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…
Is it possible that the nose of a dog can mean the difference between a healthy forest and a failing ecosystem? The Trail Conference believes so. The spotted lanternfly (SLF) is hopping closer and closer to the Hudson Valley and northern New Jersey, and you need to be aware of the threat it poses to…
Is it possible that the nose of a dog can mean the difference between a healthy forest and a failing ecosystem? The Trail Conference believes so. Our Conservation Dogs Program—the first of its kind in the Northeast—is already exceeding expectations in its first season. Dia, our Labrador retriever, started her invasive-specific training in November 2018 by…
Michael Levine of Ramsey Outdoor presented Trail Conference Development Director Don Weise with a check for $600 raised during the outdoor retailer’s Pint Night on Nov. 14. Seventy-five outdoor lovers came out to the store in Succasunna, N.J., to listen to Don’s talk, “Great Trails Off The Beaten Path,” and to swap their trail tales. Thanks to…
JORBA’s Ringwood Trail Crew completed relocation and improvement of the multi-use Crossover Trail in Ringwood State Park in September 2019. The project was over 6 years in the making. The final section was the last of at least nine sections that were either realigned or improved. The new route eliminates the steepest, wettest, and most unpleasant part of the…
