Long Path

The Long Path runs 358 miles from the George Washington Bridge in New York City to upstate New York, by the count of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. It starts at the 175th Street subway station in Washington Heights, crosses the Hudson on the bridge's pedestrian Southwalk, and crosses the Palisades, Harriman State Park, the Shawangunks and the Catskills on its way to the official End-to-End terminus at Orsini Park in the Village of Altamont, near Albany. North of Altamont the trail is blazed across the Mohawk River to the Saratoga County line, and a route is described on to the Adirondacks, but those sections are not required for the End-to-End certificate. The Trail Conference certifies two routes: the traditional Orange County route and the Shawangunk Ridge route, which uses the Shawangunk Ridge Trail from High Point, New Jersey. There is no single permit for the trail. The rules change with the land, and the Trail Conference says you cannot camp along its whole length, so some nights mean walking to a motel or a campground. Sections 1 through 4, from the Palisades to Mount Ivy, have no legal camping at all, even on the state land, so plan motels for the first nights; bus service reaches most of the first three sections. The Trail Conference's backpacking guide says that in the southern state parks camping is limited to Cheesecote Park in the Town of Haverstraw, which needs a permit, Harriman State Park, only within 100 yards of a lean-to, and the DEC lands along the Shawangunks. There is no camping in the Sam's Point Area of Minnewaska State Park Preserve; dispersed camping is allowed in the Witch's Hole Multiple Use Area next to it. The last section, on private land and then in John Boyd Thacher State Park, allows no overnight camping. Neither does the NYC DEP land in Section 26, north of NY Route 23, where fires of any kind are also banned. DEC prohibits camping on Wildlife Management Areas. Overnight camping is not allowed on the private land the trail crosses, and neither are campfires, horses, mountain bikes or motor vehicles. Through Orange County, the Trail Conference points out that the Appalachian Trail nearly parallels the Long Path for 49.6 miles from its junction in Harriman to the Shawangunk Ridge Trail, with continuous camping options. On DEC Forest Preserve and State Forest land, camp at a site marked with a "Camp Here" disk or at least 150 feet from any road, trail or water. Camping for more than three nights, or with 10 or more people, needs a permit from a Forest Ranger. In the Catskills, camping above 3,500 feet is prohibited except in an emergency or between December 21 and March 21, and only emergency fires are allowed above 3,500 feet at any time. Use only dead and down wood, and the Trail Conference highly recommends a backpacking stove. From May 15 to September 15, everyone in the Peekamoose Valley, hikers and campers included, needs a DEC permit bought online in advance, and camping near the Blue Hole is only at the designated camping area. Outside the Appalachian Trail section and the Catskills, shelters and lean-tos are rare, so a tent is a necessity. Shelters are first come, first served and usually hold 6 to 8 people. Plan around two seasons. Most of the private land closes during big-game hunting season, and the Trail Conference advises not hiking those sections then. In Section 33 the regular route closes in hunting season and a road-walk detour is used. Hunting is a traditional use in the Forest Preserve, and Harriman holds a lottery deer hunt in part of the park east of the Thruway, so check DEC's hunting season dates before you go. After heavy rain DEC tells Catskill hikers to avoid trails with stream crossings and never to cross high, fast-moving water. Warner Creek in Section 20 is unbridged and dangerous to impassable at high water, and Verkeerder Kill in Section 14 has several channels that are hard to cross when it is up. The Indian Ladder Trail at Thacher Park is open only from mid-May to late fall because it is dangerous when there is ice; when it is closed, the Long Path follows the path along the top of the escarpment. The Palisades section is generally wide and nearly level, apart from steep stretches near the New York-New Jersey line. The Catskills are the opposite. The route goes over Slide Mountain, the tallest peak in the Catskills, on the Wittenberg-Cornell-Slide Trail, and starts Section 17 with a three-mile, 2,500-foot climb of Peekamoose Mountain. Before Windham High Peak it crosses several 3,000-foot peaks, including Blackhead Mountain, the second-highest point on the Long Path. In Harriman, Section 7 is the most rugged, climbing four peaks; a seasonal route through West Point Military Reservation is open at some times of year, and the Trail Conference's interactive map shows the seasonal and high-water routes. About 60 miles of the trail follow roads. Blazes are LP aqua, a light blue-green, and a turn is marked by two blazes with the top one offset toward the turn, but in the Catskill Park and on the Wurtsboro Ridge DEC parcels the trail follows Forest Preserve trails marked with blue, red or yellow disks. The Trail Conference's own maps cover only about half of the trail, and the USGS topo maps that cover all of it are often decades old. Cell service is not always available. For an emergency, call 911 or the DEC Forest Rangers at 833-NYS-RANGERS (833-697-7264). Treat all water: DEC says to boil, filter or use purifying tablets against giardia. The Trail Conference warns that water is scarce for the three sections north of NY Route 23, especially in summer, and there are no water sources on the ridge in Section 26. In Harriman, the Cohasset and Stockbridge shelters have no water, and in Section 30 two streams and a well may be dry in summer. On the Catskill Escarpment in Section 24, the only reliable water is a spring 0.35 mile and about 500 vertical feet down the Dutcher Notch Trail. DEC warns that ticks are active whenever temperatures are above freezing, especially in late spring and early fall, and deer ticks can carry Lyme and other diseases. Black bears live in the Catskills, the Shawangunks and New Jersey. DEC recommends a bear-resistant canister in the Catskills but does not require one, and says hanging food between trees at least 15 feet off the ground also works. Catskill porcupines love anything salty, so hang your boots as well as your food. At Minnewaska only dogs are allowed, on a leash no longer than 6 feet, and Thacher Park requires pets to be crated or on a leash of 6 feet or less. On DEC land, keep your pet under control and leash it when others approach. The trail passes by or near 23 post offices, and many long-distance hikers mail themselves food or supplies. Post offices need not hold a box more than 30 days. The big gap is in the Catskills: from Phoenicia to Palenville is over 40 miles, with only two road crossings and no store within 4 miles of either. The Trail Conference's backpacking guide calls Wurtsboro a good place for a layover day, with a motel, restaurants, supermarkets and a pharmacy within walking distance, and lists a grocery store, restaurants and a pharmacy in Phoenicia, and delis, restaurants, grocery stores and a bank in Middleburgh. To reach the southern end, take the A train to the 175th Street station. At the northern end there is parking in Altamont along Main Street and in signed lots off Main and Maple streets. Sam's Point charges a fee and requires parking reservations on weekends and holidays, spring through fall. Before you go, check the Trail Conference's Long Path pages and trail alerts, and DEC's Catskill Backcountry Information page. The Catskills Visitor Center (845-688-3369) has weekly trail conditions. The Trail Conference certifies End-to-Enders who finish in one trip or over many years, using its tally sheet.