Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: Diamond Mountain To Stony Brook

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Diamond Mountain To Stony Brook

Harriman State Park,
Rockland Co,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Pine Meadow Trail: Red blaze
Hillburn Torne Sebago (HTS) Trail: Orange blaze
Kakiat Trail: White blaze
7 Hills Trail: Blue blaze
Stony Brook Trail: Yellow blaze

Total Time: 2:30 hours (approximately)
Estimated Distance: 5.0 Miles
Level of Difficulty: Slightly difficult
Level of Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Points of Interest: Pretty brooks, good climb, good scramble, and good views
Cons: Very busy with people for much of the hike

Hiking Partner:
Shimmy Rosenberg

This is a very good loop that covers a nice walk along a brook, has some good scrambles, and good views. We parked along the side of the road the Reeves Meadow Center on 7 Lakes Drive, and walked along the busy Pine Meadow Trail. We took the Pine Meadow Trail to the HTS Trail, where we crossed the bridge on the new brook, and then along the Kakiat Trail on the other side of the brook. We then took the 7 Hills Trail up Diamond Mountain. This ascent is a lot of fun with a good scramble, rock face, and an excellent view on top.

We then continued along the 7 Hills Trail to the Diamond Mountain Summit, which also offers excellent views, and continued along with this trail as it joins the HTS Trail. We then took the HTS Trail down the steep part of the mountain to its terminus at Stony Brook, and then took the Stony Brook Trail back to the Pine Meadow Trail back to the trailhead.

My cell phone had accidentally gone for a swim with me this past Friday. So I had no phone for this hike and was unable to do my usual GPS tracking, so I manually created the map below.