include guidebooks and maps, are divided into 11 different sets to cover its 2,167 miles. Some local outdoor stores stock all the sets; if not, you can order directly from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The Appalachian Trail Guide for New York and New Jersey is available from the NY-NJ Trail Conference, and includes the guidebook and 6 full-color maps.

Appalachian Trail Data Book covers just the bare facts from Maine to Georgia in an easily carried slim book.

Appalachian Trail Data Book (partial online version)

The Ultimate AT Map on the Web

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Information from ATC

Appalachian Trail Conservancy
PO Box 807
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
(304) 535-6331
E-mail address: info@appalachiantrail.org.

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Information from NPS

Appalachian National Scenic Trail Park Office
c/o Harpers Ferry Center
P.O.Box 50
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0050
Telephone: 304-535-6278

National Park Service - Morning Report This is NPS wide but it occasionally contains information pertaining to events on the AT.

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AT Related Links

Email if you want to be listed for lodging, know someone who will shuttle, or have additional links to add.

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Water problems

Historically both NY and NJ have had water problems during the summer. Summer 2000 may have been the best on record. There are a number of wells, some of which run dry during the summer or may still need treatment. 

Abnormal conditions 

  •  10/15/2002 The water at the top of Bear Mountain is off indefinitely.

Normal conditions

  • Pochuck Shelter is one of the ones that has no water at the shelter.
    • For southbounders, the best source is the stream just south of County Route 565, 2.8 miles north of shelter and over Pochuck Mt. 
    • For northbounders, there is water available at a NJDEP owned residence (spigot on east side of house) that is accessed via a side trail about 200 feet north of Liberty Corners Road.
  • North on NJ/NY 284 near Unionville, there is a gas station/convenience store at the border .2 mile north of the trail. This distance is shorter than the walk from the AT to Wawayanda HQ. 
  • North of the Route 94 crossing by .2 mile is Hickory Hill Farm where garden stuff, produce and other groceries are sold. They have a water fountain you can fill up a water container.

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Emergencies

  • Fire, police, crime, rescue, etc. Call 911
  • To contact someone on the trail - during business hours try our office, 212-685-6966 or the ATC office, 304-535-6331.

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V3 Last updated: June 30, 2009   Copyright © 1996-2008  New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Privacy Statement.