Avoid getting lost in Harriman State Park, New York, even when you have the hard-copy maps. The digital maps for your Iphone, Ipad or Android phone are perfect for pinpointing your exact position on the hiking trails — and for multiple other functions. Plus, they’re fun to use!
Get A Free Downloadable Hiking Trail Map of the Entire Harriman (with parking areas and lean-tos)
If you’re looking for a download-able trail map for Harriman State Park in New York, you can get it here:
Harriman State Park Trails, Shelters and Parking Areas: A Free PDF Map to Download
If you’re looking for a free copy of the Bear Mountain day hike map, you can find it here.
Never Get Lost: Download the New York New Jersey Trail Conference Maps for Iphone, Ipad or Android
You can also download an interactive trail map for your Iphone, Ipad or Android smart phone, and — trust me — you’ll love it!
You’ll love it because, unlike a hard-copy, hand-held map, the digital map allows you to pinpoint your position precisely on any trail (or off it!) within Harriman State Park.
And here’s why that’s great. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come across hikers who are lost in Harriman State Park, even with the paper maps. Either they’ve miscalculated distances, can’t read topographical clues, or missed a trail marker.
“I thought I was on the red trail, but now I’m seeing white markers”. “I’m looking for the parking lot, but I think I’ve taken a wrong turn.”
Either way, they’re lost, and getting lost in Harriman can take hours of hiking to undo.
But when you purchase and download the digital maps from the New York New Jersey Trail Conference, it’s safe to say you may never lose your way in Harriman State Park again. You may even hike more because of them.
Pinpoint Your Location, And More
And there are other reasons you’ll love the Avenza map app and the Trail Conference maps: you can measure trail distances before you set out, or see how far you’ve got to go before you get back to the six-pack in the back of your car. You can take pictures with your camera phone, and they’ll appear on your map, reminding you of where you saw what (trails for me tend to blur together after a while, and this feature is a great reminder of what I’ve seen, and whether I’ve hiked a specific route).
You can use the map app to leave notes on your hikes, or pinpoint a place that would be a great spot for stealth camping or unsanctioned swimming hole swimming for a return trip.
You can leave yourself a bottle of water hidden along the trail for your return trip (a great idea if you don’t want to lug it around), and mark it on your map, so you’ll know where to find it later.
And you can explore places that aren’t on the trails, and navigate back to the trail afterwards. Just remember that this has inherent risks — the woods of Harriman State Park are pocked with former iron mines, cellars, etc.
Think of Paying for These Maps as Price of Admission to Harriman State Park
It costs you nothing to enter Harriman State Park. But you’ll notice that finding free trail maps for the park is inpossible — both at the trails themselves, and online. And given the vastness of Harriman, the extent of its trails and backcountry, you don’t want to set out without a map for reference.
For only $5.99 each, consider these maps your admission fee for Harriman State Park — one that you’ll never have to pay again.
The maps are sold separately, with Harriman State Park divided into the northern section (including Bear Mountain) and southern sections. They’re $5.99 apiece.
Try the Digital Trail Maps for Free!
The Trail Conference is letting you download one of the maps for free, and it’s a great way to give the trail maps and apps a test run. The Bear Mountain State Park trail map for day hikes can be dowloaded onto your phone for free, by following the instructions below.
Enter “Harriman State Park” in the search field to bring up a selection of downloadable maps for your Iphone, Ipad or Android device.
How to Get the App and Maps onto your Smartphone or Ipad:
- From your device, go to the App store, and download the free app: Avenza PDF Maps
- Download/install the app, and then open it up.
- From within the app, click on the little shopping cart at the bottom of the screen. This will take you to the map store.
- Click on the little search magnifying glass at the top right corner of the screen, and enter the search term “Harriman State Park”. Then click the button at the top of the screen labeled “List”, and a list will appear, containing buttons to download the free Bear Mountain map, as well as purchase buttons for the north and south sections of Harriman. (You can also enter the search term NYNJTC.org for a list of all Trail Conference digital maps.)
- Purchase the map(s), or download for free if you just want the Bear Mountain map, and then open the map within the Avenza PDF map application.
That’s it! Follow those instructions, and you’ll find the two maps for Harriman State Park, as well as a free download for the Bear Mountain State Park day hike maps (you can also get that map as a plain ol’ PDF for your computer, or to print out).
Note: it’s advisable that you have a hard copy of the trail maps with you, just to ensure your safety if you lose battery power on your phone, or if it gets wet or lost. I almost always have my paper maps with me when hiking, but I rarely refer to them now that I have the Iphone maps.
Another note: Don’t want to purchase the trail maps but want to do a hike? Check out some of our basic trail maps of different sections of Harriman. They’ll allow you to do day-hikes in the park without getting lost. You can also get the complete PDF version of the hiking trail map (with legal parking areas, and lean-to shelters, here: Harriman State Park Trails, Shelters and Parking Areas: A Free PDF Map to Download.
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