Four Birds Trail to Hibernia Brook Trail Loop

Offline map is recommended. Some users have reported that the trails are not marked well. 1. From the north end of the parking lot head out on the White blazed Four Birds trail. This will take you through old foundations from the old mining operations. 2. Take the side trail to the right to see the ‘bat cave', which is an old mine shaft running for ½ mile under the ridge you will be hiking on. The shaft is the home to colony of bats; notice the viewing platform. 3. Head back to the White trail and continue on the White heading up hill (you will cross several other marked and unmarked trails). For a while the trail follows an old mine berm. 4. The first hill has no overlook, but the second hill, Hawk Watch, (leave the White and take the Orange) looks east where NYC can be seen in the distance. 5. Head back on the gravel road and pick up the White trail again heading north. 6. The trail will intersect with the Red Dot trail on the left after another short climb, take the next unmarked trail on the right downhill. Half way down it forks - take the left fork. Eventually you will come to the Blue Splitrock trail. 7. Take the Blue trail to the right (south). It will loop around and eventually cross the brook on a bridge where it meets the Richter Mine green trail on the other side. 8. Continue on the Blue, which will leave the Green and head uphill. You will again come to the Green twice. Stay on the Blue (much nicer trail) until the second Green intersection. 9. Now take the Green to the left (north). You will pass under power lines before coming to Split Rock Road and a parking lot/kayak launch point. Find the rocks to the left of the launch point – a good spot for lunch (about 6 miles so far). 10. After lunch head back to the road and at the end of the guardrail, head down the rock to the bottom of the dam. There you will find an old iron furnace. 11. This gets tough due to the amount of water coming out of the dam and the undergrowth, but cross the brook and find the yellow blazed trail (Wildcat Ridge trail). 12. Head away from the dam and west on the Yellow trail until you intersect the White (SplitRock trail). 13. Take the white to the left and south until you come back to the Red Dot trail you passed before. 14. Take the Red Dot trail past a beaver pond with several lodges in the pond. Continue on the Red Dot trail to a gravel road passing several old foundations from the original mining town of Hibernia. 15. On the left, take the Yellow trail heading into the woods and paralleling the road. When the trail comes back to the road, continue on the road heading south. You will pass more old foundations and fences (the posts are old steel I-beams), and you will cross the white trail. 16. There is a side road to the left which goes to St Patrick’s Cemetery (est 1869). After the visit continue on the road, which becomes an Orange blazed trail. 17. Follow the Orange back to the parking lot where you began.