Big Hill Shelter and Jackie Jones Mtn. via Lake Skannatati (Harriman State Park)

Big Hill Shelter and Jackie Jones Mtn. via Lake Skannatati (Harriman State Park)

Distance: 8.89 miles
Elevation: 1,125 feet

Time: 3 hours, 23 minutes (3 hours, 9 minutes moving)
Hike Type: Lollipop Loop
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2024, Harriman Trail Challenge, Harriman Shelter Challenge

The Hike

Okay, finally time for my redemotion hike in Harriman State Park! Last summer, I wanted to start the Harriman Shelter Challenge (NYNJTC), but an insane rain storm washout much of the park (and I was in a lazy mood last July, in a non-self-deragatory way). Temperatures were in the upper 70s with stale, humid air. It was a misty morning with rain in the afternoon forecast. From the Lake Skannatati parking lot there were a few people getting ready for a trail run and a few others starting their mornings with fishing. I anticipated this hike to be incredibly sweaty but not nearly as excrutiating as I've been used to... Let's find out!

Facing the lake, this hike starts by following the Long Path on the left and crossing the Seven Lakes Drive. Once I checked my AllTrails route, I realized that I would be following the Long Path for the whole hike, meaning low-brain - yay! The route was very well-blazed, with many teal blazes (following the NYNJTC blazing style), and a few LP discs. 

After crossing the Seven Lakes Drive, the trail is a bit grassy before joining an woods road-style grade. Tragically, my sock fell down and I realized how absolutely destroyed my Merrell Moab 3s were (I asked Dad for a new pair for my birthday) - my vow to myself is to use Garmin's gear tracker correctly this round!

The trail gets grassier and leads to a powercut with BLUEBERRIES (very few were ripe, but I still had a couple that were looking good)! I sprayed my legs with bug spray out of an abundance of tick-related caution. Following the power cut, the Long Path enters some open hardwood woods. 

The trail then descends to cross, turn on, and follow Kanawake Road (CR-106) for a short moment before entering the woods from HELL. I was greeted first by a pesticide application sign followed by bear claw marks on nearby trees. The trail crossed a pond outflow and got VERY buggy. I was upset that I forgot my visor in the car but still threw my head net on - it at least kept the deer flies out of my ears. I had to pivot my focus of this hike from a "lovely walk in the woods" to "how long can I sustain high intensity cardio" - the flies were BAD. The trail began a long alternating segment of blueberry/rhododendrom/mountain laurel groves, boulder fields, and open forest.

At this point, I was not taking many photos, nor was I having much fun. The trail eventually reaches a junction in an open area and the turquoise blazing continued. The trail gets obscure around 1.35 miles, but comes near a cool cellar hole!

Continuing on, there were still many gnats out but thankfully less flies. I did get bug spray on my lips, though, which was a tingly, numb bummer. At this point, I was exhausted (and regretting my "this won't be that bad" thought from earlier). I wasn't sure how I planned to accomplish it, but I did NOT want to come back this way. The Long Path continued its crawl through brushy areas, bouldery areas, and open areas, eventually leading to a nice bog boardwalk area, another power cut, and then a memorial to a plane crash.

After the plane crash memorial, there was a small reprive from the bugs and I had devised a plan to traverse Jackie Jones Mountian after hitting the shelter followed by a long road walk back - anything would be better than going through the flies again! Everytime I would stop to check a map I would get bit by the flies - I eventually hit the gas and started moving even faster - I was DYING. I was also extra mad because my favorite part about hiking is seeing and the bug net negatively impacts that sense!!!

I climbed up to a plateau area where the energy shifted. It was brighter out, there were blueberries as far as the eye could see, and... no bugs?! I think the patron saint of Harriman State Park saw me fighting for my life and decided I deserved mercy. I had three handfulls of blueberries and spent some time just standing and staring into the void. Maybe everything was going to be okay?!

I swapped out my empty Nalgene for a full one and saw... my visor, attached to my pack, exactly where it belonged... Oh well, this was just a cursed hike and I had to accept it. There one more slight ascent that led right to the Big Hill Shelter - #1/10 is done! There were a couple of hammocks set up off-trail and no one in the shelter. The shelter was in a nice, open area with obstructed views and SO MANY BLUEBERRIES. I was so grateful that this hike had a fun moment because I was NOT having a good time, but I was back!

Now on the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail (coinciding with the Long Path), the treadway descended for a bit with occasional views of a large communication tower. The trail descended on slabs to a junction where the Long Path exits and the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail ascends steeply up to Jackie Jones Mounatin.

The bug net was back on the SECOND I heard a fly near my head, but it was no where near as bad as it was before. I must have looked insane with my head net on and off (sometimes bunched up on my visor like the hair net of a cafeteria worker). There was a very slight breeze, not enough to bring me back to life, but enough to remind me that I was not dead. I even saw two deer!

I eventually made it to the summit of Jackie Jones Mountain, marked by a fenced-in fire tower. There was a human-sized hole in the fence, so I took that as a "we don't recommend climbing but if you do we're not liable." It was a little sketchy going up, but there was a lovely panoramic view from the top cabin!

After a careful descent, a wrung out my shirt (its incredible how much sweat my body produces) and saw that the air temperature was now 80 degrees, truly not too horrible. The trail easily descended near the communication tower, which is actually MASSIVE. It looks like it wased to be owned by AT&T but now by a company I've never heard of. 

The trail descended again, past the ruins of the ORAK mansion, which were more sprawling than I could imagine. I get why they had to demolish the building, but it would be so cool to be able to visit the interior!

The Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail joined the tower access road and then crossed CR-106. There was a woman sitting in the woods on her laptop just off the road, which was... interesting. I was now officially on my long, return trip!

I passed the "Welcome to Harriman State Park" sign and began to gently roll up and down, with just a couple of longer climbs. I started feeling a familiar hip pain, so I slowed my pace down, which helped. I eventually made my way to Lake Welch, paralleling the shore on the road. There were some misty views toward the busy beach.

Gnats were on-and-off during this stretch, but never enough for the net to come back. The walk along Lake Welch was actually pretty nice, with my only complaints being fast cars and litter. The road went across two causeways that had great views of the lake, and then descended to a swampy area with a few flies. MANY "New York State" vans passed me, which I found interesting. They weren't any specific NYS department... maybe prison transport? Really not sure.

"Lake Welch" from Harriman Trails, 4th Ed. (2018)

Lake Welch was started in 1928, on a large swampy area which had been dammed by beavers long before. It was then known as Beaver Pond. State Route 210 (now County Route 106) crossed the region over a slightly higher area where there were five homes. The community of Sandyfield, where there were about 25 more homes, was located on high ground to the north and west of the swamp. Sandyfield had been founded about 1760 when the first road through the hills had been built from Stony Point to Central Valley. Hikers now know this road as the Hasenclever Road.

Soon after the Park was created in 1910, the Commissioners notified residents of Sandyfield that the Park wished to aquire their homes. The residents resisted. They had an early supporter in the Reverend Mytton Maury, rector of St. John's Church (N.Y. Times, 8/7/14). In 1927, the Park began to plan for a lake for the Beaver Pond site. The dam was completed in 1929. Apparently, it was not high enough, because a new dam was started in 1934 using workers from CCC Camp SP-26. Sandyfield residents, who opposed the construction of the dams, petitioned Governor Lehman and President Roosevelt to abolish the Park Commission (N.Y. Times, 11/22/34). 

In 1939, the Park ordered residents Fred Odell, Albert and Aaron Baisley, and Sarah Benson to move out. The residents finally moved out in 1942. The new road around the lake was completed on October 11, 1942, and the lake began to fill with water. There was a cemetary (about where the beach is now) which would be flooded by the lake. The graves and gravestones were all removed to a cemetary in Stony Point.

On October 6, 1947, the new lake was dedicated in memory of Major William A. Welch, General Manager of the Park, who had died in 1941. In 1953, family camping began on the site of the earlier CCC camp. And on June 15, 1962, a new beach and bathhouses were opened to the public. 

Where St. John's Road meets County Route 106 (Kanawauke Road), a gated road leads down to the lake. On the north side of the road, there is a tall vertical rock. Formerly embedded into the rock was a plaque in memory of Major Welch, but this plaque was removed many years ago and has never been replaced. A short distance east of this rock, a gravel road begins on the left and goes along the hillside above the lake. The former Sandyfield School was located near this junction, and it is memorialized by the following plaque on a boulder: SANDYFIELDS SCHOOL SITE. 1864-1947. THIS PLAQUE IS DEDICATED TO THE EARLY SETTLERS OF THIS AREA WHO TOILED UNSTINTINGLY TO HELP MAKE THIS A GREAT NATION.

Further along the road, near a refreshment building, is the Odell cemetary. The site of the former Odell home is nearby. The road continues past picnic areas to the north end of the lake.

The pavement was getting hard on my feet as the road ascended again, but soon enough descended back to the Long Path crossing, which I was brave and took (not taking it would have added at least another 0.5 miles, and I was tired.

The flies were back, tragically, but I put the net on a zoomed back to the car in RECORD SPEED (or at least what felt like it). I happily got changed at the car, chugged some Nuun, and started my drive home. I'm glad this hike had some good moments, but it was NOT the redemption I was hoping for. On my way out of the park, I passed the trail runner group again, and one of them was the former clarinet teacher at the camp I work at - small world!

Step-By-Step

- Park at Lake Skannatati parking area.

- Start hike on Long Path (teal).

- Follow Long Path to Big Hill Shelter.

- At Big Hill Shelter, turn left onto Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail (yellow).

- At Kanawauke Road (CR-106), turn left for road walk.

- At Long Path crossing of Kanawauke Road, turn right onto Long Path (teal), return to car.

"Long Path" from Harriman Trails, 4th Ed. (2018)

[...]. In another 250 feet, LP/S-BM goes steeply uphill to the Big Hill Shelter, which it reaches at 5.6 miles. Here, the Long Path turns right and goes down to cross the Old Turnpike again. It then goes over another small hill and descends to cross a stream. At 6.35 miles, the trail enters a clearing. This is the site of a 1974 crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 6231, which has been enroute to Buffalo to pick up the Baltimore Colts football team. The three crewmen were killed (N.Y. Times, 12/2/74).

        Beyond the clearing, the trail crosses a boulder field, and at 6.5 miles it turns right, onto a woods road. Until 1981, this raod was the route of Skannatati Trail. Just 100 feet to the left of this junction, the woods road ends at the paved road to Breakneck Pond.

        The Long Path now goes down to cross Beaver Pond Brook, which comes from the Breakneck Pond dam. There is a good footbridge across the brook now, but, in years past, hikers crossed on a beaver dam. The bridge was built in 1986 by Park ranger Andy Smith. He named it the Jake Gannon Memorial Bridge in memory of his grandfather, who served for many years as the caretaker of St. John's Church.

        At 7.05 miles, a trail to the right leads to St. John's Church. LP bears left and, in half a mile, crosses Lake Welch Drive at its intersection with St. John's Road. The trail goes northwest along a farm road, passing old cellar holes. This farm-part of the Sandyfield community-was the home of Charles Conklin until September 1938.

        LP then goes down a slope and across a low area. At 8.1 miles, the Beech Trail (blue) starts, on the right. About 0.7 mile further, LP reaches Route 106 (Gate Hill Road). It turns right and follows the road for 250 feet, then turns left and goes up over the shoulder of Rockhouse Mountain (the "Rock House" is a cave to the right of the trail, below the highway). LP passes under a telephone line, rounds the end of Lake Askoti and, at 9.2 miles, crosses the Seven Lakes Drive and reaches Lake Skannatati. [...].

        Lake Askoti dam, which carries the Seven Lakes Drive, was built in 1935. Lake Skannatati dam was built three years later. The names of both lakes were chosen by Major Welch. In the Algonquin language, Askoti means "this side," and Skannatati means "the other side." Some time after Lake Skannatati was filled with water, perhaps in 1942, a trail was made by the Boy Scouts from there west to the Hogencamp Mine. On December 1, 1943, the Trail Conference planned a new trail, to be marked with a red cross. It started from the Dunning Trail near Hogencamp Mile, used the Boy Scout route to Lake Askoti, then went up Rockhorst Mountain to Hasenclever Road. After 1947, when the Red Cross Trail was rerouted, this trail route was unblazed. Then in 1961 it was marked as the Skannatati Trail (white) from the Dunning Trail to Lake Skannatati. In 1963, Bill Hoeferlin blazed it to St. John's Church, and in the spring of 1964 he extended it to Big Hill Shelter. In the fall of 1981, most of the Skannatati Trail was taken over by the Long Path. [...].

"Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail" from Harriman Trails, 4th Ed. (2018)

[...]. S-BM turns right, goes up over a rock and continues north 0.85 mile to the Big Hill Shelter (built October 1927), where the Long Path (aqua) joins briefly. The trail drops over ledges, crosses a woods road (which goes down to the Second Reservoir), and reaches the wide Old Turnpike. This road carries a coaxial cable (buried there in 1969). Across the road, S-BM climbs gradually to the 1,27-foot summit of Jackie Jones Mountain, marked by a fire tower. The tower, reached at 12.1 miles, offers a panoramic view over Lake Welch and the Hudson River. The trail then goes down a gravel road for 0.2 mile and, opposite the AT&T microwave relay towers, turns right and soon crosses a rock outcrop. S-BM then descends steeply to a woods road. After several turns, it goes by the ruins of ORAK, the old Buchanan mansion, reaching Gate Hill Road (Route 106) at 13.2 miles.

        The trail from the Conklins Crossing to Gate Hill Road was scouted in 1924 by Archibald T. Shorey. He was a member of ADK, and a Brooklyn Boy Scout leader. He later, in 1931, joined the New York State Conservation Department. In that capacity, he scouted and blazed trails in the Catskills: Devil's Path, Giant Ledge/Panther, Escarpment, Mary's Glen, etc. He also built Adirondack trails.

        [...]. A steel fire tower was erected in 1928 on Jackie Jones Mountain to replace an older one made of wood. The AT&T microwave tower was built early in 1947.

        The origianl route of S-BM came down from the Jackie Jones Mountain fire tower almost due north, reaching Gate Hill Road about where the dam was later built. In 1954, it was rerouted to go down the road from the new relay tower. In 1993, it was rerouted through ORAK.

        ORAK was a mansion on the east side of Jackie Jones Mountain that belonged to George Briggs Buchanan, a vice-president of the Corn Products Refining Co., which made KARO syrup. Buchanan bought the land and built his house in 1923. He named his estate for KARO, which he spelled backwards. The dining room of the house resembled a ship's cabin, with portholes for windows, and a floor that rocked gently to simulate a ship's motion. Buchanan died on April 13, 1939, and his heirs sold the property to the Park in 1947. The home, gardens and outbuildings were rented to Park employees until 1973, when the main house and hothouse were demolished. The foundations are still impressive. [...].

Map of Harriman State Park (2023)
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