A Farewell to Fall along the Shawangunk Ridge

Vegan.Hiker

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2014
Messages
2,099
A night in Harriman State Park and a day on the Shawangunk Ridge
October 17th and 18th, 2015


This past weekend the Fall color show finally came to town. I was glad I wouldn't have to drive several hours north this weekend to find the colors. After weeks of patiently waiting, they finally came to me.

My car was already packed from the past 2 weekends of chasing the foliage around the northeast, so all I had to do after work on Friday was change out of my work clothes and pick up my dog Joey. The plan was pretty simple, I would drive the 20 minutes to nearby Harriman State Park, and find a spot to pitch my tent for the night. Then in the morning, I'd head to either the nearby Shawangunks or the Catskills. Each about an hour away (that might not fit your definition of close, but for me it does). I hadn't made up my mind yet and figured I'd mull it over that night around the campfire over a few cans of Yeungling.

So about my campsite... There are some really nice group campsites run by the park along Lake Tiorati. However, you need to show proof that you are a bonafide group (church, youth organization, etc.) to reserve those sites. However, on Columbus Day, the season officially ends and the Group Camp Office closes for the year and that's my cue to wander in, say "don't mind if I do" and get comfortable. The great thing about these sites is that since they gate the dirt road leading to the sites during the offseason, and the nearest parking is over a mile walk down the main paved road, you don't have to contend with lazy car campers. And since there are no trails around this area, you don't have to contend with hikers or backpackers either. So from my experience, nobody bothers going here in the off season.

Closed for the Season? Don't mind if I do!
DSC08325.jpg

A view of my campsite early the next morning
1.jpg

I stashed my gear behind the bushes near the main road and walked the mile down the road with Joey to get the car, then came back to pick up my stuff.

Seven Lakes Drive on the way to pick up the car the next morning
2.jpg

So I decided the night before to head to the Shawangunks instead of the Catskills. The reason was simple, I've hiked in the Catskills during fall foliage season before, but have never made it to the Gunks that time of year. It took me about an hour to get there.

My hike started at Lake Minnewaska
3.jpg

The area near the lake is a bit crowded with not really "hikers" but more like casual nature walkers for lack of a better term. But as soon as you get away from the lake area it quickly thins out.

From the lake, you have to take wide, nicely groomed "carriage roads" to get out to the actual hiking trails.

These carriage roads take you out to the hiking trails, are used heavily by bicyclers, and are about the equivalent of what they call "major highways" in Idaho but without the cow pies (Sorry @Ben and @Bob).


The carriage road I took eventually led me out to a nice ridge called Hamilton Point
5.jpg

Ridgeline along Hamilton Point
6.jpg

7.jpg

The view from Hamilton Point - Awosting Lake is in the distance
8.jpg

Most of the rock in the Shawangunk ridge is a quartz conglomerate so it's a bright white


You can see the Catskill Mountains in the distance to the north in this picture
10.jpg

The Gunks are 95% easy trail and about 5% steep rock scrambles up or down a ridge. This is some of the easy trail along the ridge. We had one steep scramble where I had to lift Joey a few times, but even that wasn't bad.
11.jpg

The trail leads back out to the ridge in several spots. The ridge is adorned with blueberry bushes that turn a nice deep red in the fall
12.jpg

Taking a break on the ridge
13.jpg

Joey looked pooped. Even though it's easy terrain and it was nice and cool out, a 13 mile day is a long hike for Joey
14.jpg

15.jpg

A panorama from along the ridge


We then headed up to a spot called Castle Point
17.jpg

When the sun shone directly on the blueberry bushes they almost looked like they were on fire
18.jpg

19.jpg

20.jpg

Then took a short scramble down from Castle Point
21.jpg

Walking below the ridgeline
22.jpg

From here on out it was mostly a walk on another easy carriage road back to the car


On the way back, we got some views across the valley of Gertrude's Nose which I had hiked earlier in the year
A Walk in the Gunks, Minnewaska State Park, NY
24.jpg

25.jpg

Just a random shot looking straight up at some of the colors
26.jpg

I had originally planned to follow the foliage south by heading down to Shenandoah NP in VA next weekend but a few obligations came up so I won't make it. By the weekend after that the foliage will be all but gone and I'll be taking a break until the snowpack develops up in the mountains further north.

So until next year, Fall colors! It was nice spending a few weekends with you.

Featured image for home page:
slide.jpg
 
Last edited:
great stuff! i hike harriman and the gunks pretty regularly. i started climbing in the gunks back in the 70s and although i havent tied into a rope in a few years, still enjoy the scrambles on the long path out near lake awosting. its a spectacular setting, and your photos show it off well
 
Ahh! @hikerboy! I totally forgot you were from Long Island. I'm planning a winter backpack right near you. Expect a private message.. I need to pick your brain.
 
Really nice and all the colors are outstanding.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
kwc Fall hike to Chase Lake, Southern Adirondacks Hiking & Camping 1
kwc Another Fall Day of Paddling On The Water 0
kwc Fall Paddling On The Water 1
zionsky Roaming around Zion Fall 2022 Hiking & Camping 4
kwc Fall paddle on the West Branch of the Sacandaga River 10/23/22 On The Water 0
norwegianxplorer 6 days Backpacking Norway in the Fall (Part 2) Backpacking 4
norwegianxplorer 6 days backpacking Jotunheimen in the fall Trip Reports 4
balzaccom Mok Wilderness in the fall Backpacking 1
SteveR Fall Colors 2022 Photography 71
NorthwestWanderer Montana Fall Colors Timelapse Film General Discussion 0
balzaccom Yosemite in the Fall Hiking & Camping 0
Ugly Fall Colors 2021 Photography 60
XID_AZ Poison Spring Canyon / Black Jump Fall 2021 Trip Planning 2
marquiri Bob Marshall Fall 2021 Trip Planning 0
zionsky Hiker Dies from Fall at Angels Landing General Discussion 1
kwc Fall hiking in the southern Adirondacks Hiking & Camping 4
kwc Biking on a warm fall day Everything Else 1
norwegianxplorer Norway Backpacking in the fall, Western Norway Backpacking 5
SteveR Album Fall Colors 2020 Photography 37
piper01 fall foliage in Colorado late September Trip Planning 6
Jackson A Fall Foray into the Teton Wilderness Backpacking 13
SteveR Fall Colors 2019 Photography 37
Ugly Sandstone Romping for Fall Break Backpacking 19
Titans Pharaoh Lake Wilderness - Brilliant Fall Foliage, Pond and Lake Reflections- Adirondacks, North Eastern US Hiking & Camping 20
b.stark Crack In Rock - Fall 2016 Backpacking 6
fossana Pine Creek/Granite Park fall excursion (High Sierra) Hiking & Camping 14
Wanderlust073 Album Fall Colors 2018 Photography 68
kwc one more Adirondack Canoe Day trip - Fall Lake Stream On The Water 2
kwc Adirondack Day Hike Fall 2014 Hiking & Camping 12
Laura Fall in Aravaipa Canyon Backpacking 11
Skiwi An overnight at Lake Blanche in fall Backpacking 2
IntrepidXJ Album Fall Colors 2017 Photography 31
Tim Valentine Patagonia in Fall Everything Else 12
D Album Fall Colors 2016 Photography 60
Cool Danish Arizona Strip - Fall 2014 Hiking & Camping 8
WasatchWill Fall Break in Escalante Hiking & Camping 8
Udink San Rafael Fall 2015 Hiking & Camping 4
Ugly Lone Peak Fall Overnighter Backpacking 6
WasatchWill Seeking a little help for Fall Break with family in GSENM Trip Planning 4
Vegan.Hiker Vermont's Fall Colors Hiking & Camping 9
BJett Early Fall in the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Area Backpacking 8
pixie1339 Fall colors in Southern Utah? Trip Planning 23
uintahiker Deseret Peak: Fall of 2011 Hiking & Camping 3
Tres Westbrook Denali Fall Colors Everything Else 11
Nik Utah Colorado Fall 2014 Everything Else 8
12trysomething Ultralight Backpacking / Hammock Style - Fall in the Adirondacks Backpacking 6
IntrepidXJ Fall Colors in the Elk Mountains Hiking & Camping 5
IntrepidXJ Piñon Mesa Fall Colors Hiking & Camping 4
IntrepidXJ Grand Mesa Fall Colors Everything Else 3
Nick Album Fall Colors 2014 Photography 141

Similar threads

Back
Top