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natureboy68
08-18-2013, 11:22
Stopped at fingerboard for lunch on the way from bald rock shelter, before taking the AT back to car at elk pen. The log book is full, roof seems to be in good shape, no food box, trash in both fireplaces, didn't walk down to spring source, but given that its August, doubtful it was flowing, tank up at surebridge brook if going NOBO, pretty area, lots of places to camp out near the shelter area, but no water and no privies, the bane of Harriman shelters!!
Some pics:
23531
23532

The Greenman
08-18-2013, 11:57
Being from "around these parts" you probably know as well as I do, that maintaining these shelters just a short drive north of NYC can be challenging - to say the least! The NY/NJ trail Conference volunteers certainly have their work cut out for them. Have passed through this area many times in the past to find shelters/facilities trashed etc.

A.T.Lt
08-18-2013, 12:18
Its one of those shelters that probably get soo much traffic, being dayhikers and backpackers..a shame because it would be a nice shelter, but logistically probably one the most difficult to maintain

hikerboy57
08-18-2013, 12:38
Its one of those shelters that probably get soo much traffic, being dayhikers and backpackers..a shame because it would be a nice shelter, but logistically probably one the most difficult to maintain it is a nice shelter and its usually pretty clean

A.T.Lt
08-18-2013, 13:29
I was at the Wildcat Shelter last week ,and must say the access trail is better in the sense you arent trampling through the water source anymore, but it was a MESS! i packed out as much garbage in my pack as I could and it was still a wreck

LionDog
08-18-2013, 18:00
Thanks for the report. I will be heading there in Sept. Was there last year. Nice grounds and a lot of tent sites. Heading to West Mountain shelter next weekend. Always some sort of mess going on up there. But I will report back and let folks who may be interested.

NYRaider
03-02-2017, 19:14
Stopped by Fingerboard on 2-23-17.
New roof installed.
38461

stbob
03-04-2017, 21:46
Celebrated my Presidents Day at the Fingerboard Shelter...
https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-tKcGBSC/0/L/fingerboard001-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-t9g2n7x/0/L/fingerboard016-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-WHSB5zR/0/L/fingerboardshelter-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-P7Tzgsw/0/L/fingerboard003-L.jpg

View from inside the shelter...
https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-nW4PSCB/0/L/insideshelter-L.jpg

Looking up at the Fingerboard shelter from down at the watering hole...
https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-22XK2mt/0/L/fingerboard012-L.jpg

Picked out a plot for my personal shelter. Plenty of snow upon arrival...
https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-cpGmg3v/0/L/fingerboard007-L.jpg

Several hours of 50+ degree weather and voila, no more snow...
https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-7nXKWWN/0/L/morning-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-tgcp6dr/0/L/nosnow-L.jpg

The snow melt making the Fingerboard spring great again...
https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-p4DNVbG/0/L/fingerboard015-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-9wGQ2QV/0/L/fingerboard013-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Fingerboard-Shelter/i-LBZGgKr/0/L/fingerboard014-L.jpg

MikeySocks
05-08-2017, 20:00
FYI, a bear was spotted on 2 different incidents on the weekend of May 5th. Once on the trail heading almost towards the shelter and another at the shelter itself when hikers were there. Bear was not easily deterred and hikers moved along.

cafefrog83
05-22-2017, 08:34
An another Fingerboard report:
I stayed there Sat, May 20th, 2017. The shelter was full of boyscouts, backpackers, and a group of Army soldiers (30+ people). Everyone hung there food (no bear boxes, but there should be) and trash was picked up. Around 4am a bear came in the shelter area, climbed a tree and stole my bear bag. We tried to scare it off, but it wasn't phased. I lost the bag which contained all my food, cook set, stove, etc. It came back around 1 hour later and was searching the area again, walking within a foot of a hammock camper and wasn't phased by humans. This is a problematic bear and I will be calling Harriman State Park today to report it. According to the shelter log, this has been happening regularly for a few weeks. One women in the log recorded the bear walking up to her at the shelter while she was packing and took the food bag that was sitting with her other gear. Be warned and if possible, avoid Fingerboard until this bear is relocated.

Climber714
02-20-2018, 13:43
Any update on the bear issue at Fingerboard?

kolokolo
04-16-2019, 21:33
Hi All,

Any 2019 intel on whether there have been any reports of problem bears around Fingerboard?

I'm going to be hiking from Bear Mountain to DWG next month, and am hoping to stay at this shelter.

Thanks.

Teacher & Snacktime
04-17-2019, 16:35
I stayed there last Thursday....no indication of a bear. Hung our food a good distance, but saw no evidence of it being bothered.

smithjv
04-26-2019, 13:52
I will be staying there in a couple weeks.
If water source is dry, is there a trail down to Tiorati Lake (@500 yards?) rather than N on the trail to Arden Valley Rd?

Sarcasm the elf
04-26-2019, 14:50
I will be staying there in a couple weeks.
If water source is dry, is there a trail down to Tiorati Lake (@500 yards?) rather than N on the trail to Arden Valley Rd?
If things keep up like they have been, you’re more likely to have to worry about dealing with too much water. Just given the rain we’ve had recently I can’t imagine the source at Fingerboard drying up any time soon.

imscotty
04-26-2019, 15:18
If things keep up like they have been, you’re more likely to have to worry about dealing with too much water. Just given the rain we’ve had recently I can’t imagine the source at Fingerboard drying up any time soon.

and rain is in the forecast for almost every day during the next two weeks. Enjoy!

Teacher & Snacktime
04-27-2019, 14:08
What water source? We filled up at the brook near Island Pond, then at Tiorati. Wasn't aware the shelter had a source.

Feral Bill
04-27-2019, 14:33
There used to be a spring downhill a bit. It was scarily near a privy. This was long, long ago. Certainly getting water before and after makes sense. It would be easy to cook at the same time, too.

Sarcasm the elf
04-27-2019, 20:20
What water source? We filled up at the brook near Island Pond, then at Tiorati. Wasn't aware the shelter had a source.

If you’re sitting in the shelter facing out, there is a spring to the right and a little ways down the hill. I want to say it’s less than 100 yards from the shelter, but I can’t remember exactly. The water from the spring then flows down the hill to the bottom and there is usually some water to be found down where the land levels off as well.

Teacher & Snacktime
04-28-2019, 23:11
If you’re sitting in the shelter facing out, there is a spring to the right and a little ways down the hill. I want to say it’s less than 100 yards from the shelter, but I can’t remember exactly. The water from the spring then flows down the hill to the bottom and there is usually some water to be found down where the land levels off as well.

It was probably frozen when we made our trip, and I remember being told to bring water. I'm pretty sure the guides don't list it, but good to know, Thanks Elf. My son enjoyed the shelter so there's a possibility of a return trip.

Mouser999
05-28-2019, 18:14
Is there a bear box or cables at Fingerboard?

coach lou
05-29-2019, 07:17
Is there a bear box or cables at Fingerboard?

There are not. There should be cables, but Harriman/ Bear Mn. Park get sooooooooo many people......every weekend the Bear Boxes would be full of trash.

Feral Bill
05-29-2019, 10:25
There are not. There should be cables, but Harriman/ Bear Mn. Park get sooooooooo many people......every weekend the Bear Boxes would be full of trash. Many years ago Harriman shelter's had privies, too. And before that some had wells with pumps. All gone now due to vandals and slobs.

Mouser999
05-29-2019, 14:42
per some info I requested:
Hall, Jim (PARKS) <[email protected]>
Currently there is no Bear Box or
Cable at Fingerboard Shelter. We are currently planning a Cable to be
installed by the NY/NJ Trail Conference The Trail
Conference crew is looking to install in about two - three weeks.

Jim Hall

FreeGoldRush
05-29-2019, 17:24
There is a hilariously bad bear problem at this shelter right now. A bear appears to be getting food bags almost nightly. He isn’t shy about visiting you in your tent either. I planned to stop there but moved on after talking to a local. For two weeks I keep hearing crazy bear stories on the trail from people who stayed there.

Hope the cables get installed soon and work. The bear will likely give the cables a good test for a while. In the meantime, people need to avoid this shelter. If going north it’s an easy walk to the next shelter.

coach lou
05-29-2019, 17:36
I have seen more bears in Harriman than anywhere else......ever!

Feral Bill
05-29-2019, 18:06
I have seen more bears in Harriman than anywhere else......ever! This is funny to me. Back in my Harriman days (60s and 70s) there were no bears at all in Harriman / Bear Mountain, excepting the zoo. I'd call it an improvement.
.

coach lou
05-30-2019, 06:58
This is funny to me. Back in my Harriman days (60s and 70s) there were no bears at all in Harriman / Bear Mountain, excepting the zoo. I'd call it an improvement.
.

No different than Osprey and Red Tailed Hawks. When you and I were kids, you had to go to Maine or Alaska to see these beautiful birds. Today here on the Connecticut coast they are like pigeons!!!! Every estuary has a flock.............drive down I-95 and count the Red Tailed Hawks up on the lamp post.....waiting.
Seems to me that the more apex predators out there, the better the environment must be! :sun

Feral Bill
05-30-2019, 11:01
No different than Osprey and Red Tailed Hawks. When you and I were kids, you had to go to Maine or Alaska to see these beautiful birds. Today here on the Connecticut coast they are like pigeons!!!! Every estuary has a flock.............drive down I-95 and count the Red Tailed Hawks up on the lamp post.....waiting.
Seems to me that the more apex predators out there, the better the environment must be! :sun Which reminds me, I have plans to photohraph an Osprey this AM. Off I go.

MichaelK7
06-02-2019, 10:19
I was passing by Fingerboard two weeks ago, considering camping in the area, and turned around to see a very large bear watching me. This bear had no fear of me whatsoever, and started to follow me as I moved away. Thankfully, after stoping again , yelling at it, and then continuing to move away, it stopped following me. I ended up hiking another few miles in the dark, and camping elsewhere.
I do not know if this is the same bear that was stealing food a while back, but either way I would consider it to be a problem bear, and recommend people use the Brien shelter instead of Fingerboard.
Be safe!

cafefrog83
06-02-2019, 20:22
That is the same behavior that was witnessed a year or two ago. The bear is not afraid of humans and returned to camp in the AM sniffing hammock campers.

I did report it to the park but they didn’t seem concerned.



I was passing by Fingerboard two weeks ago, considering camping in the area, and turned around to see a very large bear watching me. This bear had no fear of me whatsoever, and started to follow me as I moved away. Thankfully, after stoping again , yelling at it, and then continuing to move away, it stopped following me. I ended up hiking another few miles in the dark, and camping elsewhere.
I do not know if this is the same bear that was stealing food a while back, but either way I would consider it to be a problem bear, and recommend people use the Brien shelter instead of Fingerboard.
Be safe!

Mouser999
06-28-2019, 17:17
per some info I requested:
Hall, Jim (PARKS) <[email protected]>
Currently there is no Bear Box or
Cable at Fingerboard Shelter. We are currently planning a Cable to be
installed by the NY/NJ Trail Conference The Trail
Conference crew is looking to install in about two - three weeks.
Additional Info as of 06/28

It is being installed next
Tuesday.




































Can
you advise if bear cable has been installed yet?

I
had written to you in May. in ref. to a cable at Fingerboard.

Thanks

blackmagic
09-14-2019, 11:28
Bear cables were installed at Fingerboard shelter in July of 2019.

coach lou
09-14-2019, 12:10
Bear cables were installed at Fingerboard shelter in July of 2019.

Awesome! Haven't been to Harriman since GHD I.........We may have to call MLK for Fingerboard to try them out!

MichaelK7
09-22-2019, 15:41
I'm glad to hear that the cables have finally been installed.
I'd still be wary of camping in a location with a bear that is known to sniff hikers laying in their hammocks...

Mouser999
09-23-2019, 06:46
I was there last week to check the place out. left behind were a lantern and an AM/FM/Weather radio with a solar panel and some books.
No water at spring.

Teacher & Snacktime
09-28-2019, 19:42
Awesome! Haven't been to Harriman since GHD I.........We may have to call MLK for Fingerboard to try them out!


My son and I stayed at Fingerboard this April. No sign of a bear, but the freezing temps may have accounted for that. The fireplaces were greatly appreciated. BTW, I made it from Elk Pen to Fingerboard with a full winter pack under my own steam.....just to prove to myself I could. (of course we bailed the next morning and hitched a ride at Tiorati back to the car....brrrrr....so essentially duplicated my first MLK hike.)


Remember......

https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/entry.php/8067-NO-HIKER-LEFT-BEHIND-Part-One

https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/entry.php/8070-NO-HIKER-LEFT-BEHIND-Part-Two


Shame I never got around to finishing this....or the hike.

blackmagic
12-07-2019, 19:28
Confirming bear cables have been installed at Fingerboard Shelter. Taken 7 December 2019.

I didn't bother to take pictures of the cables, as they would have been difficult to see in a photo, but they are there where the sign at the shelter says they should be, with more signs nailed to the trees themselves.

45913

Sarcasm the elf
12-07-2019, 21:58
Confirming bear cables have been installed at Fingerboard Shelter. Taken 7 December 2019.

I didn't bother to take pictures of the cables, as they would have been difficult to see in a photo, but they are there where the sign at the shelter says they should be, with more signs nailed to the trees themselves.

45913
Glad to hear it and thank you for the update!

MichaelK7
08-11-2020, 10:24
Fingerboard and Bald Rocks shelters/camping areas in Harriman are both currently closed due to bear activity. I haven't been in that area in a while, so I don't know how strictly this is being enforced.

MichaelK7
05-03-2021, 11:03
Update- both shelters are open again.