Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: Pine Meadow Lake

Showing posts with label Pine Meadow Lake. Show all posts

Sunday, June 7, 2020

Lake Sebago and Diamond Mountain Loop

Harriman State Park,
Rockland Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy Trail: Red blaze
Hillburn-Torne-Sebago (HTS) Trail: Orange blaze
Diamond Mountain Tower Trail: Yellow blaze
7 Hills Trail: Blue blaze

Total Time: 2:30 hour
Estimated Distance: 4.1 Miles

Pros: Scenic lakes, good climb and views
Cons: None

Google Maps of Parking:
https://goo.gl/maps/Lek5rPvMmgmRfDs37

Hiking Partner:
Rayzi Friedman

It was a beautiful late spring day, and I had wanted to do a good climb with good views. Harriman State Park has been very busy during this period of time with the Coronavirus still closing many things and causing many people to hike.

The Lake Sebago Boat Launch was full, even at 9:20 AM, so I parked right outside the boat launch on the side of the Road at Seven Lakes Drive. The police were giving tickets to people parked on the sides of Seven Lakes Drive, but parking right outside the parking area on the side of the road was permitted here.

We walked on the unmarked shore path of Lake Sebago, going south, past the old beach. We then walked on Seven Lakes Drive for a short distance across the dam at the outlet of the lake. Right after the outlet we took the Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy Trail parallel to the brook, for a short distance. We then took the HTS Trail steeply up the mountain to the top of Diamond Mountain.

We met with the 7 Hills Trail, and took the concurrent 7 Hills and HTS Trails south to the summit of Diamond Mountain. We then turned around for a short distance, and took the Diamond Mountain Tower down the mountain, passing the view facing Pine Meadow Lake. We took the trail down towards the Pine Meadow Trail, and then took the trail back up the mountain again, in its entirety. We then took the 7 Hills Trail north along the Diamond Mountain Ridge, past Monitor Rock, then up Halfway Mountain and then down the mountain to the parking area.

Map of the Route

Lake Sebago

Zoomed at at Lake Sebago

Me at the Old Lake Sebago Beach

Another View of Lake Sebago

Kayaker at Lake Sebago

Another View of the Kayaker at Lake Sebago

Family of Baby Geese at Lake Sebago

Dam at Lake Sebago and Seven Lakes Drive

Cool "Whale Rock" While Ascending the HTS

Rock Scramble up the HTS

Large Bedrock Exposure on the Top of Diamond Mountain

Freshly Bloomed Mountain Laurels at Diamond Mountain

Me on Diamond Mountain

Manhattan Skyline in the Distance from Diamond Mountain

Zoomed out from the Above View

Another View at Diamond Mountain

Me at the Diamond Mountain View

Pine Meadow Lake from the Diamond Mountain Tower Trail

Me at the Diamond Mountain Tower Trail View

Group of Hikers at the Pine Meadow Lake Overlook

Pine Meadow Lake in the Distance

View of Lake Sebago in the Distance from Diamond Mountain

Zoomed into Lake Sebago from Diamond Mountain

Monitor Rock

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Sherwood Path to Pine Meadow Lake

Sherwood Path to Pine Meadow Lake
Harriman State Park,
Rockland Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Sherwood Path: Unblazed
Suffern-Bear Mountain (S-BM) Trail: Yellow blaze
Conklins Crossing: White blaze
Pine Meadow Trail: Red blaze

Total Time: 2:55 hour
Estimated Distance: 5.5 Miles

Hiking Partners:
David Koegel
Debbie Koegel

Pros: Very quiet and scenic area, nice view and scenic lake
Cons: Difficult crossing at Mahwah River

Pine Meadow Lake is one of my favorite lakes in the area. It is away from any road or parking area, and is very scenic and tranquil. We parked at the corner of Wilder Road and Route 202, where there is a small pull-off area at the corner. We walked southbound along Route 202 for about 400 feet, and then headed into to the woods at this point where Harriman State Park connects to Route 202. We walked down to the river, crossing it along a narrow log. As the river was very swollen from recent rains, crossing was much more difficult than usual. We then went along the path on the side of the river, crossing the gas and power lines. The path turns into the Sherwood Path, and climbs in a snake-like pattern up the mountain.

Upon reaching the Stone Mountain Shelter, we turned southwest on to the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail, towards a rock formation called the "Egg." The Egg is large oval rock with a rounded top (hence its name), which also affords a very nice view. We then continued along the S-BM Trail, to the Conklin's Crossing Trail, taking this short trail in its entirety to eastern edge of Pine Meadow Lake. We bushwacked down to the lake where there are some large rocks in the lake, took some photos, and continuned to the Pine Meadow Trail. We took the Pine Meadow Trail back to the Sherwood Path, which we took back down the mountain, and then took the path along the gas line back to the Pine Meadow Trail near the horse stables. We went down the Pine Meadow Trail to its terminus, walked through the equestrian area and parking area, and along Route for a short while back to our car.

Map of the Route

Crossing the Mahwah River on a Fallen Tree

Photo Inside the Stone Mountain Shelter

View from Stone Mountain Shelter

Plaque on the Stone Mountain Shelter along the S-BM Trail

Me at the Stone Mountain Shelter Area

Me on the Rock on the Stone Mountain Shelter

View from the Egg Facing Horse Stable Mountain

Vuew from the Egg, Facing Southeast

Another View from the top of the Egg

Rocks at the Egg Area

View from the Egg, Facing North

Me and David

Me and David Atop the Egg

Me on the Egg

Pine Meadow Lake

Pine Meadow Lake, Eastern Part

Looking Across the Length of Pine Meadow Lake

Looking Towards the South at Pine Meadow Lake

Me Crossing a Rock on Pine Meadow Lake

Me on a Rock in Pine Meadow Lake

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Kakiat to Pine Meadow Lake Loop

Kakiat County Park/
Harriman State Park
Rockland Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Kakiat Trail: White blaze
Racoon Brook Hill Trail: Black blaze
Poached Egg Trail: Yellow blaze
Pine Meadow Lake Road: Unblazed
Pine Meadow Lake Southern Portion Path: Unblazed
Conklins Crossing: White blaze
Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail: Yellow blaze
Mountain Trail: Orange blaze

Total Time: 4:40 Hours
Estimated Distance: 8.2 Miles
Level of Difficulty: Very Difficult
Level of Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Points of Interest: Rough hike through Harriman, Good Views, and Scenic Lake
Cons: Pine Meadow Lake very busy on weekends

It's been a while since I hiked from Kakiat Park to Pine Meadow Lake. I also hadn't taken the unmarked trail around the southern part of Pine Meadow Lake in a very long time, and wanted to do that as well.

I parked at the Kakiat parking lot, crossed the Mahwah River, and took the Kakiat Trail at its trailhead. I climbed the Ramapo Escarpment up about 700 feet along the Kakiat Trail, and then up and down along several of the ridgelines, until the Raccoon Brook Hill Trail. I then climbed up the steep ascent to Raccoon Brook Hill, which has several good views along the way. Upon descending, I took the short Poached Egg in its entirety to Pine Meadow Lake Road, which I took to the west, approaching the Conklin Cemetery area, and then took the unmarked path until the Conklins Crossing Trail.

At this point, I went down to the eastern inlet of the lake and took some pictures, and over here got a terrible muscle cramp that required me to rest for about 20 minutes. I then continued along the Conklins Crossing Trail to the Suffern Bear Mountain Trail. I took the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail south, along several excellent views of Rockland County and the New York City Skyline, meeting up again with the Kakiat Trail. I then took the Kakiat Trail down towards the Mountain Trail, which I took past the power lines to the upper Kakiat View. I then went down the Mountain Trail along this steep portion at the bottom at the entrance of the park and the parking area.