Last Minute Schunemunk Mountain Day Hike

Can you think of a better idea than a day hike on a real winter Sunday? Let's do it! We will hike around Schunemunk Mountain, just about 60 miles north of New York City.

The Schunemunk Mountain loop (the longest way) is an 11-mile hike with a good 1,500' of elevation gain, but we will make the loop shorter, around 8 miles. We will visit the summit of Schunemunk and the Megaliths, where we'll have near 360-degree views of the Highlands, Hudson River, Kittatinny Ridge, Shawangunks, and the Catskills. From the summit, we will head back down either via the Jessup and Trestle trail or the Dark Hollow/Sweet Clover trail.

This is a strenuous hike (1,360'+ vertical rise, some rocky terrain and scrambling). Bring a lunch, snacks, and 1.5 liters of water. Be prepared for some really chilly weather (temps in the upper 20s) and possibly a bit of snow on the ground. Good boots and layers of clothes are a must since the ground will be wet and the wind will be cold. Other gear questions will be answered individually via email.

We should be leaving New York City around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday and meeting at the Dunkin' Donuts in Central Valley around 10:15 a.m. Then we'll drive together a few miles to the trailhead. We may go for dinner after the hike and should be back in NYC around 8:00 p.m. Bring some cash to chip in for the carpool and tolls and to pay for dinner.

The number of participants is limited only by the number of available cars for carpooling. Sign up on the waiting list and I'll increase the number of participants as we get more drivers signed up. On Friday evening, I'll share a spreadsheet to arrange the carpools.

Milos