Hogencamp Mine

Harriman State Park,
Orange County,
New York
Trails:
Unmarked Woods Roads
Dunning Trail: Yellow Blaze

Total Time: 1:45 hr
Estimated Distance: 1.9 miles
Level of Difficulty: Very easy
Recommendation: Recommended for historical observations of an abandoned hamlet and mine    
Points Of Interest: Abandoned Foundations and Extensive Mine Workings

Google Map of Parking:

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I was off for Memorial Day so took the opportunity for a short hike. The weather was hot, but this is a well-shaded hike. It's a fairly simple and relatively short hike with a lot of points of interest, though no view. I parked on Lake Kanawauke Road, about 1500 feet past the Kanawauke parking area. There is a small pull-off here at the bend of the road by the lake. I took the old woods road up past some of the old foundations, many of which still have stone remnants. There used to be a small village here, and its heyday was when this extensive old iron mine was active. I continued along until the Dunning trail, and then climbed the hill to look through the mine workings.

The Hogencamp Mine is the most extensive mine within Harriman State Park. It was a very productive iron mine and there are numerous cuts, workings, and dumps spread around 1000 feet. I explored many of the cuts and workings, and then turned around on the Dunning Trail and then headed back, taking a slightly different woods road the way back.

Map of the route

An abandoned foundation along the route.

Some other ruins while walking along the woods road.

Remnants of an old house.

Large cut in the upper portion of the mine.
This type of cut extends on and off for a large length.

The deep pit and main shaft.
This is an extremely dangerous shaft and if you fall in,
you won't come out alive.

Wawayanda Mountain

Wawayanda State Park,
Sussex County,
New Jersey

Trails:
Appalachian Trail (AT): White Blaze

Total Time: 2:15 hr
Estimated Distance: 3.5 miles roundtrip
Level of Difficulty: Moderate to slightly difficult
Points Of Interest: Outstanding View

Parking area on Google Maps:

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This is a well-known portion of the Appalachian Trail through New Jersey, and affords an outstanding view. I parked at the AT Trailhead on Barret Road, and headed west. Headed all the way to the view along the rocky ridge which faces steeply down into the Vernon Valley. This hike is just a few short miles north of the Mountain Creek Ski area. I took the same way back as a return route. Note the map image below shows the AT in a different location. The trail has been entirely rerouted through Wawayanda, and the map below is the old map showing the original route.

Map of the route.

At the viewpoint facing south.
The second mountain on the left is Mountain Creek,
and if you look closely you can see the ski trails.

From the view facing west down to the Vernon Valley.

View facing northwest over the NYS border.

Rock outcrop at the view facing north.

The AT down below winding through swamps and fields.

Stockbridge Mountain

Harriman State Park,
Orange County,
New York

Trails:
Menomine Trail (Yellow Blaze)
Appalachian Trail (White Blaze)

Total Time: 1:50 hr
Estimated Distance: 3.3 miles

Hiking Partner:
My Father-in-law Dr. Morris Schulgasser

Stockbridge Mountain is one of the lesser-traveled areas of Harriman. This hike is a little-known yet beatiful hike. The weather condition was very foggy which really restricted any views. We started in the Silvermine parking area off 7 Lakes Drive, and took the Menomine trail west. Near the beginning of the hike the trail is parallel to the road, and for the first time after being here many times actually noticed an old cemetary that the trail passes right through. There are some restore plaques stating that members of the Lewis Family are buried here.

Continued along the trail alongside Lake Nawahunta, and started the ascent up Stockbridge Mountain until the intersection with the Appalachian Trail. Headed north on the Appalachian and up the shelter, and then started descending to the "Cave Shelter". The Cave Shelter is a rock formation of massive boulders that are stacked and forming caves and passageways that you can actually squeeze through quite deeply. Its a highly recommended place to check out.

From the Cave Shelter took the unmarked trail which is shown on the Trail Conference Map, though I must say this trail is pretty worn out and hard to keep track of. After hitting the Menomine Trail again we continued the descent, and at the bottom veered off the path to check out the Lewis (Dunn) Mine and explore the pit. From there headed back on the Menomine and back to the car.

Map of the Route.

Plaque at the Lewis Cemetery along the Menomine Trail.
Note this cemetery is not mentioned on the maps.

Lake Nawahunta in the fog. North shore.

Lake Nawahunta in the fog. Stockbridge Mountain
rises from behind but is covered in the fog.

Ascending the AT before the shelter at the top
of Stockbridge Mountain.

Me at the final ascent before the shelter.

Stockbridge Mountain shelter.
The fog was even more thick at the top.

Think Passage in the Cave Shelter

Rock Formations at the Cave Shelter.

One of the exits at the Cave Shelter.
I crawled out from under the left, barely making it through.

Main shaft of the Lewis (Dunn) Mine.

Iona Island

Bear Mountain State Park,
Rockland County,
New York

Total Time: 1:30 hr
Estimated Distance: 3.4 miles

Iona Island is a marshly island in the Hudson River directly north of Dunderberg Mountain and south of Bear Mountain. It is surrounded by magnificent mountains and river views, and is a well-known bird sanctuary and is a very famous spot for bird-watchers who come especially to view the Bald Eagles. Besides for the marshy areas there are some rocky promenades rising high up above the water.

I parked on Route 9w right before Iona Island Road, and walked along Iona Island Road through the marshy area to the rocky area. There had been a lot of rain and the weather continued being wet and stormy, and the road was very flooded. I climbed up the rocky part, where there are some beautiful cactus groves growing, and continued along this ridge all the way towards the end of the island at the railroad. I walked along the railroad cut both ways exploring the interesting geology, and then continued south along the side of the tracks until about halfway across the causeway along towards Dunderberg Mountain. I wanted to explore the rest of the island, but the portion of the island of the other side of the railroad is off-limits. I then turned around, tried viewing some of the bird spots, and then headed back along Iona Island Rd. and back to the car.

Map of the Route

Iona Island from the Route 9w Parking Area.

Sign at Entrance to Iona Island

Marsh on Iona Island. Facing south with
Dunderberg Mountain in the fog.

Another view facing south with Dunderberg

Cactus on Rocky Promenade on Iona Island

View of Iona Island Road flooded.

Railroad Tracks Facing North
Towards the Bear Mountain Bridge.

The railroad cut from Above.

View from Iona Island main viewing area.
Facing west.

Informative about Sterling Forest

Bald Mountain/ Cornell Mine

Bear Mountain State Park,
Rockland County,
New York
Trails:
Cornell Mine Trail: Blue Blaze
Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail (R-D): Red Blaze

Total Time: 2:20 hr
Estimated Distance: 3.0 Miles

Hiking Partner:
Shimmy Rosenberg

This was a beautiful spring day, of which we had few due to the incessant rains and cloudy skies. We parked along Route 9W at the Cornell Trailhead, and took this trail but veered off towards the "10 footer waterfall. After the waterfall, we bushwacked back towards the Cornell Mine Trail, and took another short bushwack to get a glimpse of the Edison Mine, which was an exploration pit of iron ore and graphite from Thomas Edison. After exploring this small abandoned mine hole we went back to the Cornell Trail, and started climbing the steep ascent up towards Bald Mountain. This is a very solid climb, and apparently the trail has some new switchbacks blazed due to erosion.

Bald Mountain is really part of the Dunderberg Mountain, and is usually referred to as the western viewpoint near the opposite side of The Timp. Near the top of the climb the Cornell Mine Trail ends at the intersection of the R-D Trail. There are small mine workings of the Cornell Mine along this trail until the viewpoint of Bald Mountain. The Bald Mountain viewpoint is one of the best in the entire area, with an outstanding three-directional view facing north, west, and south. From the top of the view we bushwacked north a little bit to the main opening of the Cornell Mine, which contains a small deep mine hole through the mountain. From there we bushwacked back to the R-D Trail, then took the Cornell Trail back throughout its entire length back to our car.

Map of the Route.

The "10 footer" waterfall near Doodletown.

The Edison Mine at the foot of Dunderberg Mountain.

Me at the top of Bald Mountain.
Facing northwest with Bear Mountain behind me.

Me facing north with the Bear Mnt Bridge and the Hudson River
and Anthony's Nose behind me.

Facing northwest towards Bear Mountain

Shimmy Relaxing at the View

View southwest facing The Timp and
the southern portion of West Mountain.
The Timp Pass is the valley in-between.

The upper workings of the Cornell Mine.
Shimmy is above for scale.

The main shaft of the Cornell Mine.
A pretty impressive cut into the mountain.
Shimmy is on top again.

Small cascade along Doodletown Brook at the
end of the hike at the end of the Cornell Mine Trail.

Hawk RockRamapo Reservation

Mahwah,
Bergen County,
New Jersey

Trails:
Halifax Trail: Green Blaze
Silver Trail: Silver Blaze

Total Time: 0:50 hr
Estimated Distance: 1.85 Miles

My time was limited so I needed to do a short hike. Since all the trees had just bloomed, ideally I wanted a short hike with a good view, so this was a perfect option. Ramapo Reservation has many different trails and options, though it is usually very busy and full of people. The deeper in you go the less people there are, though the mountains and terrain are a lot less dramatic then Harriman further north.

I parked in the large and busy parking lot, crossed the Ramapo River on the bridge, and took the path that skirts the east and north sides of Scarlet Oak Pond. Then took the Halifax Trail up the mountain up to Hawk Rock, which is about 15 minutes up from Scarlet Oak Pond, and offers a great view east and south. It faces directly towards Ramapo College with a great view of the campus. From Hawk Rock turned around and went back down the Halifax Trail, and went the other way along the Silver Trail which goes along the southern shore of Scarlet Oak Pond, and then back to my car.

Map of the Route

Scarlet Oak Pond, near the beginning of the hike. Facing northwest.
Hawk Rock is the mountain on the right behind the Pond.

Scarlet Oak Pond, facing southwest.

Scarlet Oak Pond, facing northwest, zoomed.

On top of Hawk Rock. Facing east towards Ramapo College campus.

Atop Hawk Rock, facing south,
with Scarlet Oak Pond in view.

Scarlet Oak Pond near the end of the hike.
Facing northwest, with a beautiful swan on the right.