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.

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plippert's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 07/31/2020 - 11:26am
I want to thank you for the information and encouragement. Those are some luxurious accommodations along that new stretch of trail. Beautiful terrain as well. I actually did wind up packing six liters of water down Slide Mountain into the col. Not fun. Shouldn’t the guide warn first-timers that climbing is involved? Anyway, I made it. The spring at 5.0 was dry, but the one that crosses the trail over on the Cornell side of the col was flowing. I also found water just a little way into the new stretch of trail. So, things were not as dry as I had feared.
plippert's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 07/22/2020 - 8:09am
I am about to do Sections 16, 17, 18, and 19 of the Long Path. In the trail description I notice that from the low spot between Slide and Cornell Mountains at 5.0 miles of Section 18, where it says there is a spring, to the pipe spring mentioned at 8.55 miles in Section 19, all of the water sources mentioned are characterized as intermittent. At 0.5 miles of Section 19, it mentions “a small stream that often has water.” At .85 miles, a “seasonal stream.” At 4.0 miles, a “seasonal spring.” I should be passing through there Tuesday or Wednesday. Can anyone advise me on what I might find in any of these places? If these intermittent sources are dry, I would have to hike 12 miles without water. Is it a tough stretch to do? Should I consider bailing out and walking Woodland Valley Road to Phoenicia?
jmb's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 07/24/2020 - 11:04am

I've never had any luck finding the supposed spring at mile 5.0, but the spring at mile 4.3 on the east side of Slide (just after going down the ladder-stairs, if you're heading northbound on the LP) almost always has water. I think I've seen it dry only once in 20 years. Fill up there!

A little further, there's often a small flow of water that crosses the trail just before the climb up Cornell. I guess it would be around mile 5.5. Coordinates would be around 42.00255, -74.36723.

At around 42.00971, -74.33396 there's a barely-visible unmarked path leading south from the trail, just before you cross a small rocky stream. This might be the seasonal stream mentioned at mile 0.85 of section 19. If the stream is dry at the trail crossing, you can sometimes find water by heading south on this path a very short distance. There's some good camping up there too.

That's the last water I know of before the reliable pipe spring on the way down to Phoenicia.

So yes, the trail from Wittenberg to Phoenicia is dry, but there is a fair amount of spectacular scenery and it would be a shame to miss it! I'd suggest camping between Slide & Cornell (only allowed in designated spots, but they'll probably be empty on Tuesday or Wednesday.) Hopefully camp close enough to one of the springs that you can fill up with a whole day's worth of water for the next day's hike. Bring some extra bottles or a water bladder. The next day, start as early as you can, when it's still cool. If you find more water, great, if not, you shouldn't have a problem making it to the next spring before evening. (The camping around there is not great though! Steep and buggy.)

Good luck & enjoy!

Daniel Chazin's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 07/22/2020 - 9:33am
I can't comment on the availability of water in this section, but I can say that this is one of the most beautiful sections of the Long Path in the Catskills and should not be missed. The initial ascent from Woodland Valley is on the Cornell-Wittenberg-Slide Trail, which is steep and eroded, but once you reach the new trail section, you'll be hiking on a well-graded trail constructed to the highest trail standards. I would think that you should be able to take along sufficient water for this section of the hike.
plippert's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 06/25/2020 - 4:13pm
I just got my copy of the Long Path Guide 1997 print edition. The section numbers and divisions seem different. I guess this is because the trail has changed in 23 years. Is there a key to these differences, IOW, something to translate? How do I know when I can trust the trail descriptions and when I can’t?
Daniel Chazin's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 06/25/2020 - 8:39pm
The 1997 hard-copy edition of the Long Path Guide is outdated. The current, up-to-date version of the Guide is available online. There is no key to correlate the two documents. You should rely on the online version of the Guide. You can trust the trail descriptions in the 1997 hard-copy Guide only if you have compared them to the online version of the Guide and find that they are still accurate.
plippert's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 06/23/2020 - 12:31pm
One of my greatest backpacking frustrations is getting to a shelter or back country camping area at the end of a day hiking, only to find that there is no water available. I’d like to do some sections of the Long Path this summer, and I wonder if there is a reference source on where water is available along the trail.
Jeremy Apgar's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 06/23/2020 - 1:41pm
Hello! There is an active Facebook "Friends of the Long Path" group where hikers share trail conditions, ask questions, and generally talk about the Long Path: https://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofthelongpath That is currently the best resource available at the moment for this kind of information, and someone actually just asked a question 2 days ago bout water sources along the Shawangunk Ridge. Hope that helps! ~Jeremy, Trail Conference cartographer
plippert's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 06/25/2020 - 4:07pm
Unfortunately, I am not on Facebook. This sounds like a great group. Maybe I can participate through a more tech-savvy friend. Thank you for the suggestion.
jmb's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 06/30/2020 - 9:53pm
Sigh... we used to have a vibrant trail conditions forum here on nynjtc.org, before the great web redesign. It's unfortunate that these new forums have been made so difficult to use that the de-facto source for up-to-date info has fallen to Facebook, which has a history of privacy abuses and a lot of political baggage. Anyway, rant over, I hiked some of the Long Path last year and all of it some years back. Water availability changes with the weather, but if you have questions about specific sections I'm happy to offer what insight I have.
Michael K7's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 06/17/2020 - 10:29am
There is construction on Mountain Road as you cross the stream heading to Diltz's Lane to get to the parking area trailhead for the TMI Trail. It was passable when I went last week, but there is a temporary traffic light allowing one-way traffic at a time. If planning to go to this parking area, prepare for possible delays.
spidey3's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 06/06/2020 - 9:22pm
I was wondering who is officially responsible for trail maintenance along the Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway, especially the segment from Colabaugh Pond Road north to Blue Mountain Reservation. It's a Westchester County Park, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone from the county doing any maintenance. We live in the area, and use the trail regularly. As far as we know, it's mostly local residents who use the trail who do the maintenance. For instance, today, as a family project, my son and I replaced a plank bridge over a small stream. The old planks were rotten, and had become dangerous. We wonder, is there a dedicated crew, part of NYNJTC that cares for the trailway? If so, how can we get involved? If not, how do we form such a group? Josh Diamond
Willy's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 06/03/2020 - 8:23am
The Bash Bish Falls parking areas in NY (Route 344) and MA (Falls Rd) are closed off due to the pandemic. I happened to see this as I was coming back home to NJ after hiking from the Mt. Frissell trailhead to the South Taconic trail and Brace Mountain. Anyone planning to go see the falls or begin hikes from these lots may wish to call ahead to see when those parking areas will reopen.
Michael K7's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 05/18/2020 - 10:29pm
Heading north on the White Cross Trail from its start at the TMI Trail, you will encounter three large blowdowns in the first mile. The first two can be bypassed easily, but the third will either need to be climbed over, or you will have to take a significant detour. Climbing over this blowdown will be difficult. Keep this in mind if you are planning a route that includes this trail section. The TC has been notified with a trail conditions report.
Bob's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 03/29/2020 - 11:16am
As long as I can remember, most Maintainers, Supervisors have created the Trail Markers with locally available materials......from cut sections of Plastic Siding to Scraps of Aluminum. and one can also buy them from Berntsen, Forestry Suppliers, Ebay, etc., but they are Expensive. Ten years or so ago, we of the NY-NJTC had plastic Markers made by Steuben A.R.C.......and in 1994, the cost was btw 21 to 30 cents each depending on quantity, design, etc. Steuben: 607-776-4146.....if they still supply.You can always go to a Sign Maker, such as Hurricane Signs in Bloomingdale, NJ. 973-838-3373 if you get stuck Email me; Bob at : [email protected]
fwrunner2015's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 02/26/2020 - 8:21pm
Hey guys; I read back in Nov 2019 that the normal access from Hudson Terrace via the footbridge is closed for 2 years during construction on the North walkway of the GWB. Access has been re-routed to south of the GWB from within PIP. From the GWB south walkway, turn LEFT onto Hudson Terrace, pass underneath the roadway, then turn LEFT immediately at the traffic signal. Go into the park, then... I have not been in the PIP in a long time, so I don't know where I need to go after I enter the park from Hudson Terrace. I do know that the LP passes underneath the GWB, but do I need to use the Carpenters Trail to access the LP, or is there a way to get to it before you descend to the river? Thanks for your help FW
Daniel Chazin's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 02/27/2020 - 8:20am

The trail alert that was posted on the website was not clear as to what you should do when you reach Hudson Terrace.  Rather than turning left and entering the park, one must turn right onto Hudson Terrace and follow it north for about half a mile to the Carpenters Trail.  You then follow the Carpenters Trail a short distance to the Long Path.

marlowe55's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 02/26/2020 - 1:42pm
Does anyone know where to get colored metal trail markers? I am working to create and mark trails in a park in Yonkers, Leslie Sutherland Park, and have had a very hard time trying to find out where to get these. I think you all know the kind I mean -- they are either square or round, usually nailed into a tree, in different primary colors to designate different routes. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated!!!
fwrunner2015's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 02/26/2020 - 8:10pm
As far as I know, all trail coordination in the area is handled by the NY/NJ Trail Conference. I think you would need to contact their offices in Mahwah NJ at this telephone #: (201) 512-9348
marlowe55's picture

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on 02/27/2020 - 9:37am
I have tried to contact the Trail Conference, and have emailed them, but it is impossible to get someone there to respond and give me the basic information I'm looking for!

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