Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: Daters Mountain to Elbow Brush and Claudius Smith Den

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Daters Mountain to Elbow Brush and Claudius Smith Den

Harriman State Park,
Rockland/Orange Counties.
New York

Hiking Trails:
Blue Disc Trail: Blue blaze
Tuxedo-Mount Ivy Trail: Red blaze

Total Time: 2:30 hour
Estimated Distance: 3.9 Miles

Pros: Good scrambles and great views, interesting rock formation
Cons: None

Hiking Partners:
Josef Friedman
Shimmy Rosenberg
Moses Ginsburg and sons

Claudius Smith Den is one of my favorite spots in Harriman. We visited the area from the southern approach, starting at Daters Mountain to Pound Mountain through the Elbow Brush.

We parked at the trailhead at the dead end on on Johnsontown Road, at the start of the Blue Disc Trail. We took the Blue Disc trail up the mountain, bushwacking on the part of the old trail to the view area. This mountain features a steep and challenging climb with an amazing view at the top. We continued along the Blue Disc Trail after the above, along Pound Mountain, to the Elbow Brush.

The Elbow Brush is a rock formation along the Blue Disc trail with a short cliff wall that goes along about 500 feet with several overhands and cave-like holes from talus boulders. The trail goes along the bottom of the formation and goes through a few interesting crevices and small caves. There used to be an alternate trail along the top of the formation as well, but the blazes have since been removed by the Trail Conference.

We continued from the Elbow Brush a short distance to Claudius Smith Den, which we climbed up for the top view. Claudius Smith Den features a crevice through cracked rock, with a beautiful view on the top along a steep cliff.

After Claudius Smith Den we turned around, and went on the old trail above the Elbow Brush formation. I don't know why they removed this spur trail. It is still there and easy to follow, but the blazes are gone. We continued along the Blue Disc Trail all the way back to the trailhead.