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Backpaking In Harriman!!!


matty714

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Officially, you are supposed to camp only at the shelters. I was backpacking there for many years before I found this out. A ranger said that as long as you can see the shelter, they won't give you a hard time, meaning that you don't have to camp inside it. You can be a few hundred feet away.

 

That being said, as long as you are out of sight of the trail and don't make a lot of noise, you probably won't be bothered, especially in the winter.

 

One of my favorite short overnight trips is to start at the first visitors center (Reeves Brook I think its called) on 7 Lakes Drive and take the 7 Hills trail over the Tourne, then north towards Pine Meadow Lake...sometimes varying the route and taking the Raccoon Brook Hill trail. I've camped several times on Diamond Mtn, between the Hillburn/Tourne/Sebago trails and 7 Hills...and also between the 7 Hills and Pine Meadow trails. From here its a short hike out, so you can hang around the campsite for a while, or pack up, stash your pack and go for a dayhike.

 

Another favorite quick ovenighter is to start in Tuxedo, then hop on the Ramapo-Dundberg trail, then the Tuxedo Mt Ivy trail, past Smith's Den to the Triangle Trail, which I take north and make camp somewhere around Lake Skenoto.

 

One story. We were camped at Lake Wanosink right by the shore. We were partying pretty heartily and I had never staked down my tent. I crawled into it and passed out and the next morning I woke up and I was sleeping on the ceiling. The tent (a dome tent) had rolled about 15 feet down the hill toward the lake and was caught in the branches of a Mt Laurel bush, which saved it from going into the lake. It was partially hanging over the water and I couldn't get out the door :ph34r: .

 

As far as equipment, if you're going very soon, snowshoes, or at least crampons may be in order. Basic

backpacking gear is all you need for spending the night.

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Dave of TeamDEMP has a bunch of track logs he posted for another thread.

 

My only camping experience in Harriman was a one night stay at: Tom Jones Shelter

 

I then planned my Africa Loop series the next day. You are supposed to camp within view of a shelter, but I have found poeple camping a little further out. I would suggest telling someone where you will be AND bring a FRS radio, cellphones are useless in the area.

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Mt Laurel bush ???? Low income bushes ,hmmm

Oh, you meant Mountain Laurel.

Just teasing, that was a great link for equipment.

 

We camped at a group site, Cedar Ponds and then walked up to a shelter on top of a hill directly nort, blue blazed trail if I recall. Very pretty Alpine Meadow type of place. Near an unmarked trail called Bottle Cap , just up from Tiorati.

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The lean-tos in Harriman all have built in fireplaces, which is very nice for winter camping. They can also be A**hole magnets, attracting rowdy partiers, but this is less of a problem in winter. If you do opt to stay in a lean-to, finding dry wood can be a problem this time of year. You might want to carry in one of those duraflame logs, this will enable you to start a fire and thaw and dry out whatever wood you can find. Don't count on being able to cook over the flame, pack in a stove just in case you have problems with a fire. A tarp to tie across the front of the lean-to is good for keeping the lean-to warm. I wouldn't try and sleep out right now with a bag rated any less than zero degrees, you can read Brian's post on his Catskill backpack for an idea how comfortable a 20 degree bag is in winter. You also are going to want more insulation under you, a minimum of one inch, an inch and a half is better. You could try a regular full length pad with a light three quarter length thermarest. Water filters can ice up in winter, carry enough fuel to boil your drinking water and leave the filter home. Some people bring their boots into the sleeping bag, but that can be messy, plus frozen boots don't make good foot warmers. Just make sure they are spread open wide when you take them off, and a few minutes of stomping around will loosen them up in the morning. Do put your water bottles,socks and gloves in the sleeping bag with you. I sleep in pile booties and put the clothes I'm not wearing under my sleeping bag for extra insulation.

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My point was not to trust the temperature ratings made by sleeping bag manufacturers, you can get by at those ratings, but don't expect to be cozy. In winter, I like to carry a bag rated 20 degrees colder than anticipated temperatures, just in case.

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Last fall, I spent a solo night up at Big Hill; nobody showed up to spend the night, but many passed through until just about dusk. I had the place all to myself. I enjoyed my little fire, I enjoyed my whiskey and water, I read in the quiet, and I wrote in the log book Walkin' Ed had left; I slept better than I had in a long time. Woke up early, cleaned out the shelter, and made it back to my car to find that I had two flat tires -- both were slashed. Park police were notified and she informed me that I was lucky that only my tires were slashed. (I have emergency lights in my car, VF plates, and still someone mucked with it.) Rumor has it that they burn the cars that are left here.

 

The wrecker was called and he seemed pleased to have yet another source of income. He informed me that the Guardian of the Towers had struck again . . . that the Guardian didn't like people in his woods. I commented that the Guardian ought to be more concerned about all the houses that are going up, causing all the trees to come down more than some lone backpacker out in the woods.

 

Idiot.

 

So I payed to get a new used tire. I payed to get my car towed. Then I bought two brand new tires to put back on my car.

 

Other than that load of crap, I had a fine time camping.

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Funny, the recent Backpacker magazine just had a story about camping in Harriman and didn't mention that you had to stay within sight of a shelter. 

 

Where are you supposed to find these "official" regulations?

I heard this from a park ranger (or was it from someone who heard it from a park ranger?). Oddly enough I can't find anything about it online other than this blurb on the NYNJTC's website:

 

BACKPACKING - New York

 

Backpacking is allowed along the Appalachian Trail (see above), in Harriman-Bear Mountain State Park, in the Catskill Forest Preserve, and in Adirondacks.

 

HARRIMAN-BEAR MOUNTAIN STATE PARK. Camping is allowed only at the designated leanto sites scattered throughout the park. See the Trail Conference Harriman-Bear Mountain Trails map set. Fires are allowed in the fireplaces at the leantos, but wood is short and a lightweight backpacking stove is strongly recommended.

Edited by briansnat
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The recent Backpacker Magazine, the one with New Zeland Cover, ran the article about Harriman, but the article was an attempt at humor, was mocking of those who enjoy the outdoors, was a goof on unintiated city folk, in fact pictured people carrying in plastic wrapped bundles of firewood. No one should mistake that article as authoritative vis a vis backpacking. Want a nice shakedown, walk to Glen Gray fromSkyline drive, pre arrange a reservation at the lean tos. Or Walk over from Ramapo County Reservation with your back on, it is done commonly. BTW, earlier in same mag there was an offhand swipe at geocaching, while at the same time, not likely to offend GARMIN, a major ad source. There is enough terrain change in each of the shakedown routes to keep it interesting. Also the Bear Swamp area is pretty, nice place to rest awhile.

Edited by Packanack
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Regulations are posted at bulletin boards posted at major trail heads such as Reeves Brook or Long Mountain. They are in the usual form of incomprehensible bureaucratic gobbledy gook and are more for fullfilling legal requirements than informing the public. The thing to bear in mind is that Rangers patrol almost exclusively by vehicle, and the main way they are going to detect overnight campers is by the presense of their vehicles or the lights from their fires. Fires are the main reason why camping is restricted to designated sites. If you park in a legal overnight spot and follow DEC guidelines, that is be at least a half mile from the road, 150 feet from a trail or body of water and use a small backpacking stove, no one is even going to know you are there. If you must have a fire, build the fire so that it is not visible from the road, and keep it small and safe.

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Want a nice shakedown, walk to Glen Gray fromSkyline drive, pre arrange a reservation at the lean tos. Walk over from Ramapo County Reservation with your back on, it is done commonly

 

This is a nice idea. Glen Gray is a resource that is underused by the general public. It has everything from cabins, to lean-tos to unimproved campsite and backcountry sites.

 

You can reserve one of the backcountry sites, then pack in from Skyline Drive, or Ramapo Valley CR. You might be able to find a few caches along the way (BTW this one is not far from one of the backcountry campsites.

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The recent Backpacker Magazine, the one with New Zeland Cover, ran the article about Harriman, but the article was an attempt at humor, was mocking of those who enjoy the outdoors, was a goof on unintiated city folk, in fact pictured people carrying in plastic wrapped bundles of firewood. No one should mistake that article as authoritative vis a vis backpacking.

 

I didn't take it as an authority on backpacking but thought it interesting the article didn't mention staying near the shelters.

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