Dear Long Path, On January 27, I fell in love with you. I set out to trek all 358 miles of your urban, rugged, and wild beauty, not knowing exactly when or how I would complete you. I made it a priority, or so a NEED to wake up early on weekends, commit to the
Beaver activity and wet weather may have forced the Trail Tramps to build (and rebuild) new trails in Teatown, but a sustainable trail system now exists. When Daniel Chazin asked me to recount the work my Trail Tramps Crew had done on the “new” Three Lakes Loop trail in Teatown, I realized that much of the work we had done
The Trail Conference welcomes Olivia, Kathleen, Arden, Ryan, and Lenny to our trail family and wishes Michael the best of luck on his next adventure. Olivia Sohn, Volunteer Engagement Assistant Olivia Sohn spent her childhood exploring the trails of Norvin Green State Forest. Her love of the outdoors prompted her to earn a bachelor’s degree in biology
For 99 years, Trail Conference volunteers have been providing millions of trail users with a means to explore the outdoors. The culture of volunteerism at the Trail Conference has become the fabric of our organization. It is our legacy—a legacy that will continue into our second century. Our volunteers make us the vibrant and impactful nonprofit that
Whether you seek the solace of nature or crave adventure, your passions drive the path you choose. This October, the Trail Conference turns 100. While browsing through our archives in preparation for our Centennial, I came across our collection of newspaper columns by Raymond H. Torrey. One of the Trail Conference’s founders, Torrey, was editor
The West Hudson South Crew rebuilt a bridge in Harriman State Park that was first damaged in 2011 and needed more attention to be sustainable. Over many work trips this fall, crew members and trail maintainers worked together to restore this important bridge carrying three trails—Pine Meadow, Seven Hills, and Kakiat—to the popular Pine Meadow Lake. Help also came from
The Long Distance Trails Crew (LDTC) has been doing a major stonework project rerouting the Upper Nyack Trail to connect Nyack Beach with the Long Path under the shadow of Hook Mountain in Rockland County, N.Y. This moves the White Trail/Long Path off the road and onto a newly acquired portion of land adjacent to the Marydell Faith & Life Center
Trail Conference Stewards provide the public with the assistance and education they need to have great trail experiences while doing their part to protect the environment. 2019 Corps Season In the Field Trail Conference Conservation Corps (TCCC) Stewards were stationed at Breakneck Ridge, on the Appalachian Trail in Bear Mountain State Park, and in the Catskills on Slide Mountain and Giant Ledge during the 2019 season. Stewards
Trail Conference Stewards are ambassadors for safe, enjoyable, and responsible recreation outdoors. Think back to your first memory on a trail. Think about where you were, who you were with. What do you most strongly recall? Hopefully it’s a fond memory! Hopefully, it helped to spark a lifelong love of connecting with nature and the determination
The first trail ever built in Harriman, the Ramapo-Dunderberg (R-D), will get a major facelift starting in 2020, just in time for its—and the Trail Conference’s—100th birthday. Regarded as one of Harriman-Bear Mountain’s most scenic trails, the 23-mile R-D was built in 1920 to connect the village of Tuxedo Park, N.Y., to the Hudson River. In preparation
On a crisp November morning, 20 enthusiastic trail lovers gathered to experience the joy of running Sterling Forest’s multi-use trails and try on a pair of Hoka trail running shoes. This was just one of 12 monthly Trail Conference Trail Runs, which are rapidly gaining popularity and enlightening a new group of trail users to the
Sean Sully and his merry men, volunteers of the recently completed Bear Mountain Trails Project, took the ongoing care of the Appalachian Trail on Bear Mountain under their wing. Sean discovered several social trails being created around the sides of the stone stairs and called up some of his fellow volunteers. Together, they installed several permanent obstacles, effectively blocking off the side
