Orange Co.,
New York
Hiking Trails:
Blue Disc Trail: Blue blaze
Total Time: 1:00 hours
Estimated Distance: 2 miles
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Level of Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Points of Interest: Historic Mine, Scramble to Excellent View
Pros: Exploring old mine, nice climb, nice views
Cons: No trail to mine; may be difficult to find
Google Map of Parking:
View 2014 Hiking Locations in a larger map
Dater's Mountain affords one of the best views in Harriman State Park. It is also a relatively short and easy climb to get there. I had been there earlier in the winter from a different route, but decided to go back to find the nearby Dater's Mine.
I parked at the cul-de-sac at the end of Johnsontown Road, at the trailhead of the Blue Disc Trail. I took this trail adjacent to the gas line and below the cliff until the scramble up the mountain, which I took to the view. I turned around and went along one of old trail routes, and then instead of going down the mountain, I headed east towards the Dater's Mine.
There is a path that goes along the side of the cliff which I though would lead to the mine, but it slowly disappears. I ended up going around under the mine on a steep talus slope, which probably contains waste rock from the mine, and went around this back up to the top. The mine itself is at the top of the mountain, and I had unnecessarily skirted around the side while trying to find it. Found the main pit, a smaller pit, and several dumps, and then headed back by bushwacking back to the Blue Disc Trail and then back to my car.
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| Map of the Route. Harriman/Bear Mnt State Parks, Southern Map |
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| Trailhead of the Blue Disc Trail |
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| View from Daters Mountain. Facing South Towards the Gas Line |
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| View from Daters Mountain. Facing Southwest Towards Sloatsburg |
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| Parking Area of Reeve's Meadow from the View. Facing South. |
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| Cliff Walls Below the Dater's Mine |
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| Steep Cliffs and Loose Rocks Below Dater's Mine |
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| Dater's Mine Dump |
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| Dater's Mine Main Pit |
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| Wild Turkeys Roaming Around at the Dater's Mine |
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