Trail Conditions Forum

I hiked today from Anthony Wayne, looping from the parking lot south to 1779, over to Owl Lake Road, then the Red Cross to Menomenee to the shelter.  Then the AT/RD north to the 1779 again and home. South of the parking lot on the bike trail, and then again on the AT/RD, coming down off Black Mountain, I saw signs stuck in the ground, warning of Pesticide applications.  They had dates pencilled in, from October and November. They were Trail Conference signs. What are we trying to control?  Why weren't the signs removed once they were out of date? Jonathan

Hiked this section 11/5/2013.  Weather was cold & clear.  Winter has arrived north of the Catskills.  Thin but extensive amounts of snow were observed in the higher elevations outside of the valley.  The cliffs of Middleburgh and the "lemon squeezer" were great.  We couldn't id the 500 year old cedar.  Maybe that's for the best.  My brother wanted to burn a sage offering for the tree.  I told him "Please don't do this, it's a bad idea.  Knowing our luck you'll burn the damn tree down when you burn the sage.  Try explaining that to the State of New York!". The view of Vroman's Nose from this direction is impressive too.  The lean-to on Cotten Hill is clean and makes a good lunch stop.  It was not clear where the summit or view point described on Canady Hill was.  We couldn't find it and did not see some of the sights described on this section.  Fortunately it's been cold enough here the tick problems seem to have ended for the season.  A few are still around but not to the extent discussed by other hikers earlier this year.  The trail was well marked and navigation was fine.  We did not encounter any problems.

Hiked this section 11/2/2013.  Weather was variable during the day with some rain encountered and limited sun.  Trail was well marked and we had no navigation problems that were previously mentioned by 46r796 back in August of this year in the section discription.  Walk through the woods was nice but not that memorable, except for the multiple ticks we pulled off ourselves during regular checks.  Much of the plant life has died for the season which made navigation a little easier.  New bridges(2) in the Pleasent Valley are all completed, making stream crossings much easier.  These things are beefy(!) and should last for many years to come.  The steel i-beams used for the main supports for each bridge are impressive.  The stone walls and former foundations of building throughout this area were interesting to observe too.  Care around around mile 5.80 should be used (parking area).  It appears some of the locals are using the area for firearms target practice, not hunting, and it's not clear where they have set up their targets.  The description of the hike from about 3.20 through 5.40 may need updating.  It appears the trail may have been re-routed in this area and the trail conditions did not always seem to match the written description.  But the blazes are clear and navigation was not an issue. From Hardscrabble Road through Middleburgh, the trail was clear and easy to follow.  The note that 46r796 mentioned back in August of this year that could be an issue in warmer weather is the Mulberry Lane section just prior to Middleburgh.  When all of the plants and crops are fully grown this could be a tough area to navigate to see the blazes and walk the trail corridor between the crops and wild plants/trees.  It was much easier for us with all of the crops harvested and wild plants dying for the season.  Maybe this area needs more attention during the growing season.  We just walked the edge of the field were the crops had been harvested, it was very clear and easy to walk. Vroman's Nose is truly spectacular and the main attraction of this section.  The walk to the top from Rt. 30 was not too challenging but it is steep.  Views of the valley and surrounding mountains (back to the Catskills) were great.  We were lucky that the Sun choose to come out just as we summited the cliffs.  This is a place worth visiting again.  The prominitory rock was amazing to see, but neither of us had the "stones" to walk out on it,  it is magnificent.  Middleburgh is one of the nicer towns we have seen in upstate New York since our trip started.  There are a couple of nice restaurants in town and the people were very friendly.  Seems very historic with many references back to the late 1800's.  The surrounding area is farm and tree county.  

Upper trail off Skyline drive in Wanaque (opposite the lower lake trail)  had two bears about a half mile into the woods.  A dog we had warned us so we were able to avoid them.    M.Zdanis

As reported on the Trail Alert page (last updated Dec.2012): "the low bridge about 0.3 mile south of Hasenclever Mine was washd out.  Crossing is possible by somewhat difficult hop over stones.  It will be difficult in times of high water.  Replacement is not yet planned."   Are there any updates on this or info re crossing here?  Want to do this this weekend but not looking forward to wading across.  Thanks much in advance.

Hiked this section on 10/5/2013.  Parking in this area seems to be best by the fishing access for the Power Authority.  It adds a little distance to the walk but seems to be the easiest area to park.  Cool but humid on this day, with mosquitos out in full force.  Fall is definitely here in the North Catskills.  Colors on the tree leaves were out in full force and many trees are dropping their leaves.  The trail was marked OK throughout this section however there are one or two spots where the blaze does not face the hiker ( near mile 12.0 in West Consville to Doney Hollow section) on the woods road when it takes a left downhill to pond adjacent to West Kill Rd.  It can be easy to lose the trial and have to backtrack to get back on course. In the section that is listed as Doney hollow to West Fulton, the references to roads means woods, dirt or cinder roads, the majority unpaved, FYI.  The parking area is the local park with the historic schoolhouse near the stream and Patria Rd. and West Fulton Rd. The former saw mill foundations are impressive, as are the multiple "pool diggers" in the streams one crosses hiking these sections.  The Cole Hollow brook(?) was pretty and had many of the "pool diggers" installed in it.  A pretty stream. The Rossman Lean-To was a real pleasure to observe and take a brief rest. In the forty years I have been hiking trails in multiple states and locations, this lean-to was the cleanest, best maintained and outfitted lean-to I have observed.  Many thanks to the maintainers of this shelter.  They should be given an award for the work they have done and for setting an example of the way a shelter should be maintained and treated by visitors.  Great job folks!!! Looking Glass Pond is very pretty if you can be there in the late afternoon when the sun is beginning to set; very dramatic with the Fall sun.  The parking area is worth a quick visit for information about the pond and some of the neat signs the Club has installed there. The trail is a little easy to lose here as the blazes quickly turn to the left on the dam side of the pond when heading north.  This may be an attempt to avoid a beaver pond that is spreading across the trail path in this area and probably should be moved further to the right to avoid walking in a swamp and water.  The beaver dam is impressive, 3 to 4 feet high at the highest section. Throughout this overall section new bridges were noted to have been installed.  Many thanks to the trail maintainers for their hard work on these projects.  There are a few other bridges that will need replacement in the near future, the wood is close to rotting out (after Duck Pond Road crossing?).  All of the bridges seem to quickly develop a cover of green algae, making the bridges slippery, caution is advised. Another good section of the Long Path to enjoy.

Hi Daniel:   Thanks for the reply.  I appreciate it! The hike I was thinking of is literally called the Diamond Mountain/Stony Brook Loop.  You wrote the description.  It is 6.3 miles,  You rated it as moderate.  In the description in bold you say that the footbridge was washed away by Hurricane Irene.  I am just wondering if the footbridge has been repaired.  It is the one crossing Pine Meadow Brook just above the Cascade of Slid.  Thanks for writing all of these descriptions.  My friends and I have enjoyed hiking almost all of the hikes listed here!

Are the bridges that need to be crossed during the Diamond Mountain/Stony Brook Loop back in place after being washed out? Thanks!

Finally.

The Ramapo-Dunderberg trailhead, in form of the usual triple blaze, exists at the Tuxedo train station on a utility pole in the parking lot, close to the train platform. The trail is blazed from there to East Village Road, and along it to Grove Drive, where there is blazing for a left turn, followed by some blazes continuing along the Drive to the trail turnoff into the woods. On return, the blazes have been recently improved, hopefully reducing possible confusion of the left turn from the woods onto Grove Drive.  Also, turn blazes have recently been placed on a utility pole for the right turn from Grove Drive onto East Village Road. 

Although we are still working on a replacement bridge for the Sterling Ridge / Highlands / Hasenclever trails over the Wanaque River at Long Pond Ironworks, it may be some time before a bridge is in place. A temporary, rocky river crossing has been blazed about one hundred feet upstream from the missing bridge location. In times of low water, this is an easy crossing on large rocks. But it may be un-crossable at times of high water or icy conditions. Check the river crossing conditions in NJ before attempting a one way hike on the Sterling Ridge Trail / Highlands Trail from NY 17A to NJ 511.

What is the current state of construction on Route 106 between Seven Lakes Drive and Route 17, its been about 4-6 months since i was last in that area, there was a police officer blocking the road at the seven lakes drive/106 circle.  At the other end near 17 the road was blocked but was able to drive around the blockade and reach the parking lots.