Staying safe while hiking in Harriman State Park is more than keeping your eyes and ears open. Here are illustrations and quotes from people who haven’t heeded basic safety warnings from their mom and dad, to sometimes disastrous consequence!
Map of Harriman State Park (northern section) including Lake Tiorati and Lake Askoti.
Bring a Map. A paper one.
I love my New York New Jersey Trail Conference maps in Iphone form (I love it, too, when you meet someone lost on the trail; they have the paper map, but they still don’t really know where they are. The app is so handy; it shows you exactly where you are currently located on the trail. You can even use it to find out how far you are from your car!)
But it’s no substitute for the indestructible Tyvek maps that the Conference makes so expertly. They don’t wreck when they’re wet, and they don’t run down the battery.
Thinking of leaving without a map? Don’t.
Infamously confusing intersection — “Times Square” — on the trail. Don’t go it alone. Bring a map from the New York New Jersey Trail Conference.
You’ll hear that the trails in the park are horribly maintained and marked, and it’s just not true — they are marked to be used in conjunction with the trail maps. Trust me. Get the maps. They’re the keys to the kingdom.
Plan on hiking near New York? Harriman State Park is a great place to spend the day, or a couple days, but for heaven’s sake, don’t leave without a trail map! Order them online and wait for them to be delivered in the mail; you can also pick them up at the Bookstore/Gift shop on the Palisades Parkway. Be aware that the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center in Harriman, on Seven Lakes Drive, is only open on holidays and weekends.
