Hike of the Week 03/23/04

WHERE: Harriman State Park

FEATURES : This loop hike at the southern end of Harriman State Park follows several picturesque streams and climbs to views of Torne Valley and the New York City skyline.

LENGTH: 5.4 miles.

DIFFICULTY: Moderate to strenuous.

TIME: About three and one-half hours.

MAP: New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Harriman-Bear Mountain Trails Map #3

HOW TO GET THERE: Take N.J. Route 17 north to the New York State Thruway and take the first exit, Exit 15A (Sloatsburg). Turn left at the bottom of the ramp onto N.Y. Route 17 north, and continue through the Village of Sloatsburg. Just past the village, turn right at the traffic light, following the sign for Harriman State Park. Cross an overpass over railroad tracks and continue along the Seven Lakes Drive, passing under the Thruway overpass, and soon entering Harriman State Park. Proceed for another mile to the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center, on the right side of the road. Park in the Visitor Center's parking lot.

DESCRIPTION: From the parking lot, head east (left when facing the woods) on the broad red-on-white-blazed Pine Meadow Trail, passing the Visitor Center to the left. In about 300 feet, you'll notice a white-blazed trail that leaves to the right. Turn right onto this trail, known as the Reeves Brook Trail, which follows a woods road uphill. Soon, the trail begins to parallel Reeves Brook, which is to the left.

In about half a mile, another woods road leaves to the right. Just beyond, follow the white-blazed trail as it bears left and begins a steeper climb on a footpath, passing attractive cascades in the brook. The trail continues to climb more gradually, still paralleling the brook.

About a mile and a half from the start, you'll notice a steep escarpment just ahead. Here, you'll cross the blue-on-white-blazed Seven Hills Trail and continue ahead on the white-blazed Reeves Brook Trail, which now runs parallel to the escarpment.   After a short descent, the Reeves Brook Trail ends at a junction with the black-on-white-blazed Raccoon Brook Hills Trail.

Turn left onto the Raccoon Brook Hills Trail, which briefly descends to cross a stream on rocks and then steeply climbs the escarpment. Near the top, you'll pass a large rock, known as The Pulpit, that juts out by the cliff edge. The trail continues along the ridge and passes two southwest-facing viewpoints over the Torne Valley, with the New York Thruway beyond. After a short descent, the trail climbs to reach a junction with the orange-blazed Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trail on an open rock ledge.

Continue ahead on the Raccoon Brook Hills Trail, which continues to climb more gradually to a wooded area on the crest of the ridge. The elevation here is about 1,230 feet above sea level, and you've climbed about 800 feet to reach this ridge - the highest point on the hike. On a clear day, you can see the New York City skyline in the distance to the right!

The trail descends to cross the route of a gas pipeline, climbs to regain the ridge, and then begins a rather steep descent. At the base of the steep descent, the trail turns right onto a woods road (which soon disappears into a stand of mountain laurel), then bears left and descends more gradually to a junction with the white-blazed Kakiat Trail.         

Turn left at the junction and follow the Kakiat Trail, which climbs to a wet area on the crest of a rise and then descends gradually, paralleling Raccoon Brook, to the right.   In about half a mile, you'll pass the northern trailhead of the Raccoon Brook Hills Trail on the right.   Continue ahead on the Kakiat Trail, which now widens into a woods road.

Soon, you'll reach a complex junction with the Seven Hills Trail (blue on white) and the Pine Meadow Trail (red on white). Turn right, now following the "red, white, and blue" blazes of all three trails (Pine Meadow, Kakiat and Seven Hills) and cross Pine Meadow Brook on a wooden footbridge. (This bridge has been slightly knocked out of alignment by flooding, but it has been recently repaired and is safe to cross.)

After crossing the bridge, turn left, following the blue-on-white and white blazes (the red-on-white-blazed trail leaves to the right here). Soon, the blue-on-white-blazed Seven Hills Trail also departs to the right, but you should continue ahead along the brook, following the white-blazed Kakiat Trail. In about half a mile, you'll pass cascades in the brook and reach a footbridge, used by the orange-blazed Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trail to cross the brook. Just beyond is the Cascade of Slid - named for a character in The Gods of Pegana by Edward Plunkett, Lord Dunsany. This cascade is most spectacular in the spring, when the brook is running high.

Continue ahead on the white-blazed trail, which becomes rougher as it proceeds over and around huge boulders. In another quarter of a mile, you'll reach a junction with the yellow-blazed Stony Brook Trail. Turn left , now following both white and yellow blazes, and cross a footbridge over Pine Meadow Brook. A short distance beyond, the Kakiat Trail leaves to the right, crossing a footbridge over Stony Brook, but you should continue ahead on the yellow-blazed Stony Brook Trail. This section of the trail, which closely parallels the cascading Stony Brook, is particularly scenic.

After crossing a gas pipeline right-of-way and then Quartz Brook, the Stony Brook Trail ends at a junction with the red-on-white-blazed Pine Meadow Trail. Continue ahead on the Pine Meadow Trail, which parallels Stony Brook and leads back to the parking lot where the hike began.

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