View Full Version : looking for a good overnight hike in the CT or NY area for next weekend
somers515
10-16-2015, 20:07
I live in NJ. My brother-in-law lives in MA. We are looking to meet in the middle and do an overnight hike next weekend. A 10ish mile hike the first day and a 6ish mile hike the second day would be ideal. It wouldn't need to be a loop since we'll have two cars.
Any great spots for an overnight hike suggestions on the Tunxis trail in CT? Or the Metacomet in CT? The AT in NY north of Bear Mtn Bridge? Anything else we should check out? Looking for any ideas!
Thanks in advance!
p.s. in the interest of full disclosure if the weather is absolutely perfect I may try to take a 1/2 day off from work on Friday and drive up to MA and we could bag a few peaks in NH. Parking on the Kanc and hiking up Passaconaway and Whiteface, camping off of the Kate Sleeper Trail and then hiking over Middle Tripyramid and North Tripyramid on the way back to the car. Obviously I've read enough on Whiteblaze that I won't be attempting a Whites overnight night hike in late October unless the weather is going to be excellent.
Leanthree
10-16-2015, 21:07
1) Shawangunk Ridge Trail is the first thing that pops into mind. Haven Road to Sam's Point Preserve should be a good hike. The maps are downloadable here about half way down the page: http://www.nynjtc.org/region/shawangunk-ridge-trail and there is a link to the Long Path guidebook that includes descriptions of that section.
2) Noodling around Harriman State park is also pretty fun. There are tons of trails to make a loop of the appropriate distance.
3) The AT from Salisbury, CT to Sheffield, MA is my favorite stretch of NY, CT or MA on the AT. Sages Ravine should be gorgeous this time of year as will the hike on Race Mtn. Stop into Great Barrington for a end of hike beer. Salisbury to Sheffield (US 7) is 21.4 miles which is a bit longer than you asked for. You can stop at Jug End Road which puts the hike at about 17 miles with some decent ups and downs in between.
Enjoy your Hike!
Sarcasm the elf
10-16-2015, 22:22
1)
3) The AT from Salisbury, CT to Sheffield, MA is my favorite stretch of NY, CT or MA on the AT. Sages Ravine should be gorgeous this time of year as will the hike on Race Mtn. Stop into Great Barrington for a end of hike beer. Salisbury to Sheffield (US 7) is 21.4 miles which is a bit longer than you asked for. You can stop at Jug End Road which puts the hike at about 17 miles with some decent ups and downs in between.
Enjoy your Hike!
I was going to suggest this as well, however I need to add the warning that if the weather is nice the trail will likely be packed and trailheads may be packed, so arrive early if you do this one. The area from Lion's head (just north of Salisbury, over Bear mountain, through Sage's ravine and especially the view of the "berkshire lowlands" from Mt. Race is once of the nicest hikes in Southern New England and should be spectacular this time of year.
This was the view from Mt. Race on Columbus day weekend a couple of years back:
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/2/6/4/6/5/six_in_the_morning_on_mt._racemass_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=43594)
Traveler
10-17-2015, 07:13
I would stay away from the Tunxis trail, especially the sections south of Nepaug. ATVs and mechanicals have really torn up the trail and will likely be a nuisance.
Since you stated your alternative best weather plans being some fairly serious hiking terrain, I agree with Elf and would suggest the Taconic Plateau offers perhaps the best bet for something south of NH. Two options exist here; the AT from Salisbury (Lions Head) to Jug End; or the South Taconic trail from the south access in Millerton over Alander through Bash Bish and end just north of Sunset rock or at the Ski area. Elf is right though, there will be a lot of people in those trails next weekend if the weather is good, though camping areas may not have the same level of traffic (that always is a crap shoot at this time of year).
You can't go wrong with the southern Taconics. Not as grand in stature as the Whites, but similarly beautiful on Bear, Race and Everett and in Sages. A very short side trip to get a good look, carefully, at Bear Rock Falls is very much worthwhile. Also, just north of Everett's summit are two fine overlooks. One is on a large rock ledge left of the trail maybe 100 feet NOBO of the sharp right turn at the summit. The other shoots off right of the trail into a grassy area with a storm shelter and a great view across the Housy Valley to Greylock. It's maybe a quarter mile NOBO of E's summit.
Sam's Point Preserve, at the western edge of the Gunks, has a fantastic loop trail of 8-9 miles that goes past a reservoir, a peak (High Point), and a waterfall, with a short ice-cave loop nearby.
http://www.nysparks.com/parks/193/details.aspx
My son and I were there on Thursday, and the colors were fantastic. Amid dwarf pitch pines (bright green) and lowbush blueberries (dark red), with maples, oaks, beech, and birch along the slopes and in the ravines, the trail from High Point to the waterfall passes over ledge rock with almlost constant views. Color is near peak. This place is well worth a trip, but I don't think you can camp in the preserve.
Many possibilities around RPH shelter in NY, and it is, how shall we say, uniquely accessible.
Be aware of the current reroute around the river crossing near Falls Village.
And if you enjoy the stone steps on the embankment where the AT drops down after the I-84 crossing nobo... :) I'm proud to have been one of the volunteers for trail work in that neighborhood. Good fun, come on down -- mid-July every year.
that staircase was so nice, i took a picture of it when going through there sobo in July. Thanks! ( I got to do some volunteering yesterday painting white blazes on our AT in CT. it was awesome!)
somers515
10-19-2015, 00:46
Ok I'm hearing a couple of votes for Shawangunk Ridge/Sam's Point Preserve and a couple of votes for the AT near Salisbury CT/Great Barrington, MA/Race Mtn . . .
Both sound great but before I choose I have a camping question. Let's say we spend the day hiking around Sam's Point Preserve - sounds amazing - but I'm reading you aren't allowed to camp in Minnewaska State Park. So we'd have to hike away from Sam's Point Preserve heading south (compass west) on the Long Path/Shawangunk Ridge Trail on South Gully trail and cross Route 52 to get to DEC land about 4 miles away. I've read that camping is allowed 125 feet from the trail once you reach DEC land but my question has anyone camped there or seen spots there? How far after you cross Route 52 would you find these spots? How can I tell that I've entered DEC land?
Also the video link for Sam's Point was pretty amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nah7i2TbIt0
I assume the large waterfall is Verkeerder Kill Falls but what is the huge ridge shown at about 1:21? High Point trail? Verkeerder Kill Falls trail?
Thanks in advance for the assistance and thank you all who have already chimed in with suggestions!
enduranceron
10-19-2015, 09:28
The Mohawk Trail in CT is a good weekend hike. 23 miles, two lean-to's, begins and end at the AT and it is actually the old AT before the 70's/80's re-route.
that staircase was so nice, i took a picture of it when going through there sobo in July. Thanks! ( I got to do some volunteering yesterday painting white blazes on our AT in CT. it was awesome!)
Just to be clear -- between the bridge, the embankment and the staircase, there were dozens of volunteers and many hundreds of person-hours, over a two or three year span. There's a big work party out of RPH shelter middle of July every year. Great food, great people, and camping on site. This summer's work, among other things, was the two tent platforms out behind the shelter.
Somers15: Yes, the waterfall is Verkeerder Kill Falls, and the rock expanse early in the video is High Point. I think the long rocky ridge shown later is a view looking west/northwest of the western edge of the Gunks, with Lake Maratanza in the background. It's a nice video, and if you can mentally convert the green in the ravines is into screaming yellow and orange, you'll have an idea of what we saw last Thursday.
Sorry I can't help with camping info. We live in Connecticut and do this hike as a day trip. It's Monday morning now; will you be posting a trip report?
somers515
10-19-2015, 15:38
Enduranceron: The Mohawk Trail Loop sounds like it would be really great. I like how it used to the be AT - that's cool. I couldn't find much information about the loop though. I found this one website http://mohawktrailct.org/ but nothing much else. Do you know where I can get a map of the loop or any other information about the trial?
Tiptoe: I'll definitely do a little trip report but I haven't left yet - we are hoping to hike this upcoming weekend. I really like the Sam's Point Preserve. I'm only a little worried that it's a longer drive for my MA brother-in-law. I know from my research and from actually talking to a ranger that camping would be legal on DEC land 150 ft off the Long Path just south of 52 and the Sam's Point Preserve but I haven't talked to anyone or read anywhere that it is in fact feasible in that particular section. Still working on it.
enduranceron
10-19-2015, 16:02
I'll take a pic of the CT Walk Book map of the Mohawk Trail tonight when I get home. But this site has a good map of it too.
http://connecticutexplorer.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-mohawk-blue-blazed-trail.html
Sarcasm the elf
10-19-2015, 19:00
I'll take a pic of the CT Walk Book map of the Mohawk Trail tonight when I get home. But this site has a good map of it too.
http://connecticutexplorer.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-mohawk-blue-blazed-trail.html
A portion of the mohawk trsil is closed each year for the couple of weeks leading up to halloween (Due to repeated incidents of thrill seekers ghosthunting on a adjacent property and leading to nighttime S&R calls) Keep this in mind when planning any trips.
Overnight camping on the mohawk also requires a free permit that is obtained via snail mail request to the CT DEEP.
This old thread has some planning info as well as an older copy of the loop map.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/90824-Connecticut-Mohawk-loop-advice
somers515
10-19-2015, 21:07
Thank you very much enduranceron and elf - super helpful! Very much appreciated.
I talked to my brother-in-law and he doesn't mind driving a little more and so I think we are settling in on Sam's Point Preserve for this weekend but we'll definitely try the Mohawk in CT next time we have a long weekend.
Ok going to try to go through a few Long Path trail journals to see if I can determine if anyone has camped on the DEC land just south of Sam's Point Preserve . .
Sarcasm the elf
10-19-2015, 21:16
Thank you very much enduranceron and elf - super helpful! Very much appreciated.
I talked to my brother-in-law and he doesn't mind driving a little more and so I think we are settling in on Sam's Point Preserve for this weekend but we'll definitely try the Mohawk in CT next time we have a long weekend.
Ok going to try to go through a few Long Path trail journals to see if I can determine if anyone has camped on the DEC land just south of Sam's Point Preserve . .
The Mohawk trail is awesome and makes a great 3-4 day loop with the A.T. You may already know, but it is actually the old A.T. route from decades ago, it was closed for a number of years but eventually re-opened as a Connecticut blue trail. It both more rugged and more beautiful than the new A.T. section in my opinion.
somers515
10-25-2015, 16:28
Thank you all again for the suggestions. My brother-in-law and I do this kind of thing at least a couple of times a year so we'll definitely be trying the other suggestions soon.
Here is the requested Trip report:
We arrived on Saturday close to 9am at Sam's Point Preserve and the parking lot was filling up fast. $10 per car to park but it was well worth it. We hiked a 10-11 mile loop. Starting off bearing left up to Lake Maratanza and worked our way up to the High Point Trail (our favorite part) with all the amazing views from the cliffs and we barely saw anyone. Checked out Verkeerder Kill Falls which was nice with the 180 foot drop but the water wasn't rushing very much and it was a little crowded. The Ice caves were crowded too but we are really glad we did this extra loop. Finished up at Sam's Point (I'll see if i can include a picture). Finished a little after 3 and drove out to nearby Roosa Gap Forest. There is a free small about 3-4 car parking lot up near the fire tower. The road to this new parking lot gets a little dicey at the very end so be warned. The fire tower was unlocked and offered some nice views and then we hiked north on the Long Path/Shawangunk Ridge Trail. Camping is permitted on DEC land 150 feet from the trail, trailheads, water etc. It took a little searching but we eventually found an unmarked path off the Long Path about a mile in and walked down it a bit and found a couple of decent spots for a small tent or hammock. Rained over night but we stayed dry and it let up as we were having breakfast. A great way to spend the weekend and I have you guys to thank! If anyone would like any more details or has any questions let me know.
somers515
10-25-2015, 16:33
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Sam's Point with the Visitor's Center in the background.
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. The trail from High Point to the falls is our favorite part. So much color, so many viewpoints. We were surprised to find the falls flowing at all, given how dry it has been in our area the last few months. When the water is rushing, the falls are truly spectacular.
somers515
10-28-2015, 13:42
Completely agree - thanks tiptoe!
Jay Laveroni
10-30-2015, 10:27
Escarpement trail in catskill mts. Start at North south lake finish in Windham.