Hike Date: October 16, 2010
Hike Location: Harriman State Park, NY
Hike Rating: B-
Hike Difficulty: Moderate
Hike Description: I took the NJT Main Line train from Hoboken to Suffern. To get to the trailhead, one must go due east on Chestnut, take a left on Ramapo, and head on beyond the thruway underpass (trailhead is to the right side).
The southern part of the Suffern-Bear Mountain (SBM) Trail traverses the periphery of Harriman, and thus offers limited escape from city life. The signs of modern urban settlement are strewn around: the din of thruway traffic never completely dies out, the viewpoints reveal urban landscapes and skylines, and gas and power lines cut across the trail at several points. Several other Harriman hikes take one to spots where one might forget the proximity of a major metropolis; this one does not. But it does offer an interesting juxtaposition of the natural and the man-made. Ironically though, despite the nearness of habitation, this was my first hike in which I did not encounter a single soul on the trail...what makes this even more surprising is that it was a glorious day: the sun was out, a wonderful cool wind was blowing, and the leaves were starting to change color.
Otherwise, this is a relatively sedate hike: an initial swift ascent leads to a sequence of two viewpoints and then a long level stretch till one gets to the spot known as the Kitchen Stairs where rocky ledges offer a decent lunch spot. I headed further for another half hour before retracing my steps. A brief lapse of attention just after turning back caused me to lose the trail (the SBM is erratically marked and there are stretches where it is easy to lose if not careful). As a result I ended up bush-whacking (at some places literally!) more than half the way back, finally regaining the SBM at the power-line cut south of the Kitchen Stairs.
Relevant Map: NY-NJTC Trail Map 118
Hike Location: Harriman State Park, NY
Hike Rating: B-
Hike Difficulty: Moderate
Hike Description: I took the NJT Main Line train from Hoboken to Suffern. To get to the trailhead, one must go due east on Chestnut, take a left on Ramapo, and head on beyond the thruway underpass (trailhead is to the right side).
The southern part of the Suffern-Bear Mountain (SBM) Trail traverses the periphery of Harriman, and thus offers limited escape from city life. The signs of modern urban settlement are strewn around: the din of thruway traffic never completely dies out, the viewpoints reveal urban landscapes and skylines, and gas and power lines cut across the trail at several points. Several other Harriman hikes take one to spots where one might forget the proximity of a major metropolis; this one does not. But it does offer an interesting juxtaposition of the natural and the man-made. Ironically though, despite the nearness of habitation, this was my first hike in which I did not encounter a single soul on the trail...what makes this even more surprising is that it was a glorious day: the sun was out, a wonderful cool wind was blowing, and the leaves were starting to change color.
Otherwise, this is a relatively sedate hike: an initial swift ascent leads to a sequence of two viewpoints and then a long level stretch till one gets to the spot known as the Kitchen Stairs where rocky ledges offer a decent lunch spot. I headed further for another half hour before retracing my steps. A brief lapse of attention just after turning back caused me to lose the trail (the SBM is erratically marked and there are stretches where it is easy to lose if not careful). As a result I ended up bush-whacking (at some places literally!) more than half the way back, finally regaining the SBM at the power-line cut south of the Kitchen Stairs.
Relevant Map: NY-NJTC Trail Map 118
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| NYS Thruway from viewpoint |
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| Manhattan skyline from viewpoint |
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| View of nearby hills |
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| Kitchen Stairs |
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| View from gas line cut |
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| At power line cut: interesting juxtaposition |
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| At power line cut: zoomed in a bit |
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