Welcome to the Viewpoint Forum

Viewpoint is the principal forum for registered users. Active users who are members of committees will find other more specific forums. There are moderators monitoring this forum for compliance with our rules and good taste. We have populated the forum with a bunch of generic topics. Please try to pick a relevant topic and stay inside its purpose. We will happily add new topics on demand. Do not copy large parts of other posts, just enough to establish context. In particular do not post more than short snippets of copyrighted material (within the bounds of fair use), instead link to it. This posting is an example of a topic header. Below it is an example of a comment on the topic. Make its subject line meaningful. Below that is a reply to the comment. Preferably reply to an existing comment if there is one. Otherwise add a comment to the main topic with an appropriate new subject line.

This topic should only be used for questions about the forum itself and policies related to monitoring the forum.

Walt Daniels's picture

But all the entries were not imported correctly. When we sort that out we will make the forums more readily accessable.

walkwoman's picture

Are these forums still active? Has forum info from old site been archived for new site access? Also I had to do a Search for "FORUMS" because there is nothing on face page that designates Forums. Linda /Jackson, NJ
slabelson's picture

On Sunday I led a group of 6 women on a shuttle hike along the Appalachian Trail from the top of Wawayanda Mtn., stopping at Pinwheel's Vista & then down the mountain, and all the way across the Pochuck boardwalk.  A few of my companions were new to hiking the Highlands, and I've gotta say that all of us were incredibly impressed and grateful for the I'm guessing hundreds of rock steps that helped us down (and other hikers up) the mountain.  I'm not sure if they were constructed entirely by the Trail Conference or by A.T. volunteer personnel, but they represent a magnificent 'natural' engineering achievement.  I know that a similar project was completed not long ago on Bear Mountain in Harriman, but I haven't made it there yet.  In the meantime, kudos to the folks who undertook and continue to undertake the backbreaking and potentially dangerous work of trail construction and maintenance, which enables all of us to enjoy those wild areas still left in our region. I should add that the boardwalk and various bridges were equally impressive, but it was the steps that really caught everyone's attention!
Maidstone_Nic's picture

Planning a holiday for this time next year and was hoping to hike the Major Welch and Appalachian Trails from Bear Mountain Inn to the Perkins Memorial Tower and back. I know that Perkins Memorial Drive is closed in the winter months but are the trails still open?  Exact dates are Feb 10th - 20th 2014. Many thanks for any help. Nic.
Daniel Chazin's picture

The trails on Bear Mountain, including the Appalachian and Major Welch Trails, are open year-round (as are all other trails in Harriman-Bear Mountain Parks).  They are closed only in the case of a severe emergency.  Since your trip is not planned to take place for over a year, there is no way of determining the condition of the trails at this point (they might be covered with snow or ice), but they should be open to hikers.  Only the Perkins Memorial Drive, not the trails, is closed in the winter.
marsicob@oru.com's picture

I have been hiking in the harriman park since i was little and took some time off, but have come back  into hiking again in the last couple of years.  I have found now that i really enjoy it and have found o lot of useful information on this site,  keep up the good work!  Thanks
Willy's picture

I was quite surprised to find huge signs in the middle of Ramapo Valley County Reservation (orange trail) apparently put up to direct lost hikers to safety. I'm sure intent was good, but did the responsible authorities consider how out of place the huge signs look?
Jeremy Apgar's picture

Hi Willy!

These signs were erected by Camp Glen Gray and some ambitious scouts in the past year.  A number of signs were placed near key intersections on trails within the boundaries of Camp Glen Gray, including portions of the orange Schuber Trail.  The Trail Conference worked with Camp Glen Gray to produce maps for these signs.  With the network of different trails in Camp Glen Gray and the amount of traffic these trails receive from hikers (both experienced and inexperienced), the signs are intended to help keep visitors informed of their location (and how to get back to their starting point!).  So while they may seem a little out of place out in the middle of the woods, they hopefully are a useful resource for some hikers.

~Jeremy, TC Cartographer

jjm's picture

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
daves's picture

I'd like to see a list of hotels in new york that are closest to the trails especially upstate or just outside the city
sandy.cascio's picture

Wondering what is the status of this project?  Still a valid and welcome suggestion?
webmaster's picture

Question is valid. Anyone willing to work on such a list is welcome and we might help. I would take it as an opportunity to generate some advertising revenue.
Jay H's picture

You might/should want to delete or put a forwarding link to the old forums which never worked too well and is now inactive: http://66.37.7.139/plus/plus.mirage?who=nynjtc It will help show any old timers that there is a new forum here.... Jay
jpylka's picture

It's all looking good so far. The rearrangement of categories works very well. One cavil, though... In the forums, it is sometimes difficult to see who posted a given comment. There's not enough contrast between that text and the background. Something more visible would be a boon... Joe P.
webmaster's picture

We are testing a maybe prettier forum layout. Stay tuned.
egoodell's picture

Would it make sense to send everyone an email who participated in Viewpoint at nynjtc.org and tell them that it is now working here?
webmaster's picture

We don't have a list of them and many were anonymous. We will widely advertise the reincarnation in the e-Walker and Trail Walker. If you were a previous forum user and know some of the others, let them know that we are alive and well.
NYCHiker's picture

I'm glad it's back. It will be nice to have a central place to ask weather and trail condition questions instead of tracking people down on Flickr or other groups that aren't solely focused on NY and NJ trails.