Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: Sherwood Path to Pine Meadow Lake

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Sherwood Path to Pine Meadow Lake

Sherwood Path to Pine Meadow Lake
Harriman State Park,
Rockland Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Sherwood Path: Unblazed
Suffern-Bear Mountain (S-BM) Trail: Yellow blaze
Conklins Crossing: White blaze
Pine Meadow Trail: Red blaze

Total Time: 2:55 hour
Estimated Distance: 5.5 Miles

Hiking Partners:
David Koegel
Debbie Koegel

Pros: Very quiet and scenic area, nice view and scenic lake
Cons: Difficult crossing at Mahwah River

Pine Meadow Lake is one of my favorite lakes in the area. It is away from any road or parking area, and is very scenic and tranquil. We parked at the corner of Wilder Road and Route 202, where there is a small pull-off area at the corner. We walked southbound along Route 202 for about 400 feet, and then headed into to the woods at this point where Harriman State Park connects to Route 202. We walked down to the river, crossing it along a narrow log. As the river was very swollen from recent rains, crossing was much more difficult than usual. We then went along the path on the side of the river, crossing the gas and power lines. The path turns into the Sherwood Path, and climbs in a snake-like pattern up the mountain.

Upon reaching the Stone Mountain Shelter, we turned southwest on to the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail, towards a rock formation called the "Egg." The Egg is large oval rock with a rounded top (hence its name), which also affords a very nice view. We then continued along the S-BM Trail, to the Conklin's Crossing Trail, taking this short trail in its entirety to eastern edge of Pine Meadow Lake. We bushwacked down to the lake where there are some large rocks in the lake, took some photos, and continuned to the Pine Meadow Trail. We took the Pine Meadow Trail back to the Sherwood Path, which we took back down the mountain, and then took the path along the gas line back to the Pine Meadow Trail near the horse stables. We went down the Pine Meadow Trail to its terminus, walked through the equestrian area and parking area, and along Route for a short while back to our car.