Trail Conditions Forum

Regarding the announcement of the trail closures at RSP, I'm a little confused as to exactly what areas this covers. Does this include the Ramapo Reservation? How about the southern trails near Ramapo Lake by Wanaque? Some clarification would be helpful- for those of us with Trail Map #118, what areas are actually affected? Thanks for any help.

1/27/2013 Hiked the Yellow Trail from Indian Trail Drive through High Mountain to the William Paterson University parking area.  Trails were generally clear but there is still work needed for clearing some tree blow downs.  Little to no snow is on the ground, icy in some areas.  The park was busy today.  View from High Mountain was nice and clear to NYC today.

Please be advised: Snowshoes or crampons are strongly advised! Make sure you bring a headlamp and extra batteries as winter nights in the Catskills like to sneak up on you. We wound up hiking most of the downhill portion in the dark but the sunset was one of the most beautiful I had ever seen! Full description: http://nynjtc.org/hike/balsam-mountain-catskill-high-peak   DATE HIKED: 1/19/13  (11am-7pm)   ROUTE: (Parked at Rider Hollow trailhead)-    START: Red (Oliverea-Mapledale Trail)    CONTINUE: on Red (at junction with Yellow-Mine Hollow )    LEFT: Blue (Pine Hill-West Branch)    LEFT: Yellow (Mine Hollow)    RIGHT: Red (Oliverea-Mapledale)   CONDITIONS: All of the trails were pretty packed down from previous hikers but there were still some spots at the higher elevations and the interior trails where the snow could be a problem without snowshoes or crampons.     -Snow depth on the RED and YELLOW trail was aprox. 6-8 inches (again, it was pretty well packed from previous hikers.)       -There are several stream crossings on RED that will require caution. In one instance, we had to shimmy over accross a downed tree (it was about 15 feet long.) The water only seemed to be knee high- still high enough to make the rest of the trip miserable and dangerous if you fall in!    -The ascent/descent of Balsam on the BLUE trail was really where crampons or snowshoes would come in handy.       -The descent of Balsam's north face (BLUE) is very steep and traction will be a huge issue if you dont have the proper gear.    -The depth of snow at the top of Balsam and its north face were slightly above 1 foot.    -Though not as steep, the YELLOW trail is still downhill and caution should be used. The snow was not as packed as the RED trail but it was nothing compared to the downhill on BLUE!   NOTES: As is always the case with snowshoeing, give yourself plenty of time to complete this hike. A good rule of thumb for me is to figure my pace will be HALF of what it usualy is; of course, you may be slower or faster depending on your physical condition. There will be several partial views to the east on the BLUE trail as you make your way across Balsam's summit. The real payoff though is the clearing  1000 feet from the summit (also to the east, along the BLUE) The clearing is about 15 feet wide and is on a ledge. Don't worry about passing it as it is easily spotted along the trail.   One winter peak closer to my patch!   Happy hiking and be safe! -Ryan

Has anyone been past Lake Sebago in Harriman State Park by the Yellow Triangle. We were heading south east on Yellow Triangle towards the lake and as we made our way down off the hill, we noticed there was a lot of blood about 25 feet from the shore ontop of the frozen lake. As we got closer there was a deer, which btw looked like it had been there for a couple weeks. I honestly can't imagine how this deer was killed out on the lake, especially since there is no hunting in that part of the park....But if your hiking with kids you should probably stay clear of Sebago for now.

I'm planning on hiking up to Big Beech Mtn along the Sterling Ridge Trail from the Long Pond Ironworks.  Does anyone know if that trail is open?  I wasn't sure if it was closed yet for the pipeline construction or from Sandy's damage.

DATE HIKED: 1/12/13   (11am-4pm) ROUTE:(Parked on west/left side of 9D after tunnel-when coming from Cold Spring)    START: White (Breakneck Ridge Trail)    RIGHT: Yellow (Undercliff)    RIGHT: Red (Brook)    RIGHT(END): 9D (Back to car)   CONDITIONS: Aprox. 2-3 inches of snow at the start on the WHITE. Snow thins out as you make the climb. By the time the flag pole was reached the snow was all but gone. The rock climbs on the WHITE are wet and have some ice in spots. Did not take any of the detours but the blazes for them are visible.    -YELLOW and RED also had some light snow throughout (aprox 1-2 inches); nothing to really worry about though.   NOTES: As stated in the trail description, this trail can be dangerous when attempted in snow/ice so please excercise caution! (particularly on the WHITE trail ascending the ridge). Due to it's popularity, the trail was well traveled and the  route was easy to follow, we encountered at least 15 other people heading up and down the WHITE trail. Visibility was limited due to the persistant fog on the mountain.   Happy Hiking! -Ryan     

Hiked up in Harriman today from visitor center along Pine Meadow to the Stony Brook toward Lake Sebago. Started late in the day so never made it to the lake but it was a beautiful day. There was about 3-4 inches of snow. Not enough for snow shoes but in some places I could have used crampons. Had planned on taking the Kakiat toward the White Bar but discovered that bridge was no longer there. Had my dog with me and she had a great time. Nothing like starting the new year on the trails.

I'm taking the train up from Hoboken to Tuxedo tomorrow (Wed 1/1) to hit Harriman trails from there.  Is the snow deep enough for snowshoes?  I'll definitely be bringing microspikes.

There are several inches of snow in the Walkill River & Roundout Valley River Valley in Ulster County.  Bring your skies or snow shoes.     Happy New Year.

On Wednesday December 19th I did a lollipop hike from Lake Askoti, beginning on the Long Path.  The LP has been cleared or rerouted and reblazed all the way to its intersection with the Lichen Trail.  The area around Times Square is impressive for the level of devastation to the trees.  Dozens of trees were blown down and a tremendous amount of work has been done to clear the trails along the stretch where the LP and ASB run together.  These trails are passable, but work remains putting up new blazes here, on these trails as well as the RD.  It is now easy to see where the Lichen goes as it heads south from the LP, but there were still three trunks to climb over on the way to the top of the bedrock.  The rest of the Lichen, to the RD, is clear.  I took the Dunning back to the LP on my way home, and it has no problems other than water.  Today many streams that do not usually flow were running, and those that are perennial were wider than usual.   My impression is that the striking number of trees down near Times Square was caused by the concentration of older, failing hemlocks here.  The hemlock wooly adelgid laid the foundation, and Sandy did the rest. Jonathan

Hiked this section yesterday.  The weather was cold but clear and in general the weather was good.  The air was hazy however and prevented the really great views of the Husdon Valley.  Even better, no snow and little ice on the ground at this time!  As winter closes in it was great to finish another section before any snow or extensive ice sheets set in.  This sectionof the path is well marked and realtively easy walking.  The ascent of South Mountain in the beginning is very enjoyable due to the use of many long switchbacks that make the climb's pitch not too steep.  This is due to the multi-use nature of the trail, also used as a horse back riding path in this area.  Snowmobile trails were also observed along certain areas of this section. The views along most of this section are excellent.  Again, the only disappointment was the extensive haze in the air.  Boulder Rock, the former Catskill Mountain House hotel site, Artist's Ledge, Neuman's Ledge, all great.  The winter shadows in the evergreen forest sections made a nice contrast of light and dark sections of the Path.  At times eeirily dark in the forest and then all of a sudden bursting into the bright light of the deciduous forested sections.  The rock paths in the marsh & swamp areas were fun to walk on and have the appearance of a landscaped stone sidewalk.  The job was well done. Areas of mountain laurel and rhododendron were observed along the trail. Their green color in the brown landscape of winter gives the forest interesting color and diversity.  While I have not been up to this area in many years, it does look like these plants are not present in the large quantities they once were in this area.  In the past, this section was a great place to visit in June when the mountain laurel is in bloom, I hope to come back here next summer. The view at North Point is really good.  There is almost a 360 degree view on a large, flat stone outcrop.  We had not originally intended to go up to the Point, as we exited the area via the Mary's Glen (red) Trail to the Schutt Rd. parking area, but we had an interesting experience at the end of our hike.  Upon arriving at the trail junction of the Long Path and the Mary's Glen Trail, a large helicopter few into the area and hovered and made multiple passes above us at North Point.  It appeared the craft was landing on or barely hovering above the ground at the stone flat area at the top of the point.  Not knowing the reason for the activity we dumped our packs and proceeded to the top, only 0.3 of a mile further.  By the time we arrived at the top the helicopter had gone and no one was there.  The craft was at the area for about 10 minutes or so and we were able to record a little digital footage of the event.  Very exciting! The hike's section was done as a shuttle again using a local taxi service.  The price was right and we saved money on gas & tolls, as well as creating less air pollution.  Depending on your distance from this area, if you are coming here, it is a transporation alternative to consider.