New for 2016: Step-by-Step Itineraries for “Outtenbackers”

Step-by-step directions will take the guessing out of your day or weekend.

The snowless, naked park has been on my mind a lot lately, and I’ve been looking to spring, summer, the shuttle and how it is that visitors enjoy Harriman State Park.

Last year we spent nearly every summer weekend morning at the Tuxedo Metro-North train station, running the hikers’ shuttle through the park.  We met a lot of you guys in person, and those mornings taught us some surprising things about the people who visit Harriman.  Including what information you’d still like to get from the website.

Mostly, it seems, you’d like itineraries for the trails and camping. How to get there.  How long it takes.  Will there be water, or firewood, or bears? What time does the train leave?  Is it on the shuttle route? And where can I get some real Hudson Valley home-grown food afterwards?

So, new in 2016, we bring you…

Step-by-step itineraries (free, of course) where you can jump in anytime, or follow from beginning to end, so you never miss that train home or travel on an empty stomach.

Itineraries for the carless and the carred alike, so that no man is left behind.  An OpenStreet map, an elevation profile, weather and tips.  The link to the New York New Jersey Trail Conference downloadable map for your smartphone, or where to buy the indestructible hard copy.  And food, restaurant, market and pub suggestions that will steer you clear of the bad coffee and pre-packaged honey bun, and toward the best and freshest the area has to offer.

So that’s what I’ll work on this winter and spring.  I’ll put up the first one on Monday and if you’ve a mind to, maybe you can check it out and let me know how it could be better.  I’d love the feedback.

See you out there, and have a great 2016!

(PS:  I’ll be making some other improvements as well, which means taking down some information that is frowned upon. :0)

Two pictures from the Appalachian Mountain Club’s new Outdoor Center at Breakneck Pond. Our itineraries will include where to stay if you’re staying in the park, or outside. The new center at Breakneck will open in summer 2016 — it will be AMAZING — and we’ll have a whole section of this website devoted to what’s happening at the Pond. (These pictures were taken in the fall, with renovations still in progress.)