Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: March 2023

Black Rock Forest
Orange Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Mine Hill Trail: Yellow blaze
Sackett Trail: Yellow blaze
Compartment Trail: Blue blaze
Stillman Trail: Yellow blaze
Split Rock Trail: White blaze
Hall Road: Unblazed
Short Cut Trail: Yellow (triangle) blaze

Total Time: 1:45 hour
Estimated Distance: 3.4 Miles

Pros: Very scenic area, great views
Cons: Limited parking has issues
Hike Type: Lollipop Loop
Level of Difficulty: Slightly difficult

Hiking Partner:
Yehudah Koblick

Google Maps of Parking:
https://goo.gl/maps/LLbgQEN1HZDJkaQC8

After spending the past two weeks in Black Rock Forest, I decided to visit some further unexplored areas for me. The prior week there was full snow cover, but now with warmer weather all week, the snow had all melted. However, it was very windy for a brief period at the beginning of the hike at the steep ridge along Mine Hill.

We parked at the Mine Hill Trail trailhead parking. As I was pulling in to the parking area, a large group of hikers had pulled up right before me, with a bunch of cars taking up the entire parking area. I struggled to find parking across the street. There was a no parking sign across the street that ended where I had parked, but it was tight with a very narrow shoulder.

We took the Mine Hill Trail up to the view, then continued to the end of the trail at the Sackett Trail. We took the Sackett Trail on it's northern portion to the next view, and then crossed the brook and stone ruin, and then continued to the Compartment Trail. We went along the Compartment Trail to the Stillman Trail, which we then took to Split Rock and the view.

There is a great view here at Split Rock, with a beautiful view facing south and Sutherland Pond directly below. We then took the Split Rock Trail for a short distance to Hall Road, which we then took to the Short Cut Trail, to the Sackett Trail, and then to the Mine Hill Trail which I took back to my car.

Map of the Route

Start of the Mine Hill Trail

View Ascending the Mine Hill Trail

Me at the First View

View from Mine Hill

At the H. Peter Stern Trail and Sackett Trail Intersection

Crossing the Brook

Stone Ruins after Crossing the Brook

Sackett Trail and Compartment Trail Intersection

Evergreen Mountain Laurels along the Trail

Last Vestige of Snow

A Split Rock (Not the Official "Split Rock" at the View)

Yehudah at the Split Rock Trail Sign

The Real Split Rock, Preceding to the View

View at the Split Rock View and the Sutherland Pond

1440 Foot Marker at Split Rock

Hall Road Gate

View Along the Sackett Trail

Zoomed in to the Caboose House

Black Rock Forest
Orange Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Mine Hill Trail: Yellow blaze
Sackett Trail: Yellow blaze
Stillman Trail: Yellow blaze

Total Time: 1:50 hour
Estimated Distance: 2.4 Miles

Pros: Quiet area, nice view
Cons: Very windy area
Hike Type: Back and out
Level of Difficulty: Difficult in snow conditions

Hiking Partner:
Shimmy Rosenberg

Google Maps of Parking:
https://goo.gl/maps/LLbgQEN1HZDJkaQC8

After last week's epic hike in Black Rock Forest, I decided to hike along more trails in the area that I hadn't been to yet. This time it was the Mine Hill area. The previous day had warm and sunny weather and was in the 50's. However, this morning it was frigid, and as I headed north and drove to a higher elevation, I kept on seeing the temperature dropping. When I started it was 27 degrees, which is cold for late March, but the winds were terribly strong.

Apparently because this area is along the ridge, it receives very high winds. Once we passed the ridgeline area, the winds became more manageable. Also, as we climbed above the ridge to Mine Ridge, there was a fully coverage of snow, making the hike difficult to traverse. We had to opt for a shorter version of the hike due to the cold and windy weather.

We parked on Mine Hill Road, in the small parking area right after the bend. We took the short but steep Mine Hill Trail to the view, and then continue along to its terminus at the Sackett Trail. We trudged along in the snow and then reached the Stillman Trail, which we took to its terminus where there a nice view. We then turned around and went the same way back.