Island Pond Loop

Harriman State Park,
Orange County,
New York

Trails:
Island Pond Road (unblazed)
Applachian Trail (AT): WhiteBlaze
Arden-Surebridge: A-SB

Map: Harriman Bear Mountain Trails
Trail Map 119
Map Coordinates: 72,68

Total Time: 2:50 hr
Estimated Distance: 4.7 Miles

Hiking Partner:
Marc Kushner

The fall foliage was beginning to peak. Marc and I have went the previous year on a beatiful foliage hike, so we did this hike together and kept up the tradition. We parked on Arden Valley Road off on one of the pullouts right before Island Pond Rd, and walked up the road for a short distance until Island Pond road, then took this towards the AT. When we hit the AT, we went east and along the northern shore of the Pond.

Island Pond is one of the prettiest lakes in Harriman and is the only large naturally formed lake in the park (i.e. not formed or enhanced by a dam). We veered off to take a few good photo shoots of the lake, and then headed towards the Lemon Squeezer. Went through the deep crevice there, and then took the bypass trail back towards the A-SB trail along the east side of the Island Pond. Continued all the way along the A-SB, around the lake in the distance, and veered off at the Island Pond Rd intersection for a detour to the lookout by Green Pond Mountain.

From there turned back around on the A-SB, and headed back to Island Pond Rd, at which point we went north on Island Pond Road back to Arden Valley Road, and then to our car. While we were driving him, we stopped to take some photos of Lake Askoti on 7 Lakes Drive for a beautiful foliage shoot.

Map of the route

Island Pond from the AT.
At the north side of the lake.

Ditto.

Ditto, facing southwest.

Me at the entrance to the Lemon Squeezer

Marc about to enter the Lemon Squeezer

Looking up the AT in the Lemon Squeezer

Me in the Lemon Squeezer

View from the A-SB facing southwest

At the Green Mountain viewpoint on the A-SB.

Ditto.

Fall foliage at the Green Mountain Viewpoint.

Facing Indian Hill from the Green Mnt viewpoint.
Facing west.

Fall foliage.

Island Pond western shore, on the return route.