Sunday, June 4, 2017

7 Hills Trail Diamond Mountain Hike

Harriman State Park,
Rockland Co.,
New York

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

Total Time: 2:45 hour
Estimated Distance: 4.1 Miles

Pros: Scenic area, good scramble, excellent views, waterfall
Cons: Busy at the beginning of the hike

I used to go this area very often, and hadn't been here in a while. It was in the mid-70's and perfect weather for a hike. The day had started bright and Sunday, but clouds rolled in as soon as I started hiking, and it rained steadily shortly after completing the hike.

I parked at the Reeve's Meadow Visitor Center, and was lucky to find a spot not too far out, as it's quite busy here on weekends. I walked along the Pine Meadow Brook on the Pine Meadow Trail to the Stony Brook Trail, and then to the Kakiat Trail. There had been a lot of rain recently, so the Pine Meadow Brook and Stony Brook were flowing very strongly, and the Cascade of Sid waterfalls was more impressive than usual.

I continued along the Kakiat Trail to the 7 Hills Trail, and took this trail north for one of the best scrambles in Harriman State Park, up Diamond Mountain. Aside from the scrambles there are many excellent views here as well. I then took the HTS Trail heading back, and then went down and back towards the Pine Meadow Trail. I then took the Pine Meadow Trail back to the parking area.

Map of the Route
Harriman State Park Southern Map

Cascading Brook before the Gas Line

Stony Brook Trail along the Stony Brook

Cascade of Slid

Cascade of Slid Waterfall

Cascade of Slid Waterfall Zoomed

Cascade of Slid Waterfall Perspective

7 Hills Scramble

Pink Mountain Laurels in Bloom

View Appraching the Diamond Mountain View

Ascending Diamond Mountain Scramble

Looking Into the Stony Brook Meadow Valley

More Pink Mountain Laurels Along the Cliffs

Zoom into Mountain Laurel Flowers

7 Hills Scramble

View Atop 7 Hills Scramble

Rocky Area At Diamond Mountain

Me at 7 Hills Scramble View

Another Perspective

Leaving the Diamond Mountain 7 Hills Scramble View

View of NYC Skyline in the Distance

Boulder At Diamond Mountain near Summit

Rock Face at Boulder near Diamond Mountain Summit


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