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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Frosty's picture

This may be too late, but the main vistor lot off 7A and seven lakes drive is usually plowed pretty quickly, though it fills up fast so get there early.
Delwong's picture

Frosty, thanks for the suggestion.  I found both the Silvermine Lake and the Lake Askoti parking areas off 7 Lakes open yesterday.  Perfect day for snowshoeing, even though the trail we selected was already tracked by others. 
Frosty's picture

Hi, I'm thinking abour hiking the NJ section of the AT on President's Weekend.  Is the area around Surprise Lake / Prospect Rock generally considered the official transition from NY to NJ?  Any suggestions or comments on overnight parking in that area and shuttle service from the Water Gap back to that point?   Thanks
Gene Giordano's picture

You are correct and the state line will be marked on a rock and with a hiker register box. The best place to park is at Wawayanda State Park in a special overnite lot near the park office, contact them directly. Alternately you can park on Route 17A atop Mt Peter in NY, of course in the park is most secure but we very rarely have any problems Not sure about any shuttle, I will post your request on a private email list and if a shuttle is available they will contact you via this bulletin board.
Frosty's picture

Thanks for the info and forwarding this on, much appreciated.
Michael K7's picture

Regarding the announcement of the trail closures at RSP, I'm a little confused as to exactly what areas this covers. Does this include the Ramapo Reservation? How about the southern trails near Ramapo Lake by Wanaque? Some clarification would be helpful- for those of us with Trail Map #118, what areas are actually affected? Thanks for any help.
Daniel Chazin's picture

The closure that has been announced extends only to trails in Ringwood State Park.  It does not affect any trails in Ramapo Valley County Reservation or in Ramapo Mountain State Forest.  The trails around Ramapo Lake remain open.  The reference should be to North Jersey Trails Map #115, not to Map #118 (which shows trails in southern Harriman State Park).  The boundaries of the respective parks are clearly shown on Map #115.
Michael K7's picture

Thanks Daniel- i meant map 115.
tree188's picture

1/27/2013 Hiked the Yellow Trail from Indian Trail Drive through High Mountain to the William Paterson University parking area.  Trails were generally clear but there is still work needed for clearing some tree blow downs.  Little to no snow is on the ground, icy in some areas.  The park was busy today.  View from High Mountain was nice and clear to NYC today.
GrandpaBecky's picture

Please be advised: Snowshoes or crampons are strongly advised! Make sure you bring a headlamp and extra batteries as winter nights in the Catskills like to sneak up on you. We wound up hiking most of the downhill portion in the dark but the sunset was one of the most beautiful I had ever seen! Full description: http://nynjtc.org/hike/balsam-mountain-catskill-high-peak   DATE HIKED: 1/19/13  (11am-7pm)   ROUTE: (Parked at Rider Hollow trailhead)-    START: Red (Oliverea-Mapledale Trail)    CONTINUE: on Red (at junction with Yellow-Mine Hollow )    LEFT: Blue (Pine Hill-West Branch)    LEFT: Yellow (Mine Hollow)    RIGHT: Red (Oliverea-Mapledale)   CONDITIONS: All of the trails were pretty packed down from previous hikers but there were still some spots at the higher elevations and the interior trails where the snow could be a problem without snowshoes or crampons.     -Snow depth on the RED and YELLOW trail was aprox. 6-8 inches (again, it was pretty well packed from previous hikers.)       -There are several stream crossings on RED that will require caution. In one instance, we had to shimmy over accross a downed tree (it was about 15 feet long.) The water only seemed to be knee high- still high enough to make the rest of the trip miserable and dangerous if you fall in!    -The ascent/descent of Balsam on the BLUE trail was really where crampons or snowshoes would come in handy.       -The descent of Balsam's north face (BLUE) is very steep and traction will be a huge issue if you dont have the proper gear.    -The depth of snow at the top of Balsam and its north face were slightly above 1 foot.    -Though not as steep, the YELLOW trail is still downhill and caution should be used. The snow was not as packed as the RED trail but it was nothing compared to the downhill on BLUE!   NOTES: As is always the case with snowshoeing, give yourself plenty of time to complete this hike. A good rule of thumb for me is to figure my pace will be HALF of what it usualy is; of course, you may be slower or faster depending on your physical condition. There will be several partial views to the east on the BLUE trail as you make your way across Balsam's summit. The real payoff though is the clearing  1000 feet from the summit (also to the east, along the BLUE) The clearing is about 15 feet wide and is on a ledge. Don't worry about passing it as it is easily spotted along the trail.   One winter peak closer to my patch!   Happy hiking and be safe! -Ryan
CanadianRoots's picture

Has anyone been past Lake Sebago in Harriman State Park by the Yellow Triangle. We were heading south east on Yellow Triangle towards the lake and as we made our way down off the hill, we noticed there was a lot of blood about 25 feet from the shore ontop of the frozen lake. As we got closer there was a deer, which btw looked like it had been there for a couple weeks. I honestly can't imagine how this deer was killed out on the lake, especially since there is no hunting in that part of the park....But if your hiking with kids you should probably stay clear of Sebago for now.
hiker4414's picture

Hooray for the coyote. If we had 100 more, we wouldn't have enough to solve the deer problem in Harriman. Please understand that the deer are ruining the ecology of the park and it is serious.
pintoj's picture

I'm planning on hiking up to Big Beech Mtn along the Sterling Ridge Trail from the Long Pond Ironworks.  Does anyone know if that trail is open?  I wasn't sure if it was closed yet for the pipeline construction or from Sandy's damage.
Daniel Chazin's picture

I'm not sure about the condition of the Sterling Ridge Trail, but the bridge over the Wanaque River at the Long Pond Ironworks site was washed away by Hurricane Irene in August 2011.  The State of New Jersey is responsible for replacing this bridge, and it has not yet done so.  Therefore, it is not practical to access the southern end of the Sterling Ridge Trail from the Long Pond Ironworks, as the river cannot be safely crossed in the absence of the bridge.
pintoj's picture

Thanks Daniel, I guess I'll be postponing that hike until that bridge is replaced.
GrandpaBecky's picture

DATE HIKED: 1/12/13   (11am-4pm) ROUTE:(Parked on west/left side of 9D after tunnel-when coming from Cold Spring)    START: White (Breakneck Ridge Trail)    RIGHT: Yellow (Undercliff)    RIGHT: Red (Brook)    RIGHT(END): 9D (Back to car)   CONDITIONS: Aprox. 2-3 inches of snow at the start on the WHITE. Snow thins out as you make the climb. By the time the flag pole was reached the snow was all but gone. The rock climbs on the WHITE are wet and have some ice in spots. Did not take any of the detours but the blazes for them are visible.    -YELLOW and RED also had some light snow throughout (aprox 1-2 inches); nothing to really worry about though.   NOTES: As stated in the trail description, this trail can be dangerous when attempted in snow/ice so please excercise caution! (particularly on the WHITE trail ascending the ridge). Due to it's popularity, the trail was well traveled and the  route was easy to follow, we encountered at least 15 other people heading up and down the WHITE trail. Visibility was limited due to the persistant fog on the mountain.   Happy Hiking! -Ryan     
svem175's picture

Hiked up in Harriman today from visitor center along Pine Meadow to the Stony Brook toward Lake Sebago. Started late in the day so never made it to the lake but it was a beautiful day. There was about 3-4 inches of snow. Not enough for snow shoes but in some places I could have used crampons. Had planned on taking the Kakiat toward the White Bar but discovered that bridge was no longer there. Had my dog with me and she had a great time. Nothing like starting the new year on the trails.
joerichkus's picture

I'm taking the train up from Hoboken to Tuxedo tomorrow (Wed 1/1) to hit Harriman trails from there.  Is the snow deep enough for snowshoes?  I'll definitely be bringing microspikes.
Daniel Chazin's picture

I was not there today, but I am quite certain that there is not enough snow in Harriman to warrant the use of snowshoes.  Microspikes would definitely be useful, though.
joerichkus's picture

That's what I thought but I wanted to make sure.  I appreciate your reply.