Trail Conditions Forum

Mud? Ice? High water at stream crossings?

This is the place to let the trail community know what you encountered, where and when (be as precise as possible). Suggestion: Make the trail or park name your subject.

To report serious trail problems that need Trail Conference attention, including illegal trail use issues, visit our Contact Us page. Problems reported through our Contact Us page get to the maintainers fast and reliably. Problems reported on the forum below may help fellow trail users avoid problem areas until they get fixed, but not all maintainers read this regularly.


 

Daniel Chazin's picture

My understanding is that the Park management has informally authorized the Thendara Mountain Club, which operates Camp Thendara (east of the Seven Lakes Drive) to maintain the Bottle Cap Trail, which provides improved access to other hiking trails from the camp.  The Trail Conference has never officially adopted this trail and is not responsible for its maintenance.
rrnorton's picture

Thanks for your comment. The rattlers I saw last Sunday were all golden yellow in color, and well camouflaged. Having never seen rattlesnakes before in Harriman, and suddenly seeing as many as three quite robust ones in one afternoon, I'm curious to know if there was anything particular about the time of year and the warm weather that might have paved the way for their appearance. Or anything about the cumulative weather patterns over the summer of 2010. Or something relating to the gestational cycle? Does anyone have further thoughts?
rrnorton's picture

Yesterday, I went on the wonderful Harriman State Park balloon hike that combines the Seven Hills trail, the woods road to Pine Meadow Lake and the Diamond Mountain Trail, a combination I've done many times before. Not surprisingly for a warm day on a south-facing slope, I saw several snakes. However THREE of these were timber rattlesnakes. This was the first time I've ever seen a rattler in Harriman, although I've heard they do exist there. I was just curious to know if this is a common sighting for a warm September day in this locale. All three rattlers were on the south flank of Diamond mountain, one in underbrush, one on a rock ledge (this one coiled and rattling at my approach!) and one coiled right in the middle of a packed-dirt portion of level trail.
PVPatrick's picture

Ive seen rattlers dozens of times throughout the park, primarily on exposed ridges, around PIne Meadow Lake, West Mt, Timp Pass, Kakiat trail. Although I've never personally seen them on the Diamond Mt trail, one day I passed a hiker who had. I've also noticed that there are some rattlesnakes that are primarily yellow and others that are primarily black; different morphs I believe the term is.
amrosen's picture

First time poster here. I'm in the midst of planning a trip to Slide in two weekends and was wondering about the water supply...are all of the spring locations marked on the updated NYNJTC map flowing satisfactorily? I plan on doing the full 14-mile loop, and it'd be ideal to carry a filter in place of large quantities of water. Also, I aim to make this an overnighter. If I start from Woodland Valley and head south and then west, would you say the col between Cornell and Slide is the ideal spot for making camp? If not, what would you suggest? Thanks for your help. I've really enjoyed kicking around on the site the past few years...it's a fantastic resource.
srtmaintainer's picture

When we went through while backpacking the LP the col between Cornell and Slide looked to be a great spot for making camp. That area has several designated sites and a spring. We did not camp at that location as it was too early in the day when we went through. Andy Garrison
fsteinmann's picture

I day hiked this loop on Labor Day weekend. Water was available throughout the hike. The best spring, near the Slide summit, was running well.
amrosen's picture

Thanks for the responses. Looks like they're getting plenty of rain up there this week, so shouldn't be a problem.
Michael K7's picture

Heading northeast on the HTS Trail, shortly before you make the ascent to Russian Bear is a small wooden footbridge. This bridge is damaged, and needs repairs. One of the steps is missing, and the two steps next to the missing one are loose, and dangerous. Right now, there is no water in the stream that this bridge crosses, so you can avoid the bridge if you want, but if you use the bridge, proceed with caution.
A report has been sent in to the TC.
jjm's picture

On September 15th, 2010 jjm says: On October 2, 2010, Campgaw parking lots and hiking trails will be open to the public but very crowded, due to a large gathering--hundreds of Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, along with their adult advisors and vehicles- JJM
stacycat's picture

Yesterday I hiked the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail from Conklins Crossing to the trail head in Suffern. The Trail markings need to be refreshed. At one point, on a overlook ridge, about 500 feet east of where the trail intersects with the Kakiat Trail, there are no markings visible for a turnoff. After the final gas-line cut which crosses the trail towards its Suffern terminus, the trail becomes very confusing as to where it picks up again. I headed down , thinking that since I was within earshot of the NY Thruway down below, that I was close to the end of the trail, and that I couldn't go wrong. I wound up overlooking the thruway and stopped by a chain link fence. I had to bushwhack in a northerly direction over several extremes of rises and falls in the topography until I found the trail close to the trailhead. This is a strenuous and potentially hazardous trail that needs to be more clearly marked. Many of the blazes are extremely faded.
Georgette Weir's picture

Our supervising volunteer in this area asked me to let you know that he will be following up on this report and plans to do a field inspection. He thanks all for the input and requests that trail users have patience with perceived problems (ie, please don't head out with a can of spray paint). This problem is on the list of trail problems to be addressed by field inspection and communication with volunteer(s). Thanks!
Michael K7's picture

I hiked the same area today (from the Kakiat to the trailhead in Suffern), and i agree with Stacy. There are many spots where the blazing is extremely faded or missing altogether, in both directions.
Sadly, i actually sent in a report of this exact problem to the TC about a year ago, but nothing seems to have been done. When i hiked the entire SBM a few months ago, i had to make the final descent in the dark, and the fact that i made it down without a problem i consider to be a combination of luck and the fact that i know this area of the trail well from having hiked it numerous times .
If need be, i will be taking a can of yellow spray paint with me the next time i hike this section of SBM...
Paul_A's picture

".....Sadly, i actually sent in a report of this exact problem to the TC about a year ago, but nothing seems to have been done...." Don't forget that all of this work is done by volunteers. Maybe that trail needs someone to volunteer to maintain it. Why not contact the TC and be the one to step up and volunteer.
Michael K7's picture

How do you know whether or not i've tried to volunteer? ;)
Fact #1:
When i sent my report in a year ago, i received a reply that stated "the trail maintainer for that section will be notified". If i understand english correctly, this would lead one to believe there already is a maintainer for that section of the trail.
Fact #2:
The TC lists trail maintainer openings right here on the website, and i check them on a regular basis, waiting for one to open up that i will be able to work on given that i have limited access to only a select number of trails.
Fact #3:
Part of my time spent on every hike is helping to keep the trails i am on maintained, whether it's clearing the trail, picking up other people's garbage they've left behind, or fixing cairns that have fallen apart, etc.
Fact # 4:
The TC has stated here on this forum that they do not encourage "phantom trail maintenance", so other than the simple activities listed above, i have refrained from adding/fixing blazes on trails. However, since not even one person from the TC has bothered to respond to this topic, i guarantee you that the next time i am on the SBM, i will have a can of yellow spray paint with me, and will be re-doing the faded blazes, so other hikers won't have the problems i've encountered.

I know all the work is done by volunteers, but i trust the TC to be on top of things, and if there is a trail maintainer opening, or problem keeping up with a trail section, they should be letting us know, not expecting us to figure it out for ourselves.

Paul_A's picture

OK, sorry. I didn't mean to upset anyone with my previous reply.
Michael K7's picture

I hope i didn't come off too harsh in my own reply- i'm as guilty as anyone of taking things the wrong way sometimes.
Our collective goal is hopefully to make hiking these trails an enjoyable experience for all those who use them, while also treating nature with respect. This requires us to all work together, but it's important to remember that there are a lot of people who are doing work on the trails without looking for recognition or wanting some sort of "official" position.
PVPatrick's picture

I ran up the Major Welch from Bear Mt Inn recently and noticed that the trail "disappears" at the summit. It seems that the crews building the new trails on Bear Mt have obliterated the trail markings going over the edge and along the west side of Bear Mt to Perkins Drive.
Georgette Weir's picture

You're correct. Please see Trail News item about this here:

news/major-welch-trail-bear-mountain-closed

Michael K7's picture

Thanks for the warning. I was planning on hiking that trail for the first time soon, so it's good to know i'll be winging it after the summit.