Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: Popolopen Late Winter Hike

Bear Mountain State Park,
Orange Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Timp Torne Trail: Blue blaze

Total Time: 0:55 hour
Estimated Distance: 1.1 Miles

Pros: Great climb and excellent views
Cons: Hike is short

Hiking Partner:
Rayzi Friedman

Popolopen is one of my favorite hikes in Harriman/Bear Mountain. Its a great scramble over large rocks, with an excellent 360 degree view at the summit of a very scenic area. However, it is a very short hike, forming a quick loop. I would love to see the trail expanded north to the newly added park area north and northwest of the trail. Since we were short on time, this was a good choice for a short and quick yet intense hike.

This hike was in late March. March has been well-below average, with several snowstorms and lingering snow. Although much of the snow from the large storm had already melted, there was still plenty of snow in the areas on the north-facing slopes that had less exposure to the sun.

We parked at the trailhead for Popolopen Torne, and walked along the road a short distance to the western side of the loop, which features a better and more direct climb up to the summit. We took the Timp-Torne trail up to the relatively low but expansive summit, and then continued around the loop and back down the mountain to the trailhead by the road where our car was parked.