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Hiking Photos

20210130 Ward Pound

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Taxter Ridge Park Preserve – Yellow Trail, Danny Gold Blue Trail, Woody Crest, Orange Trail

  • 5.6 mi
  • 840 ft gain
  • 02:01:13

Taxter Ridge Park Preserve was the site of my first COVID-era hike, and returning six years later reminded me why I fell in love with it. Despite heat and humidity in the low 80s, the trail delivered — open meadows, dense woods, old carriage trails, a marsh, a water tower, the ruins of a 19th-century sanctuary, and glimpses of stunning multi-million dollar homes along the way. I had the entire 200-acre park almost entirely to myself. Not a single person, not a single car in any of the three parking lots. Just the trail, a lingering deer, and a 2.5L hydration pack I was glad I brought.

The Irvington Woods – Hermit’s Grave, Macy’s Monument, Irvington Reservoir

  • 5.75 mi
  • 846 ft gain
  • 02:29:41

After a long break, I returned to one of my favorite hikes: The Irvington Woods. The park packs in reservoirs, ponds, wetlands, Hermit’s Grave, rock outcrops, overlooks, monuments, carriage trails, and plenty of elevation change. My route linked the blue, red, yellow, and purple loops, passing Hermit’s Wetland, Macy’s Monument and Terrace, Sunset Rock, Irvington Reservoir, Marshall’s Pond, and Ice Pond. It was a beautiful, varied 5.8-mile hike through grasses, pines, open trails, water views, steady climbs, and sunny mid-70s spring weather overall.

Harriman State Park – Breakneck Mountain, Lake Wanosink, Pine Meadow Lake

  • 8.89 mi
  • 955 ft gain
  • 04:02:03

My third visit to the Stephen & Betsy Corman AMC Harriman Outdoor Center was just as wonderful as the first two. The AMC-run center has tent sites, cabins, a dining hall, shared bathrooms and showers, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and easy access to Harriman State Park trails. Four of us spent the afternoon hiking past Breakneck Mountain and Tuxedo Rock, with beautiful stops overlooking Lake Wanosink and Pine Meadow Lake before following carriage paths back to our cabin. It was a perfect mix of camp, trail, water, good company, and mountain views.