Tom Jones & Dutch Doctor Shelters via R-D and Victory Trails (Harriman State Park)
Hike Type: Figure 8 Loop
Distance: 8.90 miles
Elevation: 1,601 feet
Time: 3 hours, 38 minutes (3 hours, 30 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: Harriman Shelter Challenge, Harriman Trail Challenge
Hiking Challenges: Harriman Shelter Challenge, Harriman Trail Challenge
The Hike
Time to (hopefully) finish the Harriman Shelter Challenge! Yesterday, I saw Boop! on Broadway, so no hiking, but now everyone in my New Jersey family was working, and I had a few hours to kill. I accidentally added 15 minutes to my drive by thinking I could skip my exit off of I-87 to use the bathroom at the new Sloatsburg Service Plaza, but that was clearly a mistake... The plaza was beautiful, though! I slowly worked my way to the Ramapo-Dunderburg Trail crossing parking on Kanawauke Road, got suited up, greeted the woman parked next to me who was finishing up her hike, and got right to work!
Unfortunately, the gnats were ABUNDANT. I guess that's just one of the joys of springtime! It was a warm-feeling 60 degrees out, and I soon applied my first helping of bug spray for the season. I climbed along a partial reroute of the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail up Tom Jones Mountain, which then continued up some steep, open slabs with views behind. The trees had early spring buds, and I was catching plenty of spider webs.
Like much of Harriman State Park, the woods were wide open. This climb was short, but mighty, and I was soon out of breath and at the summit! There were views all around through the spaced-out trees. It felt like a wonderful summer morning.
After the summit, the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail scrambled down and then I joined a short spur trail to the Tom Jones Shelter. I noticed a black snake about 20 feet off-trail in the grass, just slithering about. There was a wonderful view from the shelter (the second best, in my opinion, after West Mountain). The only sounds I could hear were the birds and I could make out part of a lake down below. What a beautiful morning!
Now I was back on the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail for a while. I passed some catepillar tents as I descended Tom Jones Mountain. I noticed a stone living room-type structure through the trees on the descent, and I had a nice view to Parker Cabin Mountain, which was my next stop.
In the col, I passed the Victory Trail, which I would hike much later in the day. The Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail crossed an easy creek and began to gently ascend Parker Cabin Mountain, which had more characteristic, open woods. I caught a nice view back to Tom Jones from a false summit, and found two more snakes as I hopped off of the false summit. They were both black and I assume the same kind as the first. I thought rat snakes, but not 100% sure.
The trail gently climbed and mellowed out at the summit, which was open and grassy with view through the trees - it was so pretty up here.
The Triangle Trail briefly joined in another open area and then split off - I followed the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail on the left, which was now grassier and less defined as it descended. There was a heavenly breeze that added at least a year to my life, too. I caught some ledge views on the way down.
The Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail arrived at a rugged summit followed by a small scramble down in a generally rugged area, but it soon chilled out and became wonderfully grassy. Something wet fell on my face here, but I chose to ignore it. The descent continued to be pretty, grassy, and rolling, and then crossed under some power/telephone lines that were a little too close to my head for comfort!
After crossing under the lines I came to my first new trail of the day! The Blue Disc Trail traversed over a really neat rock dam with a pond on the left (featuring some ducks and a goose) and a stream down below on the right. A steep ascent followed up Black Ash Mountain part two (I need to check the Harriman Trails book to figure out if they're both called Black Ash Mountain). There were nice tree views back towards Black Ash 1 and Parker Cabin, and after some huffing and puffing I made it to the top! The summit slabs were open and dry and provided wonderful views.
I began to descend with the humming of I-87 in the background while I got my first bug-in-eye of the season. The trail worked its way to another section of slabs with wonderful views - curiously named Claudius Smith's Dens.
After the Blue Disc Trail turns left at the dens, I continued left and joined the Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy Trail, which gradually descended for a while. I was back in the woods, which was welcomed as I did not have on any sunscreen and I was feeling crispy! There were plentiful woodpeckers overhead and eventually the trail began to skirt around a swampy area.
In this area, I hit my 4 mile/halfway point for the day, entered a field of loose rocks, and got another bug in my eye. The trail began to slightly ascend, but I didn't even notice until I was out of breath. The trail climbed up and over a pretty knoll as I applied some more bug spray since I had a cloud of gnats overhead.
The Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy Trail crossed a few small streams, and soon I turned onto White Bar, where I was assaulted by more bugs. On the plus side, the final shelter of my challenge was on this trail! Yay! A short spur led to the shelter, but I didn't explore much, as someone was setting up their tent.
This started a long series of hiking through mountain laurel groves. White Bar went through one, I got covered in spider webs, and then there was more after I turned onto Triangle Trail. There was an unmarked path on the right (I assume it goes to a camp on Sebago), and then more mountain laurel. I began to feel a bit claustrophobic as critters scurried around on the leaves on the ground. The trail briefly opened back up, but then soon descended back into more mountain laurel!
I finally got a little reward as the trail neared Lake Sebago. There was another unmarked trail on the right, and later a little spur to the shoreline where I saw some fish! I also saw some turtles, but scared them off - sorry!
After the wonderful lake view... I was back into a mountain laurel tunnel. There was an easy rock hop across a swamp that drained into the lake, and then I was officially on the Victory Trail - my final trail of the day! I was greeted by a delightful breeze and many birds singing overhead. There were tree views to the lake on the right and an unmarked connecting spur trail to Triangle on the left. It also seemed like part of this trail used to be paved?
There were some wild sounds coming from the lake - I assume bullfrogs, and I soon came up to the overhead cables again! The Victory Trail followed these cables for a bit - acting like an access road (I think it is the access road). The trail crossed under the lines to turn and rise away from the lake before circling around a really pretty meadow where I saw another black snake! This one was wet, so I'm guessing a water snake? The gnats had also returned in this section, so I kept it moving.
The Victory Trail wound around the meadow, intersecting with a few other gravel and then paved paths, eventually leaving the meadow in an area with some fire damage. I noticed a building through the woods, I guess belonging to the camp. Next was an old foundation on the left as the Victory Trail crossed under the wires again, just before turning off of the access road and back onto a foot trail.
The trail continued past some impressive rock formations on the right and then I crossed paths with my first person fo the day! It took 7.42 miles and 3 hours, 8 minutes - I was delighted to be alone for so long. I ventured into yet another mountain laurel grove, but thankfully a shorter one than before, and then it became more rugged in an area with a few wild turkeys. The Victory Trail crossed a few streams and then passed the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail, officially concluding the larger part of this figure-8 loop.
The final stretch of Victory Trail hopped along stone steps in a muddy section filled with black birds in the air and then went back into ANOTHER mountain laurel tunnel, and then soon enough I was back on Kanawauke Road!
The road walk was short but also a bit of a bummer, especially after having so much wonderful time in the woods. I counted 15 motorcycles on my short road walk. On the left, there was a wonderful beaver meadow, and soon enough I was back at the car! It was now a toasty 75 degrees, and I was so happy to be able to trust rocks again after my Monadnock hike. Oh, and I was also happy to have completed another challenge!
Step-by-Step
- Park at R-D Trailhead on Kanawauke Road.
- Start hike on Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail (south).
- At jct., turn left onto Blue Disc Trail.
- At jct., turn left onto Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy Trail.
- At jct., turn left onto White Bar Trail.
- At jct., continue onto Triangle Trail.
- At jct., turn right onto Victory Trail.
- At terminus, turn right onto Kanawauke Road.
- Follow Kanawauke Road back to car.
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