Trail Conditions Forum

Both of these parks trails have been checked and cleared.  There were places in both parks where blowdowns had blocked the trails. The damage was not as severe as that from Hurricane Irene, because we had less rain with this storm and previous storms had brought down many vulnerable trees. Locations that were directly exposed to winds coming in from the sea were badly hit, but most areas had only scattered blockages.

There is a major blowdown on the 1.5 - 1.75 mile mark (from the Otterkill) making the trail impassible from either direction.  This is the spot where the trail crosses the first brook, then ascends steeply.  The tree has fallen directly onto the trailbed, which is already narrow to begin with and pinched by boulders on both sides.   Detour around the tree will require scrambling on boulders and fighting the new fallen branches.    

Does anyone have any info on how or why the parking area at Route 403 and Route 9 in Garrison where the AT crosses has recently been posted with several no parking signs?  That parking area has been used for more than 20 years and now there's no safe place to park to access the trail.

I hiked Pine Meadow and Stony Brook yesterday. Lovely hike. But, the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center was closed (including the bathrooms), even though the signs on the window said they would be open Mon-Sat until Nov. 14. Many hikers were looking to use the bathroom with no luck. Is the Center a victim of budget cuts.

Hiked this section on Sunday Oct. 21, 2012, total length about 9 miles.   The trail was as described, rugged and challenging.  Weather was cool, breezy, 45 F & winds 2-4 mph @ the start.  We recorded gusts as high as 12 mph on the top of Twin Mtn.  The day was sunny to start but was overcast most of the day.  The temperature did not change much during this day.  This is a busy section, we saw more people on this section than most of the other sections we have hiked on the LP.   The views were generally good to excellent.  We felt the best were on Twin and Indian Head Mtns.  We did not see too much wildlife on this day but the odors being given off by the balsam fir were intoxicating.  The smell would sneak up one you at the top of each mountain and had an etheral presence.  Magnificent!  The rock outcrops and cliffs were great and formidable in some areas.  Lots of small caves and ledges.  Someone had a sense of humor and appeared to have taken smaller flat, slate stones and wedged them between two larger pieces of ledge, giving the appearance that the small rocks were supporting the upper ledge. The top of Indian Head leads one through some fairly dense forest.  Unfortunately it is very muddy in this area.  Former walking paths / suspended log walks appear to have met their life span and will need some replacement in the near future.  As a result of this situation, hikers are walking further and further off the trail to avoid the mud. Finally, west of Sherman's lookout on Indian Head Mtn. are two extremely tough ascents / decents, depending on one's direction of travel.  They are very steep, can be muddy and have limited places to walk / climb and handholds.  Looking at the TC map of this area, one wonders if an alternate path could be found to avoid these locations but it does not appear there are any realistic alternatives.  Some type of engineering fix will probably be needed eventually.  These two spots have the potential for serious injury if one suffers a fall or accident.   In general, a great section and a great hike.

  The Highlands Trail is being obliterated between Route 181 and Eve's Mountain Inlet in Hopatcong by pre-construction of the Susquehanna-Roseland power line project and this trail section is now closed.  The Susquehanna-Roseland power line project has at this point compromised the HT connection between Mahlon Dickerson Reservation and Allamuchy Mountain State Park. Please follow the Trails Alert page for more details on this and other trails as we receive information.   

I'm looking to do a solo night or two in Harriman, perhaps Oct 17 or 18. I know it's been raining a fair amount, and I'm worried about the trails being too muddy. Can anyone tell me the current trail conditions (or point me to an active forum/group)? I'm also wondering if the foliage is peaking or is past peak?

I called and they said the only place closed right now is lake Welch. Why is the lake closed and the rest of the park open they couldn't say. Maybe they have him cornered? I don't know? But it looks like my trip is on for Saturday. If anyone is uneasy about staying over there is always safety in numbers and ill have 7 people up there at Dutch Doctor for night .

The advisory isn't on Harriman state park web page anymor. Makes me think that it's over, but I would call the park and see what they say.