AT-Lengthy Path Loop from Tiorati Picnic Space – Harriman State Park

Park Overview:

At 47,527 acres, Harriman State Park, situated in Rockland and Orange counties, is the second-largest park within the NYS parks system. It has 31 lakes and reservoirs, over 200 miles of climbing trails, two seashores, two public tenting areas, a community of group camps, miles of streams and scenic roads, and scores of wildlife species, vistas and vantage factors. Harriman State Park’s main amenities embrace Lakes Welch, Tiorati and Silvermine, the Anthony Wayne Recreation Space, Sebago Cabins and Beaver Pond Campgrounds.

Harriman State Park

Fingerboard Mountain is a 1,380-ft. peak situated southeast of the hamlet of Central Valley in Orange County, New York. It’s simply southwest of Tiorati Circle in Harriman State Park. The Appalachian Path traverses the ridge, passing over the summit.

The Greenwood Mine is situated close to the junction of the Appalachian Path and the Surebridge Mine Highway. Also called the Patterson Mine, it was first opened in 1838. The mine was owned by Robert and Peter Parrott and provided ore to the Clove and Greenwood furnaces at Arden, New York, through the Civil Struggle. The Greenwood Mine was final labored in 1880.

Greenwood Mine Complex - Harriman State Park

Greenwood Mine Advanced – Harriman State Park

The Cohasset Shelter is situated on the Lengthy Path, simply west of the junction with Surebridge Mine Highway. The Cohasset Shelter is proven on NYNJTC maps as “Unmaintained Shelter.” It was in-built 1937 for the women’ camps on Higher Lake Cohasset. This shelter is manufactured from corrugated metal with two stone hearth pits within the entrance. There is no such thing as a water supply and no views at this shelter.

Cohasset Shelter – Harriman State Park

Trails Overview:

Lake Tiorati Path ~ (0.6 mile) is a blue blazed path which begins within the Lake Tiorati Picnic Space and connects to the coaligned Appalachian Path (AT) and Rampo-Dunderberg Path.
Appalachian Path ~ (1.8 miles) is marked with 2×6-inch white blazes. It’s coaligned with the Rampo-Dunderberg (R-D) Path for simply over a mile because it traverses the ridge of Fingerboard Mountain. It then splits from the R-D Path and descends in direction of the western foot of the mountain, the place it meets Surebridge Mine Highway.
Surebridge Mine Highway ~ (0.25 mile) is an unmarked woods street that runs alongside the hole between Fingerboard Mountain and Surebridge Mountain. It connects the AT to the Lengthy Path.
Lengthy Path ~ (1.35 mile) is an aqua-blazed footpath that runs southwest to northeast alongside the bottom of Fingerboard Mountain. It is extremely rocky in locations and could be moist within the decrease mendacity areas.
Arden Valley Highway ~ (0.2 mile) This paved park street connects the Lengthy Path to the AT. Care ought to be taken whereas strolling alongside this street throughout heat climate, when it’s open to vehicular visitors.

The paths are maintained by volunteers of the NY-NJ Path Convention.

Hike Overview:

This loop hike doesn’t provide any views, however does have some scenic footpaths and woods roads, a picturesque open ridge, and an in a single day path shelter that make it a worthwhile hike.

I wished to finish the Harriman Path Shelters Problem, which includes visiting 10 in a single day shelters which are situated in several areas of the park. Within the final two weeks we hiked to the Bald Rocks Shelter on Black Rock Mountain (#8) and the Stone Memorial Shelter (#9). The Cohasset Shelter, marked as “Unmaintained Shelter” on the NY-NJ Path Map, can be the ultimate shelter wanted to finish the problem. This hike goes proper by the Fingerboard Mountain Shelter as properly. Since we had already visited this shelter in 2017, we didn’t cease there. This can be a good hike to knock off two shelters in a single hike.

We did this hike through the Memorial Day weekend, however surprisingly the Tiorati Picnic Space was not crowded in any respect. In heat climate, the car parking zone normally fills up early. With anchored charcoal grills, seashore and trails entry, the Tiorati Picnic Space is generally a busy spot.

Apart from the Lake Tiorati Path, we didn’t see anybody else on any of the opposite trails throughout our hike. It turned out to be a pleasant loop by the scenic panorama of Harriman. For essentially the most half, the paths had been properly shaded, making this a superb hike on a scorching day.

This reasonable loop hike was completed clockwise and does embrace a brief street stroll on Arden Valley Highway.

AT-Long Path Loop from Tiorati Picnic Area

AT-Lengthy Path Loop from Tiorati Picnic Space

There are quite a few ups and downs on this hike, however the bulk of the elevation acquire is completed within the first 1.5 miles.

elevation profile – AT-Lengthy Path Loop from Tiorati Picnic Space

The Hike:

In direction of the southern finish of the parking space, you’ll discover a triple blue blaze (pale), which marks the beginning of the Lake Tiorati Path. Proceed uphill on this path to the ridge of Fingerboard Mountain, following the outdated route of Arden Valley Highway for a part of the best way. On the high, flip left on the joint Appalachian Path (AT) (white blazes)/Ramapo-Dunderberg (R-D) Path (red-dot-on-white), which follows a woods street previous metallic and concrete water towers and continues to climb alongside the ridge of Fingerboard Mountain on a footpath. You’ll attain a number of false summits, considered one of which options an attention-grabbing balanced boulder. When the leaves are down, Lake Tiorati could also be seen by the bushes on the left.

Lake Tiorati Trail - Harriman State Park

Lake Tiorati Path – Harriman State Park

Flip left on joint AT/R-D trails

Coaligned AT/R-D trails

The path goes to the left of this water tower. We stayed on the woods street on the precise and needed to lower throughout to regain the path.

Coaligned AT/R-D trails – Fingerboard Mountain

A few mile from the beginning, you’ll attain a junction marked by a wood signal. Right here, the blue-blazed Hurst Path begins on the left. This path leads down a number of hundred ft to the stone Fingerboard Shelter, in-built 1928. It’s possible you’ll want to take a brief detour to take a look at this shelter, at which in a single day tenting is permitted.

Hurst Trail junction - Harriman State Park

Hurst Path junction – Harriman State Park

Proceed south on the Coaligned AT/R-D, which quickly reaches one other intersection. Right here, the R-D Path continues straight, however you need to comply with the white blazes of the AT, which bear proper. The AT descends by thickets of Mountain Laurel and Hemlock. Because the path descends, it passes some attention-grabbing rock formations, simply off path to the precise.

Coaligned AT/R-D trails – Fingerboard Mountain

Bear proper on the Appalachian Path

Appalachian Trail - Fingerboard Mountain

Appalachian Path – Fingerboard Mountain

The path quickly descends on switchbacks.

Appalachian Path – Fingerboard Mountain

On the base of the descent, about 2 miles from the beginning of the hike, the path turns left and joins Surebridge Mine Highway. A pile of tailings (waste rock) could be seen simply to the precise of the path.

Appalachian Path – Fingerboard Mountain

A number of exploratory pits, a vertical shaft and a horizontal shaft, all stuffed with water, could also be seen alongside the hillside to the east of the street. A platform constructed of tough lower stone and measuring fifteen ft by fifteen ft could be noticed on this space.

Greenwood Mine Advanced – Harriman State Park

Simply forward is a big open pit, 100 ft lengthy by thirty ft broad, which is now stuffed with water. It’s situated on the east aspect (left) of the outdated street. It’s possible you’ll need to take a break right here to look at these attention-grabbing historic options.

Greenwood Mine Advanced – Harriman State Park

Instantly throughout from the big open pit, flip proper on Surebridge Mine Highway. The outdated, unmarked mine street crosses Surebridge Brook however you’ll hardly discover it, because the brook goes by the rocks far under the floor of the street. Proceed to comply with Surebridge Mine Highway previous a marsh to the precise, and look fastidiously for an enormous boulder on the left, with a big tree laying alongside it. This marks the crossing of the aqua-blazed Lengthy Path, which may in any other case be simply missed.

Surebridge Mine Road - Harriman State Park

Surebridge Mine Highway – Harriman State Park

Flip left on the Lengthy Path

Flip left on the Lengthy Path and comply with the aqua blazes a brief distance uphill to the positioning of the Cohasset Shelter.

Flip left on the Lengthy Path

Lengthy Path – Harriman State Park

The Cohasset Shelter is proven on NYNJTC maps as “Unmaintained Shelter.” This shelter was in-built 1937 for the women’ camps on Higher Lake Cohasset.

Cohasset Shelter – Harriman State Park

The Cohasset Shelter is manufactured from corrugated metal with two stone hearth pits within the entrance. There is no such thing as a water supply and no views at this shelter. Lean-tos or shelters situated in Harriman State Park, are three sided, open entrance buildings with wooden sleeping platforms. All of them have resident mouse populations.

Cohasset Shelter – Harriman State Park

Retrace your steps on the Lengthy Path, crossing Surebridge Mine Highway, and comply with the aqua blazes for simply over a mile, crossing a number of intermittent streams and boulder fields, till you attain the paved Arden Valley Highway, which is closed to vehicular visitors within the winter.

Lengthy Path – Harriman State Park

Flip proper, leaving the Lengthy Path, and comply with the paved street as much as the crest of Fingerboard Mountain for about 0.2 mile, the place the white-blazed AT and red-dot-on-white-blazed R-D Path cross. Flip proper onto the AT/R-D, and in 200 ft, flip left onto the blue-blazed Lake Tiorati Path. Observe this path downhill for 0.3 mile to the car parking zone the place the hike started.

Flip proper on Arden Valley Highway

Arden Valley Highway – Harriman State Park

Turn right on the coaligned AT/R-D trails - Fingerboard Mountain

Flip proper on the coaligned AT/R-D trails – Fingerboard Mountain

Coaligned AT/R-D trails – Fingerboard Mountain

Lake Tiorati Path – Harriman State Park

Lake Tiorati Picnic Space

Evaluate:

There are not any views, however the lack of different hikers on the path, made for a beautiful hike. There is sufficient to see alongside the paths to maintain this hike attention-grabbing. The shaded trails retains sweat at a minimal. There may be some street noise from bikes cruising alongside Seven Lakes Drive and Arden Valley Highway.

Professionals:

Appalachian Path, Lengthy Path, Greenwood Mine, Cohasset Shelter, properly marked trails, not a lot foot visitors, shaded trails.

Cons:

No views, some street noise.

Take a hike!

AT-Long Path Loop from Tiorati Picnic Area – Harriman State Park

AT-Lengthy Path Loop from Tiorati Picnic Space – Harriman State Park

Sources:

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
Harriman State Park
Myles, William J.; Chazin, Daniel. Harriman Trails: A Information and Historical past . New York – New Jersey Path Convention. Kindle Version.
Lenik, Edward J.. Iron Mine Trails . New York – New Jersey Path Convention. Kindle Version.