Long Mountain and Turkey Hill Lake

Harriman State Park,
Orange Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Long Path: Green blaze
Popolopen Gorge Trail: Red blaze
Historic Fingerboard-Storm King Trail: Brown blaze

Total Time: 2:15 hour
Estimated Distance: 2.7 Miles

Pros: Good climb, excellent view, scenic lake
Cons: Trash at lake
Hike Type: Eight

Google Maps of Parking:
https://goo.gl/maps/AJHqFkmC9VnyBbY78

Hiking Partners:
Joseph Friedman
Elisha Friedman

This was a hot and humid Sunday in the summer. I opted for something in Harriman with a good view but not too long and strenuous, and this was a very good hike for that. We parked at the Long Mountain Parking area off Route 6 in the northern fringes of Harriman, and took the Long Path north to Long Mountain. We found some nice blueberries in the area near the beginning of the hike.

We continue on the Long Path, and where the Trail was recently rerouted snaking up the mountain, we took the old now shortcut trail that now had a brown marker titled "Historic Fingerboard-Storm King Trail." This was the original Long Path trail, and many years ago was a long distance trail that went from Fingerboard Mountain north to Storm King Mountain. However, when West Point acquired and restricted the property north of the area, the area became off-limits and trail closed. This shortcut trail is a memory to that trail. It's only a short distance back to the Long Path, which at the top of the mountain has a large rock area with a great view, overlooking Turkey Hill Lake, Bear Mountain, and Popolopen Torne. 

We then continued down the mountain on the northern side, down to the steep valley, and took the old unmarked road in the valley back to the Popolopen Gorge Trail at it's western terminus. We then took the Popolopen Gorge Trail to Turkey Hill Lake, and explored the lake shoreline a bit, and then headed back up on the Popolopen Gorge Trail. We then cut across on the unmarked trail up the hill to the parking area and headed back to our car.

Map of the Route

Signs at the Beginning of the Hike

Information Kiosk at the Beginning of the Hike

Long Path and FSK Path Intersection

FSK Path (Fingerboard-Storm King Trail) Historick Route Marker

Me Ascending Long Mountain

Long Mountain Facing South Overlooking Fingerboard Mountain

Me at the Southern Overlook at Fingerboard Mountain

Southern Part of Fingerboard Mountain

Fingerboard Mountain, Facing East

Turkey Hill Lake from Long Mountain, Facing Southeast

Me at Long Mountain

Long Mountain, Facing Northeast

View of Bear Mountain from Long Mountain

View of Popolopen Torne from Long Mountain

Torrey Memorial from Long Mountain

Long Mountain Rocky Summit

Me at the Long Mountain Summit

Explosion from Test Mortars at West Point to the North

Turkey Hill Lake with Bear Mountain in the Distance

Turkey Hill Lake

Another View of Turkey Hill Lake

Turkey Hill Lake Facing Northeast

Turkey Hill Lake Shore

Turkey Hill Lake Facing North

MacMillan Reservoir Ramapo Reservation

Ramapo Valley County Reservation
Mahwah,
Bergen Co.,
New Jersey

Hiking Trails:
Ridge Loop Trail: Blue blaze
Vista Loop Trail: Yellow blaze
Reservoir Trail: Pink blaze
River Trail: Orange/Green blaze

Total Time: 1:00 Hour
Estimated Distance: 2.3 Miles

Pros: Scenic Lakes
Cons: Always very busy

Google Maps of Parking:
https://goo.gl/maps/iJZ8CYRRXGonJ9AM7

My office is in Mahwah, and Ramapo Reservation in New Jersey is only a 5 minute drive. After leaving the office, I opted for a quick hike, parking at the main parking area at Ramapo Reservation, crossing the bridge over the Mahwah River, and heading up mountain on the heavily traversed Vista Loop Trail. I took this to the Reservoir Trail, and took a short break with some pictures at MacMillan Reservoir. In then descended on the Vista Loop Trail, passing the waterfalls, which was at a lower volume as it typically is in the dry summer, and then headed out along the River Trail to its end, and then crossing the river and then back to my car.

Map of the Route

Information Plaque at the Entrance of the Park

Scarlet Oak Pond 

Another View of Scarlet View Pond Prior to Sunset

Scarlet Oak Pond, Facing North

One More View of Scarlet Oak Pond

MacMillan Reservoir

Me at MacMillan Reservoir

MacMillan Reservoir from the Dam

Trail Marker and Route to Parking Lot

Waterfall along the Vista Loop Trail

Doe and Fawn near the End of the Hike

Scarlet Oak Pond at Sunset

Hamilton Mine & Denny Mine Loop

Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park
Putnam Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Appalachian Trail: White blaze
3 Lakes Trail: Blue blaze

Total Time: 2:30 hour
Estimated Distance: 3.7 Miles

Pros: Quiet area and historical mines
Cons: Lacking good views

Hiking Partner:
Joseph Friedman

Google Maps of Parking:
https://goo.gl/maps/L6MPAW2edDWKpzZv6 

Continuing along my hikes in Fahnestock State Park, this was a trip further up the Appalachian Trail in an area I had not previously hiked before. I am trying to complete all sections of the Appalachian Trail within a short driving distance from my home. 

The weather was brutally hot, with a heat advisory in effect for the area, with temperatures in the mid 90's and high humidity. This hike was mostly shady, and intentionally didn't have any large elevation gains, but despite that it was uncomfortably hot and we couldn't have gone that much longer.

We parked at the AT Trailhead parking on Dennytown Road, and took the Appalachian Trail north up the ridge, and then down to Sunken Mine Road, a seasonal dirt road. We went on Sunken Mine Road up the hill and veered off at the Hamilton Mine, at the bend of the road. We explored the area and then took the unmarked trail to the 3 Lakes Trail.

The trail then went alongside John Allen Pond, and then we crossed over Sunken Mine Road again and continued along the trail, going up the ridge and then bushwacking for a short distance to the Denny Mine. This is a very large mine complex, with a long and deep pit and an extensive dump. However, it is very overgrown and hard to access, and it is also hard to get a photo of. We then continued back to the 3 Lakes Trail to the end at the parking area and returned to the car.

Map of the Route

Information Kiosk at the Trailhead Parking

Ascending the Mountain on the Appalachian Trail

Me on the AT Trail

At the top of the Mountain on the AT Trail

Somewhat of a View at the Top of the Mountain on the AT Trail

Beaver Dam at the Pond

Hamilton Mine Main Workings

Another View of Hamilton Mine

Hamilton Mine from the Top of the Hill

Me at the Hamilton Mine

Fish Swimming in John Allen Pond

John Allen Pond from the 3 Lakes Trail, Looking West

John Allen Pond, Looking North

John Allen Pond, Looking South

Looking Down into the Denny Mine

Another View of the Denny Mine

Deep Pit in the Denny Mine

Mine Wall at the Denny Mine

Old Abandoned Overgrown Structure at the 3 Pond Trailhead