AMC Harriman, Big Hill, and Breakneck Pond Loop

Harriman State Park,
Rockland Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Long Path: Green blaze
Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail: Yellow blaze
Breakneck Pond Loop Trail: Unblazed

Total Time: 2:30 hour
Estimated Distance: 4.9 Miles

Pros: Good view, scenic area

Hiking Partner: Shimmy Rosenberg

We decided to explore the AMC area a bit more and get some additional information on the cabins and areas. We drove on the narrow road off Lake Welch Parkway that heads to the AMC camping area, and parked in the large parking field near the entrance to the camp. We took the Long Path in a northeasterly direction, passing the Flight 6231 crash site at the beginning of the hike. There is a new plaque here with a brief history of the plan crash that took place in this spot in December 1974, where a Boeing 727 flying from Kennedy airport to Buffalo crashed, killing the three crew members on flight.

We continued along the Long Path to the Woods Road, and then took that briefly to the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail, which we climbed up to reach the view at Big Hill. Big Hill features an overnight shelter with a nice view and overall scenic area. We continued along the Suffern-Bear Mountain southwest, and at the intersection of the Breakneck Trail, we took the unmarked path down to the AMC camp. We then took the newly blazed, still unmarked Breakneck Ridge Trail around the entire lake.

The previous time we were here, we bushwacked at the end of the lake to Pine Meadow Road to access the Breakneck Trail. This time we continued along the entire loop around the lake. I am still disappointed that this trail does not officially connect to any of outside Harriman Trails or woods roads (with the exception of the unmarked Cranberry Mountain Trail connector) when they are so close by. Towards the end of the loop, back at the northern end of the lake, there is a large piece of bedrock jutting into the water, with excellent lake views. We then continued along the camp, exploring the area and gathering information about the area, and then headed back to our car.

Please note: Picture are from my cell phone camera while my camera lens is getting repaired.