View Full Version : Harriman Over-Nighter - Advice Request
Anyone have any "good" legal overnight parking spots/lots in or around Harriman State Park? We live in Clifton, NJ, so I'd like something along the South West/East portion of the park if at all possible. I thought I found something last night about Tuxedo Bus/Train Station allowing overnight parking, but I found a link this AM that says it does not.
Thanks
hikerboy57
08-23-2013, 11:32
you can park at elk pen, ive parked there many times without a problem. you can also park at the parking lot at bear mtn.
Interesting - thanks. Spoke with the Police Department and was told overnight parking is allowed in Kanawauke Lake parking as well as in Tom Jones hiker's lot... both are up-aways from Reeves Meadows parking lot. Is this the one lot you are referring to as the Bear Mountain Parking lot?
hikerboy57
08-23-2013, 11:58
no the lot i was talking about is right near the bear mtn inn at the north end of the park. if you're looking to do the area around reeves meadow brook, i know overnight pkg is not allowed at the visitor center. i have parked at various parking turnouts throughout the park and never had a problem. these spots are marked on the ny/nj trail maps.
ezdoesit
08-23-2013, 21:52
Anyone have any "good" legal overnight parking spots/lots in or around Harriman State Park? We live in Clifton, NJ, so I'd like something along the South West/East portion of the park if at all possible. I thought I found something last night about Tuxedo Bus/Train Station allowing overnight parking, but I found a link this AM that says it does not.
Thanks
When are you going and for how long ?
stranger
08-25-2013, 03:25
Suffern-Bear Mountain trail is by far the best hiking in Harriman, the AT is very mediocre through Harriman. I've never had a problem parking at any legal or illegal spot in Harriman, and would have gotten out of the ticket anyhow cause papa was a copper, but never had a problem in 15 years.
Another Kevin
08-25-2013, 11:05
Anyone have any "good" legal overnight parking spots/lots in or around Harriman State Park? We live in Clifton, NJ, so I'd like something along the South West/East portion of the park if at all possible. I thought I found something last night about Tuxedo Bus/Train Station allowing overnight parking, but I found a link this AM that says it does not.
It's been a while since I tried to spot a car there. Overnight parking is forbidden in the station lot (it's metered), but they used to allow it on weekends in the overflow parking on East Village Road going down toward the bridge. That may have changed, it's always been a suburban community that sees hikers as vagrants, going back to the days when it was a posh resort town. (The tuxedo was named for the town - because fashionable gentlemen there started wearing them in preference to tailcoats.)
Elk Pen works well. I've also never been bothered at the circle on Johnsontown Road. When the road into Elk Pen was closed a couple of years back, I also used the lot on Hall Drive off the Orange Turnpike. It's about a three-quarter-mile roadwalk from there into the park over the pedestrian bridge at Southfields. And as hikerboy57 said, there are turnouts all through the park that are legal.
LIhikers
08-26-2013, 20:17
Let me suggest you buy the Harriman maps put out by the NY/NJ Trail Conference. The maps show all of the parking spots.
I think I've parked at all of them, and never had a problem. Of course that's no insurance you won't.
Maybe pick your overnight spot first, figure how many miles you want to hike in a day, then find parking at that distance from the camping spot.
Turkey Sandwich
08-30-2013, 04:28
As of last year, you could pay $2 or so to park at the Tuxedo Train Station. Not the parking lot right next to the tracks, but there's another one if you're heading north parallel to the tracks, and make the first right over the stream. On the left side of that road is a parking lot with metered spaces.
I've also parked at the Lake Tiorati campground for free (close to the Fingerboard shelter), although this was off season, so there might be fees in the summer.
Have you considered just taking the train up? It's only like an hour or so ride from Seacaucus, if I remember correctly.
fredmugs
08-30-2013, 08:33
Advice? Don't get lost. I was hiking there and it was near dark and didn't realize the tree markers had turned into white blazes with a red dot in the middle. After my stupid mistake I somehow managed to do a 5 mile loop back into the exact same shelter where I was completely baffled.
fredmugs
08-30-2013, 08:33
Advice? Don't get lost. I was hiking there and it was near dark and didn't realize the tree markers had turned into white blazes with a red dot in the middle. After my stupid mistake I somehow managed to do a 5 mile loop back into the exact same shelter where I was completely baffled.
Another Kevin
08-30-2013, 09:01
Advice?* Don't get lost.* I was hiking there and it was near dark and didn't realize the tree markers had turned into white blazes with a red dot in the middle.* After my stupid mistake I somehow managed to do a 5 mile loop back into the exact same shelter where I was completely baffled.**
Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail. It shares treadway with the AT for some miles. Years ago, you would see just its blazes, because R-D is the older trail, but for a long time the common portion is marked with both. The junctions are pretty obvious, but if you're not paying attention you can head for Tuxedo instead of Elk Pen, or Dunderberg instead of Bear Mountain. It makes a nice blue blaze if you combine it with Cornell Mine and Suffern-Bear Mountain.