Rockland County,
New York
Total Time: 2:45 hours
Total Distance: 5 miles
Hiking Partner:
Yehuda Koblick
Trails:
Reeves Brook: White Blaze
Racoon Brook Hills (RBH): Black Blaze
Hillburn Torne Sebago (HTS): Orange Blaze
Seven Hills Trail: Blue Blaze
This was another beautiful late spring day with perfect weather. We started at the Reeves Brook
Visitors Center off 7 Lakes Drive near Sloatsburg. Took the Reeves Brook Trail all the way from beginning to end up the mountain along the Reeve's Brook, which the trail is named after. From there took the RBH east where it makes a very steep climb up the Pulpit, and where there is a good view. From the Pulpit continued along till the HTS Trail, where we went south towards the Russian Bear.
The Russian Bear is a sold cliff wall along the ridge, and the trail skirts around descending on the side of the cliff face. Continued along the HTS past where it meets the Seven Hills Trail, and then veered off continuing with the Seven Hills. From there took a connector path back to the Reeves Brook and back to the trailhead.
Map of the route
Me ascending the cliff by the Pulpit
Yehuda at the Pulpit
Pulpit viewpoint - facing southwest.
Beautiful flowering Mountain Laurels on the RBH
Manhattan skyline in the distance (zoomed)
From the viewpoint above the Russian Bear.
Facing south-southeast.
View at Russian Bear looking towards the
Torne Valley complex. Facing south.
The Russian Bear cliff face from below
on the HTS Trail.
I hiked this exact route today (July). The weather started off cool for this time of year but then reached probably the eighties. This is an excellent trail and very beautiful but I think the views will be better once the leaves are down. My hiking companion, Echo ( a two year old water dog) had some nasty abrasions on her paws from all the rough rock surfaces. It is a great hike but a little more rigorous than other Harriman trails so I'd advise caution for pets' paws and also recommend trekking poles.
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