MOWGLI
04-16-2006, 09:58
AUN: Get on track and hit new hiking path
Checkout this article. The implication for the AT hiker is that you'll be able to take the AT to The Shawangunk Ridge Trail (at High Point State Park in NJ) to this new trail to the train. The train will then take you to Hoboken, NJ where you can take the PATH Train into NYC. It's all about connections, and this is a dandy on!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger
In announcing its latest land purchase -- 267 acres near Port Jervis, N.Y., that will include a new hiking path -- The New York/New Jersey Trail Conference noted people will be able to take a train to the trail.
That is true. Port Jervis is the last stop on the Metro-North/NJ Transit line that runs from Orange County, N.Y., through North Jersey, to Hoboken.
But even a trail conference official said there's a drawback to that idea. Depending on where one boards the Metro-North/N.J. Transit train, getting to the new trail could take more than two hours. For those boarding in Hoboken, "it's a long ride," acknowledged the conference's trails director, Larry Wheelock.
That's one downside to riding the train to the proposed trail. Another is the fact that New York/New Jersey metropolitan area residents will be pretty far from home once they set foot on the trails near Port Jervis. What happens if somebody sprains an ankle and takes a long time to hobble back to the train station? That red light headed east down the old Erie mainline is the tail-end of your ride home.
However, if planned properly and approached with the right frame of mind, taking the train to the trail stands to be an enjoyable way to spend a day. The key is to view the train as a sightseeing excursion, more than just a means of transportation. "It may very well be something suitable for a family outing," said Wheelock. "The train ride is going to be lot of fun."
The route to Port Jervis is full of scenic beauty, especially in autumn when leaves are colorful. Among the highlights along the way is the famous Moodna Viaduct, a century-old, iron trestle 193 feet high and more than a half-mile long.
"That is one of the most picturesque rides you can imagine," said Wheelock. "The train ride becomes part of the adventure. When you're done hiking, you can get back on and all fall asleep on the way home."
The beauty will not end once you depart the train in Port Jervis. The new trail will connect the southern section of the 35-mile-long Shawangunk Ridge Trail. "It's very beautiful up there," said Wheelock. "There are some very grand views."
The Shawangunk Ridge Trail connects to the Appalachian Trail at High Point and to The Long Path in the Wurtsboro Ridge Forest Preserve.
Wheelock said the new trail, expected to be blazed later this year, will not be difficult to hike. That's a good thing for hikers who take the train to the trail and don't want to go too far afield. "I think the trails being developed near there probably lend themselves to a fairly short, gentle hikes and may very well be suitable for families," said Wheelock.
The Trail Conference's purchase of the 267-acre swath -- which lies in the Orange County towns of Deerpark and Greenville, just east of Port Jervis -- culminates many years of planning and negotiation.
"This acquisition has long been a high priority for the Trail Conference which, for years, has been actively protecting and enhancing a network of long-distance trail corridors in our region," said a Trail Conference statement. "It represents the single largest acquisition that the Conference has completed to date."
The land connects to 635 acres of land in Deerpark and Greenville also owned by the Trail Conference. The organization said all the property will be transferred to New York State and become part of Huckleberry Ridge State Forest "nearly tripling the forest's size to over 1,400 acres from its current 500-plus acres."
Checkout this article. The implication for the AT hiker is that you'll be able to take the AT to The Shawangunk Ridge Trail (at High Point State Park in NJ) to this new trail to the train. The train will then take you to Hoboken, NJ where you can take the PATH Train into NYC. It's all about connections, and this is a dandy on!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger
In announcing its latest land purchase -- 267 acres near Port Jervis, N.Y., that will include a new hiking path -- The New York/New Jersey Trail Conference noted people will be able to take a train to the trail.
That is true. Port Jervis is the last stop on the Metro-North/NJ Transit line that runs from Orange County, N.Y., through North Jersey, to Hoboken.
But even a trail conference official said there's a drawback to that idea. Depending on where one boards the Metro-North/N.J. Transit train, getting to the new trail could take more than two hours. For those boarding in Hoboken, "it's a long ride," acknowledged the conference's trails director, Larry Wheelock.
That's one downside to riding the train to the proposed trail. Another is the fact that New York/New Jersey metropolitan area residents will be pretty far from home once they set foot on the trails near Port Jervis. What happens if somebody sprains an ankle and takes a long time to hobble back to the train station? That red light headed east down the old Erie mainline is the tail-end of your ride home.
However, if planned properly and approached with the right frame of mind, taking the train to the trail stands to be an enjoyable way to spend a day. The key is to view the train as a sightseeing excursion, more than just a means of transportation. "It may very well be something suitable for a family outing," said Wheelock. "The train ride is going to be lot of fun."
The route to Port Jervis is full of scenic beauty, especially in autumn when leaves are colorful. Among the highlights along the way is the famous Moodna Viaduct, a century-old, iron trestle 193 feet high and more than a half-mile long.
"That is one of the most picturesque rides you can imagine," said Wheelock. "The train ride becomes part of the adventure. When you're done hiking, you can get back on and all fall asleep on the way home."
The beauty will not end once you depart the train in Port Jervis. The new trail will connect the southern section of the 35-mile-long Shawangunk Ridge Trail. "It's very beautiful up there," said Wheelock. "There are some very grand views."
The Shawangunk Ridge Trail connects to the Appalachian Trail at High Point and to The Long Path in the Wurtsboro Ridge Forest Preserve.
Wheelock said the new trail, expected to be blazed later this year, will not be difficult to hike. That's a good thing for hikers who take the train to the trail and don't want to go too far afield. "I think the trails being developed near there probably lend themselves to a fairly short, gentle hikes and may very well be suitable for families," said Wheelock.
The Trail Conference's purchase of the 267-acre swath -- which lies in the Orange County towns of Deerpark and Greenville, just east of Port Jervis -- culminates many years of planning and negotiation.
"This acquisition has long been a high priority for the Trail Conference which, for years, has been actively protecting and enhancing a network of long-distance trail corridors in our region," said a Trail Conference statement. "It represents the single largest acquisition that the Conference has completed to date."
The land connects to 635 acres of land in Deerpark and Greenville also owned by the Trail Conference. The organization said all the property will be transferred to New York State and become part of Huckleberry Ridge State Forest "nearly tripling the forest's size to over 1,400 acres from its current 500-plus acres."