Trail Conditions Forum

I was planning a trip up to Harriman to do the blue disc trail and some others then stay at Dutch Doctor shelter this weekend. I have 7 people going. Then I heard about the manhunt. Is there any new updates about what's going on? Do they still think he is in the park? 

Hiked this section on 10/5/2012.  Weather was good.  Fall is definitly here in the Catskills and many of the decidous trees have already dropped their leaves.  We wondered if it may already be past peak fall colors up here at this point.  The moisture and leaf drop has made the trail slippery in certain areas, one must tread thoughtfully in order to avoid the ubiquitous slip, trip & fall during these conditions.  The ascent up Daley Ridge was challenging but nice.  The views to the south to Edgewood Mtn. Little Rocky Mtn. were good.  Due to the rain during the previous days, once again (like conditions two weeks ago) this hike was a fungi festival !  So many types and colors.  We saw a deer at one point on the ascent that seemed to parallel us on the trail and liked to look at us using the "head feint & bob" maneuver and a tiny snake (garter?) on the walk.  I was surprised at the snake sighting, I thought they might have hibernated by now.  We also saw several grouse along the way, usually in the trees and leaving at lightening speed when one approaches their roost. This section passes through several sections of balsam fir on the trail.  The odors from them were great, at times faint and at times strong and refreshing.  The moss carpeting was impressive and my brother remarked that the trail through these areas must look like the Black Forest in Germany.  Having been there myself, there are some parallels in the density of the trees and limited viewing distance through the trees and underbrush.  However, I think that is where the parallels end.  The Catskills have far more diversity of plant life than my experience in the Black Forest. The view above the Spring on the final ascent from the Daley Ridge on to Plateau Mtn. was the best.  The view was magnificent.  Note on widelife: the yellowjackets seemed to be very active along the trail and even with insect repellent they were annoying at times.   We started this hike later in the day due to the shorter distance of this hike.  This was a mistake.  The descent off of Plateau Mtn. is very steep and was made more dangerous by leaf fall, water and moss on rocks.  Very slippery.  It was a slow descent off the mountain.  We arrived at the trail junction in Mink Hollow around 18:30  hrs., the new dark time for the forest as Fall progresses into Winter.  We had parked our shuttle at the Mink Hollow Rd. Parking area and thought the "unmaintained" woods road out to the lot was a short distance and should be easy to exit the woods.  This would probably normally be true but several factors conspired against us: the batteries on our flashlights died or were dying and several other boulder trails that exist along the path that can send you off the right path to the parking area.  After being lost for approximately 30 minutes in the dark, we knew that based upon the TC map that the adjacent stream intersected with the parking lot.  We ended up paralleling the stream to eventually arrive at the lot.  Moral of the story: profuse cursing does not help your situation, extra batteries will need to be carried in the future and starting a little earlier will help.  One thing that could have helped was blazing of this path.  Having hiked out of these mountains in the dark and fog in the past, the DEC blazes reflect light from flashlights and were absolutely helpful in navigating a way out. Finally, we met an elderly couple on the trial hiking a day hike from Silver Notch to Plateau Mtn. and back.  We were really impressed by their vitality and drive to still hike and enjoy hiking at their age, a real inspiration to us.  Hope I can do what they are doing when I am their age.  We think we found an item on the trail that belongs to you.  If you read this, please contact me and we would be happy to mail this back to you.

Just spoke to the park police in Bear Mountain and was told that the advisory is still on. Looks like I'll cancel and try again for the weekend of the 20th or 27th.

Was just wondering whether the advisory about not going into the Harriman back country is still on because of the murder suspect. Want to do an overnight this weekend at the Dutch Doctor taking the White Bar starting from Rte. 106.

Nearly 2 dozen vehicles parked along the stretch of Orange Turnpike (County Rt 19) between route 17 and town of Monroe, NY this morning. Keep your blaze orange in your car and wear it at all times hiking.

Could there be some kind of connection here between the vandilism on West Mountain and what was happening on this section?  Hmmmm.  To give a background, there was damage to the stone steps  there.

Whilst trotting down the AT towards the Inn at Bear Mt today just above the bridge a large boulder came bouncing down in front of me across the trail and continued down across the switchback below me. There were about 15 or so people on that section of trail at the time. Looking up I could see the people that had deliberately loosened the rock and sent it on its path. Another hiker told me he had chastened these same people for doing the same thing earlier this afternoon. So, I figured I had better report this to the State Park Police as their headquarters is right there at Bear Mt. The front desk officer didnt want to hear anything about it saying it was the park personnel's problem cause they dont actually go on the trails. So, Ive learned a few things today; always keep an eye upslope for runaway boulders and don't rely on the park police for much more than ticketing speeding motorcycles...oh wait they don't do that either. It seems their main function is to support video production motorcades on 7 lakes drive. Sorry for the rant, feel free to tell me how mistaken I am!

The comment posted September 20 that the bridge summary was out of date was appropriate.  An update to present status of 11 stream crossings is at www.nynjtc.org/document/harriman-trail-bridges-postirene.

The particular question in the post was the Nurian bridges: in short, the park has repaired the bridge over the Ramapo River though steps are missing for the 34" vertical rise from the trail up to the bridge level on the western end of the bridge.  This will be corrected sometime this fall, probably November.  The former two close-together bridges for the Nurian Trail about 0.4 miles west of the Valley of The Boulders were not and will not be replaced.  Our Trail Construction Crew has constructed stepping stone crossings. Thus the Nurian Trail is totally open other than the 34" climb that requires some gymnastics. Of the other crossings, only some have been improved to-date. 

Hiked this approximately 11.5 mile section with Brother on Sunday 9/23/2012.  Weather was great; cool, clear, breezy and sunny.  We could not have asked for a better day.  The weather front that has passed through the previous evening left the ground moist but not muddy, which was helpful.  As noted in the guide, this section had two major ascents.  The first was long but not bad as the walk goes up an old woods road and was generally wide and easier to climb.  We felt the second one one up Edgewood Mountain was the harder of the two, maybe because it was the end of the day! The restored fire tower at the top of Mt. Tremper is fantastic.  As noted in the LP guide, this section does not have any real views to it--the fire tower is it.  But what a view.  We met the volunteer interpreter on this date who was a great host and wealth of information.  The tower is now nearly 100 years old and very spartan but in great shape.  We salute the folks who put the time into it to maintain it.  Not an ounce of rust and the woodwork is in very good condition.  The tower is 47 feet high and the upper portion of the stairway is further enclosed in a 1" wire mesh.  Helpful to keep smaller kids from falling out as they ascend the tower and helpful to those of us who are not fans of heights to work up courage to climb it.  We did not realize it at the time but the tower is only open for part of the year; May? to October 15th ish.  We felt privledged to be able to go to the top and take in what is argueably one on the best views we have seen in the Catskills to date.  A 360 degree, panoramic view of mountains carpeted in thick, green forest.  Leaf season must be spectacular up here on the right day. The hike, other than the tower, is totally under the forest canopy.  This made for an interesting, different type of hike.  We were pleasantly pleased to see deer have not eaten the forest understory in this area.  Plant life was exploding here, thick and green.  It is also noticeable that Fall has come to the Catskills.  While not yet in full swing, leaf dropping is starting as we saw many colored leaves on the ground.  It will not be long until the colors really begin to come out. Probably due to the rain on Saturday evening, we observed many different types of fungi and mushrooms on this day.  At least 15 or so different types.  Their colors and shapes were highly varied and great to see.  We did not see much in the way of wildlife.  The birds were quiet as well.  The only animal we really observed with any regularity were small, colorful, orange spotted newts.  These little guys were everywhere, nice to see as the ones in North Jersey I remember as a kid do not seem to exist anymore. The description regarding crossing Warner Creek is well deserved.  The water was moving fast and was cold.  Higher levels would definitly be a problem.  The crossing area by the trail does not really have any good paths/stones at this time.  I would recommend being prepared to remove your shoes and socks and wade through.  Sacrifice some fleece or other clothing to dry your feet or bring a small towel.  After seeing the devestating effects of last year's storms on this area's water quality, we were happy to finally find a water body that was running clear and had a clear stream bed.  It reminded us of the way the majority streams used to be up here.  Nature cannot heal this area's streams and rivers fast enough.  The stream's water quality looked great. This section of the path is generally in good condition and well marked. It is challenging and rugged, although I understand there are tougher areas on the upcoming Devil's Path.  There are some boulder fields that were long and a bit tough on the old ankles, some with streams/seeps running in them.  We used the current connector trail to exit to Notch Inn Rd (yellow blaze).  We understand this connector trail may no longer be maintained by the NYSDEC in the future.  We think this would be unfortunate.  The trail, while not the easiest walk (essentially lots of loose rock), is in a good location for exiting or accessing the Long Path for a day hike.  We encourage the state and TC to keep this trail.