Appalachian Trail – Longhouse Dr (West Milford, NJ) to Elk Pen Parking Area (Harriman State Park)

Appalachian Trail – Longhouse Rd, West Milford, NJ to Elk Pen Parking Area, Harriman State Park, Harriman, NY
Type: One way (either direction)
Hours: Open 24 hours

Distance: 21 miles total  (2 days)
Difficulty: 10 of 10.

For the previous section of the Appalachian Trail (New Jersey: High Point to Wawayanda), please check out Across the Roof of New Jersey on the Appalachian Trail Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.

Terrain – Mountains, forests, swamps, streams

Trailheads – Southern Trailhead –  41°11’44.48″N,  74°22’15.02″W
Northern Trailhead (Elk Pen Parking Area) – 41º 15′ 52.272″ N 74º 9′ 16.272″ W

Parking – There is pretty much no parking at the trailhead.  We were luck enough to get dropped off.
Lots of parking at the other end at Elk Pen.

Markings – The famous white blaze.

Maps – Your best bet is the Appalachian Trail Guide -New York-New Jersey published by the Appalachian Trails Conservancy.  The trip follows NJ Section 1 and NY Sections 12 and 13.

Description:  It would be impossible for me to give a detailed description of the trail, for that make sure that you purchase a trail guide.  What I can tell you is that this was the most challenging backpacking trip I’ve ever done (and I’ve done somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 miles in 8 different states), and it was only two days!  This trail offers ridge runs that require climbing up and down ledges, hand-over-hand climbing, a gorgeous waterfall, a state line crossing, and finished off with a 600 foot drop over just 0.4 of a mile called the Agony Grind.  Good work by my Scouts who stuck with this one!  Enjoy the pictures!

Day 1:

If Day 1 was crazy, Day 2 was even crazier.  Steeper climbs, and more of them.  Much longer ups and downs.  Topped off by two sheer walls in the last two miles, one up, and one, aptly named Agony Grind, down.

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Don’t worry Harriman State Park, I’ll be back.