Hike #702; Northern Harriman State Park Loop

 Hike #702/ Northern Harriman State Park Loop

5/28/13 Northern Harriman State Park Loop with Brandan Jermyn, Gregg Hudis, Cory Janusz, and Julie Valasquez

Leaving the Anthony Wayne Rec Area

Our next hike would be on a Tuesday, since I had to work the entire Memorial Day Weekend. I had had a good number of people sign up, but then last minute there were only four of us because the weather forecast changed to "steady rain" most of the day. This proved to be somewhat wrong, and we ended up having a really nice time, and the hike to me was overall very relaxing.

We started like we had in the past at Anthony Wayne Recreation Area and wandered on out the Anthony Wayne Trail across Palisades Interstate Parkway and into the woods. There was some sort of old woods road immediately, then we continued on to cross the 1779 Trail. I think that trail was a marching route during the Revolution.

The trail descended to cross Seven Lakes Drive at a bridge over Queensboro Brook that was crumbling pretty bad. The trail crossed the bridge, and blazes were a bit confusing as to where to turn, but we found it and continued close to or on a utility right of way out to Rt 6, and crossed it as well. Cory spotted a Garter snake almost immediately. He is very good at spotting things that make slight moves, or have patterns that are "too perfect" as he calls it. The day I met him he spotted a Bald Eagle near the beginning of the hike.

We continued on Anthony Wayne Trail as it passed a giant pile of broken up asphalt, then the trail followed a woods road north to Popolopen Gorge Trail at Turkey Hill Lake next to some lovely springs. We turned left here and began ascending on Popolopen Gorge Tr.

When we reached the Long Path, we turned right, tracing the steps of the last Long Path hike we'd done, up to the top of Long Mountain for the outstanding views of Bear Mountain, Popolopen Torne, Black Mountain, Bald Mountain, Summer Hill, Turkey Hill Lake, and Cranberry Hill. We hung out for a little bit, then made our way back down Long Mountain the way we came and continued on the south bound Long Path, another section I had never done.

The trail came out at the Turkey Hill parking area with a nice trail kiosk with history, then followed the access road and crossed Rt 6. We entered the woods on the other side at first aligned with the Nawahunta Fire Road, then ascended to the right skirting Cranberry Hill. The trail continued to climb to the top of Stockbridge Mountain, and we visited the Cave Shelter. This was an awesome little shelter with a chimney built into the overhanging rocks for use by campers. Such a fantastic little place to camp.

We continued up hill over very rocky terrain to reach the top, and then got to Stockbridge Shelter. I think this is the only regular shelter along the Long Path. We took a break inside while it began to rain a bit. I figured it would go the rest of the day and it'd be tough, but it wasn't bad.

We descended for a bit, and then came to the end of Menomine Trail. We turned left, leaving the Long Path here. Mennomine Trail followed an old woods road down hill, then across a causeway type of dam thing where there used to be a pond, now just a wetland. There was a pine plantation on the other side as the trail reached the shore of Lake Nawahunta. The trail crossed the inlet over rocks, then picked up a woods road along the northeast shore. It joined once again with the Nawahunta Fire Road which we were briefly on earlier, and we continued on out to Seven Lakes Drive. Had I known, we would have visited the nearby Lewis Mine. Next time.

We crossed the road and reached a huge abandoned parking lot. The trail paralled it and crossed the entrance road, then headed into woods and emerged on a road leading to Silver Mine Picnic Area. There were Palisades Interstate Park guys there picking up garbage and emptying dumpsters in the rain. They had nice litter pick sticks.

We continued out to the open area and headed across the inlet of the lake. Mennomine Trail continued along the south shore of the lake with some really lovely spots. Although it was raining, it was never than annoying because the canopy of trees kept it from falling on us heavy. I didn't even put a rain jacket on until we'd been walking in it over an hour.

Further up, after Mennomine Trail turned away from the lake, we reached an old woods road I'd walked before with Jillane on a Harriman loop. She wanted to skip a section of the AT, which was now the only section of the AT I had not hiked between the Delaware and Hudson rivers, probably less than two miles. So we followed the woods road out to where I'd missed the section and turned left on the AT, which climbed rather easily to skirt the north end of Goshen Mountain. It then descended slightly and went over Letterock Mountain. We stopped for a break at the Mennomine Trail intersection, inside William Brien Memorial Shelter for another nice little break.

Beyond the shelter, there was new trail work done, and a section of the AT re-routed up hill with some new stone steps. I wondered if Chris Ingui and the Jolly Rovers Trail Crew were active here.

We followed the trail up hill in a tough area, then continued on until we reached the old Silver Mine Road below Black Mountain. I first saw this spot years earlier, and assumed that it's well built surface must have at one time been a mine tramway. I wanted to follow it as an out and back hike to the right to figured out exactly what it was. Cory and I made it to the end, and the others almost did. Further up, the road's soft top surface gave way to a rocky surface. It seemed as though it was never finished. The road ended abruptly in the middle of nowhere where there were old tin roof sections and a little rotted wood. Cory and I looked under a piece and found a nice ring neck snake.

The road just abruptly ended. It's tapered stone side construction by this point led me to believe this was CCC work, not the work of miners. There were rock outcrops, but no sign of mines.

I later found out that this was the Silver Mine Ski Road. It was constructed in 1934 by the Temporary Emergency Relief Administration under Roosevelt. Apparently it was supposed to be an easy, gradual down hill cross country ski route that fell into disuse, and was never finished.

We turned to follow the road down hill, which was quite easy. It followed the shore of the lake, and passed the dam spillway. It then paralleled Queensboro Brook and crossed it on a nice wooden bridge before turning back to intersect with Seven Lakes Drive. I wanted to bushwhack from here on up a creek across the street to look for Cranberry Mine, and after researching it I wish we had. It looked absolutely awesome in photos. We'll have to go back.

We turned right to follow Seven Lakes Drive, and we turned off to follow the abandoned former road route at times back to the trails we followed to get there at the beginning. The rain stopped by this point, which was really nice, and we made it back to the parking lot in good time.