View Full Version : Where does the trail cross the road?
I'm driving from Seattle to New York City this summer and I would like to see the AT. Where is a good place to see it on my route from Seattle to New York?
Pardon, but just wondering what the attraction is?
What could you possibly "get" about 2,100 miles of trail from gandering at a few hundred yards of it?
That's like the blind man grabbing the tail of an elephant and concluding it is like a rope...
warraghiyagey
03-19-2008, 14:03
On I-80 or 78?? through Delaware Water Gap. But you'll have to get off and drive up to see the partof the trail that doesn't include the bridge.
Have fun.:):)
Appalachian Tater
03-19-2008, 14:05
If you're coming in on I-80 you'll intersect several times, but at Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania the trail shares the bridge with I-80. It would be a convenient place to see a little of the trail. The trail is heavily used near the roads, though, so it's not really representative of the trail.
max patch
03-19-2008, 14:05
Pardon, but just wondering what the attraction is?
What could you possibly "get" about 2,100 miles of trail from gandering at a few hundred yards of it?
That's like the blind man grabbing the tail of an elephant and concluding it is like a rope...
Thats what I initially thot also -- so I was going to suggest driving across the Bear Mountain Bridge -- can't get any closer than that!
But I think he wants a place where he can actually get out and hike the trail thats not too far out of his way.
Appalachian Tater
03-19-2008, 14:06
Pardon, but just wondering what the attraction is?
What could you possibly "get" about 2,100 miles of trail from gandering at a few hundred yards of it?
That's like the blind man grabbing the tail of an elephant and concluding it is like a rope...I first saw the trail driving on Skyline Drive. Never even set foot on it. Nothing wrong with having a first look.
Nevermind him Pest.
That was I touched my very first white blaze, very moving and exciting moment for me.
Assuming (BIG assumption here) that you are taking a relatively standard route, you will cross the AT at the PA NJ border at the Delaware Water Gap.
Pretty area to make a quick stop and hike a few miles either N or S if you have the time.
warraghiyagey
03-19-2008, 14:10
Nothing wrong with having a first look.
That's what I would have thought too.:rolleyes:
Appalachian Tater
03-19-2008, 14:15
Once I worked with a contract nurse from the midwest in her early twenties who had never seen the ocean. It was the middle of the winter but I drove her down to St. George so that she could walk on the beach, pick up some shells, wade in the cold water, and have some fresh seafood. She cried just from seeing the ocean. She didn't have to take the QE2 on a round-the-world cruise to get something out of it.
Good point Tater!
I would say DWG off of I-80 would be perfect. Getting off and back on here is really easy. The new visitor center right off the road will have maps. You can climb Mt. Tammany or Mt. Minsi rather easily. Also, Dunnfield Creek is nice. They can be crowed unfortunately, but during the week its not bad. It's also a great place to just get out of the car and check out the view.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=19860&catid=member&imageuser=11403
http://www.nps.gov/dewa/planyourvisit/kp.htm
little bear
03-19-2008, 15:40
Pardon, but just wondering what the attraction is?
What could you possibly "get" about 2,100 miles of trail from gandering at a few hundred yards of it?
That's like the blind man grabbing the tail of an elephant and concluding it is like a rope...
Everyone has to start some where, plus this person lives on the other side of the country, and has an intrest in the trail, why try and make them look like an idiot on a web page? They asked a question, why not answer it instead of being mean? Are we not all here to help eachother with a common love of the trail?
LB
Pardon, but just wondering what the attraction is?
What could you possibly "get" about 2,100 miles of trail from gandering at a few hundred yards of it?
That's like the blind man grabbing the tail of an elephant and concluding it is like a rope...
Man... why the negativity...
A few years after I moved to Georgia, I saw a map showing the road crossings in Georgia, I hopped in my car one afternoon, and drove to Woody Gap, got out walked a few hundred yards, then drove home. It was a great way to spend the day.
bullseye
03-19-2008, 15:56
You could detour north on 17 and 17A before you leave jersey and drive up to Harriman. Would be a nice way to spend a day exploring around.
I went to the smokies in November and climbed up Mt. Sterling. We got to the trailhead late and it was going to get dark soon but we knew the AT was close by so we drove the mile or so just to take our picture on it...just to say we'd been on it before.:)
Cookerhiker
03-19-2008, 16:04
From Seattle, I would think you were driving I-90 which becomes the Thruway in NY. At Albany, stay on the Thruway which proceeds south and becomes I-87. Get off at the Harriman exit (#15) and drive south on NY Rt. 17; you'll come to the Trail in a few miles. Turn left, cross the bridge over the Thruway (the road and bridge is part of the Trail), park in a lot on the right and hike a bit; you're in Harriman Park, the locale of the first white blazes.
fiddlehead
03-19-2008, 16:15
I still remember my first look at the PCT up in WA state about 20 years ago. I got out and walked about a mile, turned around, got back in my van and it was something that stuck in my mind and i also remember doing that part on my thru in '96!
Another place for you coming from Seattle to NY, is perhaps off of I84, where it crosses into NJ at Port Jervis, get off the Interstate, drive south a bit on route 23 and go to High Point State Park. I think this will get you away from Interstate noise and a nice drive and onto the trail somewhere where you will feel a bit more relaxed after driving that far.
Check it out on this link from a hiker's webpage that i bookmarked just yesterday from whiteblaze: http://www.fivemillionsteps.com/trailmap.php
You could even get back to the interstate by a different road (55) and cross the trail again right near high point shelter and hike in and see what all a shelter looks like.
Anyway, good luck on your drive. If you are not in a hurry and want to see America other than the Interstate method, may i suggest route 2 across the north, all the way to Michigan's UP. This is my favorite northerly cross country route. check it out if you like.
warraghiyagey
03-19-2008, 16:33
Once I worked with a contract nurse from the midwest in her early twenties who had never seen the ocean. It was the middle of the winter but I drove her down to St. George so that she could walk on the beach, pick up some shells, wade in the cold water, and have some fresh seafood. She cried just from seeing the ocean. .
Yup, last year about a month after I got off the trail I drove under the AT in Western mass, big guy, tears - that's the way it is and can be for some folk.:)
Everyone has to start some where, plus this person lives on the other side of the country, and has an intrest in the trail, why try and make them look like an idiot on a web page? They asked a question, why not answer it instead of being mean? Are we not all here to help eachother with a common love of the trail?
LB
:sun:sun:sun:sun
Man... why the negativity...
A few years after I moved to Georgia, I saw a map showing the road crossings in Georgia, I hopped in my car one afternoon, and drove to Woody Gap, got out walked a few hundred yards, then drove home. It was a great way to spend the day.
Ok, Ok. Duly and appropriately chastised. I formally apologize for my post, hang head in well-deserved shame.:(
I read the post verbatim, not picturing the possible larger purpose of the query. Pictured a tourist sticking their head out the window and saying, "Look Merle! The App-purr-latch-yun Tray-yul! Well, gahh-uh-ahh-leee!" (Not the most charitable image....)
Hope my bummout isn't contagious.
I remember the first time I saw the AT on Hump Mtn when I was 12, and thought "Wow, I can hike for months on that thing all the way to Maine! How Cool?!" It was inspirational.
Thanks for all the great responses. My goal is to see New York city and maybe drive down to DC too. This will be a family car camping vacation and I'll be lucky if I can do much hiking. My husband does not hike but I'm sure he would be willing to watch the kids for a few hours so I could at least say that I've set foot on the AT.
All I've seen of the PCT is the Southern Terminus and the place where it crosses I-90 outside of Seattle. I want to do a through hike but I have to wait until my kids are older. I just hope I can stay in good health until then.
This will be my first time back East not counting my airplane trip to Florida 20 years ago.
I had planned on coming in on I-90 but
I also want to see Schnectedy because one of my ancestors is a "founding father" I just realized that it might be better to drop down into New York from Schnectedy, in that case I would not be coming in from I-90. Maybe we could camp at Caroga Lake. I'll have to look at a map to see if the AT goes through Adirondack Park.
We won't leave until August so I have plenty of time to plan.
Thanks Again!
Lone Wolf
03-20-2008, 23:50
AT road-crossing-sniffer. :D
Appalachian Tater
03-20-2008, 23:56
This will be a family car camping vacation and I'll be lucky if I can do much hiking. My husband does not hike but I'm sure he would be willing to watch the kids for a few hours so I could at least say that I've set foot on the AT.If you are car camping there are dozens of places you could stay near the A.T. You will probably go right by Harriman State Park/Bear mountain area or you could do a very slight detour over to Clarence Fahnestock State Park. Why don't you find a good place to car camp for a day or two and take the whole family on some "walks" on the A.T.--even your husband will do it if you don't call it a hike. Upstate New York and the Hudson river are absolutely amazing. There are literally hundreds of parks and forests in the state.
Maybe we could camp at Caroga Lake. I'll have to look at a map to see if the AT goes through Adirondack Park.
No, it doesn't, that's a different set of mountains.
Here, these may help:
http://www.nynjtc.org/
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&q=schenectady+to+new+york+city&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl
Appalachian Tater
03-21-2008, 00:12
Here, the A.T. , follows up H-B-G-W-M, I believe. Someone will be along to correct me shortly.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/NortheastAppalachiansMap.jpg
FWIW, most road maps show the AT. If you're coming across via I-90 to Albany, and from there to NYC, you'll miss it. I mean, the AT does cross the Thruway, but a couple dozen miles west of NYC. Here's (http://www.terrapinphoto.com/cpg143/displayimage.php?album=6&pos=38) a photo of the Thruway from the AT.
Blue Jay
03-21-2008, 08:35
Yup, last year about a month after I got off the trail I drove under the AT in Western mass, big guy, tears - that's the way it is and can be for some folk.:)
:sun:sun:sun:sun
I drove under that walkway a thousand times prior to doing the trail, always imagining what it would be like to walk across it coming from Georgia. When I finally did it the joy was almost too much to take. I don't think you can go wrong. Any AT road crossing, if it's your first, will be majic.
Ok, Ok. Duly and appropriately chastised. I formally apologize for my post, hang head in well-deserved shame.:(
I read the post verbatim, not picturing the possible larger purpose of the query. Pictured a tourist sticking their head out the window and saying, "Look Merle! The App-purr-latch-yun Tray-yul! Well, gahh-uh-ahh-leee!" (Not the most charitable image....)
Hope my bummout isn't contagious.
I remember the first time I saw the AT on Hump Mtn when I was 12, and thought "Wow, I can hike for months on that thing all the way to Maine! How Cool?!" It was inspirational.
Being a TOURIST is bad?? Having a southern accent is bad??.................. Dern, I'm in trouble.
Patrickjd9
03-21-2008, 09:40
I first saw the trail driving on Skyline Drive. Never even set foot on it. Nothing wrong with having a first look.
I often do exactly that, brief visits to places while traveling.
I just saw the Alamo (from the outside) that way on a business trip a couple of weeks ago. Would I have preferred to have gone in while it was open and spent several hours? Sure, but that was no reason not to take the 20 minutes I had and have a look at the outside.
We're very picky about family car camping places after a couple of poor choices, and I tend to do brief drive in visits on Sunday afternoons on the way home from doing something else for the weekend.
Appalachian Tater
03-21-2008, 13:34
I just saw the Alamo (from the outside) that way on a business trip a couple of weeks ago. Would I have preferred to have gone in while it was open and spent several hours? Sure, but that was no reason not to take the 20 minutes I had and have a look at the outside. Don't worry, you missed zilch. The Alamo was one of the most disappointing tourist attractions I have ever been to. There really wasn't anything to see. The notability of the Alamo was in the events, certainly not the setting.
warraghiyagey
03-21-2008, 14:11
I drove under that walkway a thousand times prior to doing the trail, always imagining what it would be like to walk across it coming from Georgia. When I finally did it the joy was almost too much to take. I don't think you can go wrong. Any AT road crossing, if it's your first, will be majic.
Well said:sun
Cookerhiker
03-21-2008, 15:30
Thanks for all the great responses. My goal is to see New York city and maybe drive down to DC too. This will be a family car camping vacation and I'll be lucky if I can do much hiking. My husband does not hike but I'm sure he would be willing to watch the kids for a few hours so I could at least say that I've set foot on the AT.
All I've seen of the PCT is the Southern Terminus and the place where it crosses I-90 outside of Seattle. I want to do a through hike but I have to wait until my kids are older. I just hope I can stay in good health until then.
This will be my first time back East not counting my airplane trip to Florida 20 years ago.
I had planned on coming in on I-90 but
I also want to see Schnectedy because one of my ancestors is a "founding father" I just realized that it might be better to drop down into New York from Schnectedy, in that case I would not be coming in from I-90. Maybe we could camp at Caroga Lake. I'll have to look at a map to see if the AT goes through Adirondack Park.
We won't leave until August so I have plenty of time to plan.
Thanks Again!
From Schnectedy, you're almost in Albany which means the straightest shot to NYC is the Thruway (I-87) so you can stop by the Trail in Harriman Park as I mentioned in my previous post.
Re driving NYC to DC, the shortest way is the extremely boring NJ Turnpike and I-95. If you want to take an hour extra, drive west on I-80 and cross the Trail at the Delaware Water Gap as some others have mentioned. Then cut down PA Rt. 33 through Wind Gap (another Trail crossing) to I-78 which you take west to Harrisburg, pick up I-81, then I-83 to Baltimore where you pick up I-95 to DC.
Coming in August from the Pacific NW? Are you looking forward to East Coast humidity?;)
About the Humidity, I really would like to get an car with AC. We drove to Phoenix one year and the temperature was almost 110 Degrees F. So temerature wise NY does not look so bad but I forgot about the humidity. It is humid here right now but it is also raining. As a Seattle person I have no concept of humidity without rain. Should be intersting for us. Phoenix without AC was a real drag.
What is the average humidity and temperature in New York in August? Seattle has the best summer weather in the country I think but summer is the only time we can travel.
avg humidity is about 120 %
From Seattle, I would think you were driving I-90 which becomes the Thruway in NY. At Albany, stay on the Thruway which proceeds south and becomes I-87. Get off at the Harriman exit (#15) and drive south on NY Rt. 17; you'll come to the Trail in a few miles. Turn left, cross the bridge over the Thruway (the road and bridge is part of the Trail), park in a lot on the right and hike a bit; you're in Harriman Park, the locale of the first white blazes.
Thanks. I'm now thinking of camping at Harriman and using it as a base to see New York City from. While sitting in Seattle and looking at t map Harriman looks like the closest place to camp near New York City. Does this sound feasible?
From Schnectedy, you're almost in Albany which means the straightest shot to NYC is the Thruway (I-87) so you can stop by the Trail in Harriman Park as I mentioned in my previous post.
Re driving NYC to DC, the shortest way is the extremely boring NJ Turnpike and I-95. If you want to take an hour extra, drive west on I-80 and cross the Trail at the Delaware Water Gap as some others have mentioned. Then cut down PA Rt. 33 through Wind Gap (another Trail crossing) to I-78 which you take west to Harrisburg, pick up I-81, then I-83 to Baltimore where you pick up I-95 to DC.
Coming in August from the Pacific NW? Are you looking forward to East Coast humidity?;)
Thanks, I plugged that route into streets in tips and I think we will go that way. I found a National Park inside the DC beltway that we may stay at. I'm surprised there are so many campgrounds back East and the prices are lower then out here too. We do have free dispersed camping in the national forest and DNR campgrounds here but to pitch a tent in a Washington State park last year cost $17.00 were it looks like it is only $13.00 in a New York State Park.
Appalachian Tater
03-26-2008, 01:31
Clarence Fahnestock would work, too.
The Top 8
Bear Spring Mountain (http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7287866/bear_mountain_ny/bear_spring_mountain.html)
Bear Mountain State Park, Bear Mountain, NY
A few hours from the Big Apple, this Catskills retreat brings the wilderness to urbanites' doorsteps.
Beaver Pond Campsite (http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/11499771/stony_point_ny/beaver_pond_campsite.html)
800 County Route 106, Stony Point, NY
The mammoth Harriman Park plays host to legions of campers in its regal mountainous perch.
Bowman Lake State Park (http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7707778/oxford_ny/bowman_lake_state_park.html)
745 Bliven Sherman Rd, Oxford, NY
Among the dairy herds and cornfields of upstate New York, campers enjoy solitude and still waters.
Clarence Fahnestock State Park (http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7246790/carmel_ny/clarence_fahnestock_state_park.html)
Rte 301, Carmel, NY
Appalachian springs and a web of trails set the tone at this densely forested park.
Heckscher State Park (http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7496234/east_islip_ny/heckscher_state_park.html)
Heckscher Pkwy, East Islip, NY
Within the easternmost Big Apple suburbs, this Great South Bay park has it all--on land and in the water.
Hither Huills State Park (http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/32908824/montauk_ny/hither_huills_state_park.html)
Old Montauk Hwy, Montauk, NY
If you're willing to camp, you can take in the Hamptons at a fraction of the price.
Oquaga Creek State Park (http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7700010/bainbridge_ny/oquaga_creek_state_park.html)
5995 County Highway 20, Bainbridge, NY
Campers frolic in the wooded shade of this lovely upstate New York retreat.
Taconic State Park (Rudd Pond) (http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7604704/copake_falls_ny/taconic_state_park_rudd_pond_.html)
253 State Rte 344, Copake Falls, NY
A fishing pond for simple pleasures is just one of the treats at this varied park north of the Big Apple.
Thanks, it still looks like Harriman is the closest at 45 miles away. I don't know what traffic it like but Streets and Tips says it is a 1 hour drive.
Jim Adams
03-26-2008, 08:03
Schnectedy is not far from the Mass. border and the Great Barrington area...nice section of the AT there also.
geek
Jim Adams
03-26-2008, 08:07
If you're staying in the D.C. area, you could also access the AT in Maryland where it crosses I70 and Rt. 40...not far at all from D.C.
geek