Harriman State Park,
Orange Co.,
New York
Hiking Trails:
Menomine Trail: Yellow blaze
Appalachian Trail: White blaze
Tiorati Brook Trail: Blue blaze
Total Time: 2:10
Estimated Distance: 3.5 miles
Pros: Frozen lake, very remote trail
Cons: Missing vista view
Hike Type: 2 car point A to point B
Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Map of Route:
https://goo.gl/maps/GEk4bcvDwwPcvUCb6
Hiking Partner:
Yehudah Koblick
This was another cold January day. There was about an inch of snow covering the ground from the small storm earlier in the week. It has been freezing all week, and I was expecting most of the Harriman Lakes to be frozen. I was disapointed that each one that I passed had the red flad indicating the frozen lake was unsafe. Some of the lakes looked entirely frozen so not sure why they weren't flagged green. While driving north on Seven Lakes Drive, I noticed one lake was posted as safe: Nawahunta. This lake is across the road from Silvermine Lake and a bit further to the south. Although this lake is small, it's the first frozen lake in Harriman in over 2 seasons! So we decided to start our hike over here.
We parked in the Silvermine parking area, and took the Menomine Trail west through the picnic area and cemetery, and then crossed Seven Lakes Drive. We went across Lake Nawahunta from its eastern side, west towards the other side. We only encountered a single ice fisherman on the lake complaining why the rest of the lakes weren't open.
After exiting the frozen lake, we bushwacked parallel to the old telephone line (which is no longer here but is still on the map) until reaching the Appalachian Trail, climbing the Stockbridge Mountain ridge. We headed south to the view, which is a bit overgrown, and then descended down the valley and back the northern end of Fingerboard Mountain through a dense evergreen Mountain Laurel forest.
Upon reaching Arden Valley Road, we crossed the road and took Arden Valley Road down to the Lake Tiorati parking area, where was had the other car parked.
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| Map of the Route |
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| Picnic Area at Silvermine Lake at the Beginning of the Hike |
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| Lewis Cemetery along the Menomine Trail |
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| Menomine Trail Approaching Lake Nawahunta |
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| Frozen Lake Nawahunta at the Shore |
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| Me at Frozen Lake Nawahunta |
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| Me on Lake Nawahunta |
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| Lone Fisherman on the Ice at Lake Nawahunta |
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| Another View of the Fisherman |
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| Me on Lake Nawahunta |
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| Area Cordoned off at the Southern End of the Lake |
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| Looking from One End to the Other End of Lake Nawahunta |
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| Yehudah on Lake Nawahunta |
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| Me on the Snowy Appalachian Trail |
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| West Mountain and Appalachian Trail in the Distance |
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| Another View from Fingerboard Mountain |
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| Appalachian Trail in the Snow on Fingerboard Mountain |
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| Frozen Waterfall on the Appalachian Trail at Stockbridge |
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| View from the Summit Prior to the Descent |
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| Rock Along the View Area at Stockbridge |
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| View Looing South the Fingerboard Mountain |
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| Evergreen Rhododendron Forest on Fingerboard Mountain |
