Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond

Sunday, May 16, 2021

Reeves Brook to North Hill Loop

Harriman State Park,
Rockland Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Reeves Brook Trail: White blaze
Seven Hills Trail: Blue blaze
Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trail: Orange blaze
Kakiat Trail: White blaze
Stony Brook Trail: Yellow blaze
Pine Meadow Trail: Red blaze

Total Time: 2:05 hour
Estimated Distance: 3.9 Miles

Pros: Very scenic hike with good scrambles, great scenery, and nice views
Cons: End of hike on Pine Meadow Trail is very busy, parking is busy on weekends
Hike Type: Loop
Level of Difficulty: Difficult

Map of Route:
https://goo.gl/maps/S1ei6xSZRNHzjraP7

This is a favorite hike of mine. The weather was also great making this a really great hike, with a good climb, some nice scrambles, and multiple views. Parking is always a challenge here on weekends, so its best to get here early. I parked on the side of Seven Lake Drive, and took a short shortcut trail to the Pine Meadow Trail and Reeves Brook Trail. As busy as the area is, few people venture up the Reeves Brook Trail, a very scenic trail alongside the Reeves Brook steadily climbing up North Hill.

The climb passes some small cascades along the way, and intersects with the Seven Hills Trail, where there is a steep scramble along the side of a cliff up North Hill. I climbed the scramble on the Seven Hills Trail, enjoyed the view, and continued along trail alongside the cliff until it descended to the Quartz Brook and then ascended once again up Chipmunk Mountain. This mountain has sparse tree cover and affords same great views as well.

I continued along the Seven Hills Trail to the Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trail, which I took down the mountain the Pine Meadow Brook. I crossed the brook on the trail bridge, above the Cascade of Slid, and then took the Kakiat Trail down alongside the brook. The bridge is out, with a warning, which kept this trail rather quiet. It is still easy to cross along the rocks and the makeshift planks that were placed in the water back to the Stony Brook Trail. I took the Stony Brook Trail to the Pine Meadow Trail, along the side of the brook, which I took back to my car.

Map of the Route

Reeves Brook Flowing Over a Small Cascade

Strange Rock that Looks Like a Turtle on the Reeves Brook Trail

Another Small Cascade on the Reeves Brook Trail

Large Isolated "Whale Rock" on the Reeves Brook Trail

Rocky Ascent Along the Reeves Brook Trail

Steep Scramble up North Hill on the Seven Hills Trail

First View on the North Hill Scramble on the Seven Hills Trail

Final Ascent to North Hill on the Seven Hills Trail

View from North Hill After the Scramble, Facing Southwest

View from North Hill After the Scramble, Facing West

View from North Hill After the Scramble, Facing North

Another View from North Hill Above the Rocky Cliff

View Towards "Almost Perpendicular" and the Gas Line From North Hill

Me at North Hill

Another View of Me on North Hill

Daters Mountain and the "Almost Perpendicular" Cliff from North Hill

Smooth Rocky Ledges Along North Hill on the Seven Hills Trail

More Rocky Ledges and Views on North Hill

Large Exposed Rock Face on North Hill

Seven Hills Trail Ascending Chimpumk Mountain Summit

Large Bedrock Exposure on Chipmunk Mountain Summit

View Before Descending Chipmunk on the Seven Hills Trail

Bridge on the Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trail Crossing Pine Meadow Brook

View of the Pine Meadow Brook from the Above Bridge

Sign on the Kakiat Trail Warning that the Bridge is Out

Cascade of Slid Waterfall from the Kakiat Trail

Washed Out Bridge Area at the Stony Brook Trail

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Hawk Rock and Cactus Ledge

Ramapo County Reservation
Bergen Co.,
New Jersey

Hiking Trails:
Vista Loop Trail: Yellow blaze
Pond Loop Trail: Silver blaze
River Trail: Orange/Green blaze

Total Time: 1:15
Estimated Distance: 2.5 miles

Pros: Good climb and nice view
Cons: Busy area at reservoir area
Hike Type: Loop with back and forth
Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Map of Route:
https://goo.gl/maps/4JGpfPtoAxb7DW2a6

Hiking Partner:
Jeff Neeman

Ramapo County Reservation is a scenic area in the Ramapo Mountains in New Jersey, though the area near the parking is often very busy. This was a beautiful afternoon with bright skies and great weather, and I took the opportunity to do a business hike with Jeff Neeman right near my office.

We parked at the Ramapo Reservation parking area off Route 202, and took the Vista Loop Trail from the trailhead, crossing the Ramapo River on the bridge, and then going around Scarlet Oak Reservoir on the Pond Loop Trail, and then taking the Vista Loop Trail steeply up to Hawk Rock. Hawk Rock has a great view along a rocky ledge, but we then continued a bit higher on the trail to the Cactus Ledge, where there is a great view of the lakes below and the Manhattan skyline.

We then turned around and went back down on the Vista Loop Trail, going back down on the other side of the lake on the southern side. We then took a short detour along the River Trail for a short distance to the unmarked trail along the side of the trail, and then back to the Vista Loop Trail and back across the bridge and back to our car.

Map of the Route

Ramapo River Facing North at the Bridge

Ramapo River Facing South at the Bridge

Me and Jeff at the Bridge over the Ramapo River

Scarlet Oak Pond and Hawk Rock in the Distance

Another View at Scarlet Oak Pond

Jeff and I at Scarlet Oak Pond

Me at Hawk Rock

Ramapo College from Hawk Rock

View from Hawk Rock facing South

Jeff at Hawk Rock

Me at Hawk Rock

Ascending Towards Cactus Ledge

Scarlet Oak Pond from Cactus Ledge

View from Cactus Ledge

Ramapo College from Cactus Ledge

Local Beavertail Cactus at Cactus Ledge

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Pyngyp Mountain Summit Hike

Harriman State Park,
Rockland Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail: Yellow blaze

Total Time: 2:45 hour
Estimated Distance: 3.5 Miles

Pros: Excellent scramble, great views, and quiet trail
Cons: Parking far from mountain and walking along road
Hike Type: In and out
Level of Difficulty: Very difficult

Map of Route:
https://goo.gl/maps/Q7Ay1xGAs9KSPcyW9

Hiking Partner:
Rayzi Friedman

Pyngyp Mountain (sometimes also spelled Pyngip Mountain) is one of the most challenging and steep hikes in the area. It contains a very steep scramble up, with a few areas close to the side of a cliff along the trail. This hike is not for the fainthearted or for those scared of heights.

One of the challenges of this hike is that there is no nearby trailside hiking. The closest place to park is about half a mile up the road, and you need to walk down the side of the road to get to the trail and hike. The road is also closed in the winter which limits this hike as well to late spring, summer, and early fall. But this also limits the crowd which otherwise would make this a much more popular hike and busy hike, which could make things more dangerous.

The weather was beautiful and bright blue skies, though it was colder than usual for this time of year. We parked on Tiorati Brook Road at the parking area along the brook, and walked east down the mountain on the side of the road, past the junction with Lake Welch Drive. We met the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail at this point, crossed over the southbound lanes of the Palisades Parkway, and then crossed the northbound lanes of the Palisades Parkway on foot. There were a lot of cars present so it took us a few minutes to get a quiet time to cross.

Immediately after crossing the highway, the trail climbs very steeply up the mountain. After the Scutt Memorial, a plaque embedded in the rock, the trail scrambles along a steep, rocky ledge very close to the side of a cliff. We then got the top part of the scramble, where the trail evens out to a more gradual ascent and two minor hill descents. It then begins the ascent of the second part of the mountain, which features another difficult, though much shorter, scramble. We then reached the main view overlooking Stony Point and the Hudson River, and then continued along the trail to the actual summit. Prior to the summit is another great view looking south. After reaching the summit we turned around and took the same route back, taking a detour on the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail alongside Tiorati Brook and then bushwacking back to the road.