Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: Pine Swamp Mine Loop

Harriman State Park,
Orange Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Long Path: Green blaze
Dunning Trail: Yellow blaze
Arden Surebridge Trail: Red blaze

Total Time: 1:45 hour
Estimated Distance: 3.3 Miles

Pros: Very scenic area of park, historical mines
Cons: Parking can be difficult on nice weekends

I used to hike this area extensively when I was young, and explore the old mines in the area with my father. I had not been to the Pine Swamp Mine in a while and this decided to do this popular route. I parked in the parking area at Lake Skanatati off Seven Lakes Drive, and took the Long Path along the side of the lake and up and down the rolling hills, until its intersection with the Dunning Trail.

I took the Dunning Trail north, taking a small detour up the ridge to the west to see if there was any view there (there wasn't), and then continued along the Dunning Trail to the Pine Swamp Mine. The Pine Swamp mine is actually a series of mines and cuts, with extensive dumps. The largest adit is an impressive cut in the mountainside which can be reached by an unmarked trail up the steep ridge to the left by the dump area, to the northern end of the Pine Swamp which is to the right of the trail. I visited the main adit, though I didn't go inside. I then intersected with the Arden Surebridge Trail, passing additional mine cuts and dumps.

I continued along the Arden Surebridge Trail, and then took the old closed trail route of the former Arden Surebridge Trail to the view at Pine Swamp Mountain, which had been closed off several years ago. The former trail route is discernible by the sticks intentionally placed to cover the old trail. After the view I continued along the old route back to the Arden Surebridge Trail and then down the hill back to parking area.