NY/NJ Backpacking with a Hammock

[Cbenzy]

Hi all,
I am relatively new to hammocking and have DIY’d all of my gear. Have done a few over nighters on the AT in NY (wildcat shelter) and Harriman state forest NY. What are the best backpacking trails in NJ southern NY area?

[Ratdog]

A few resources.

Delaware Water Gap
Catskills
Harriman

Many folks on here with more current experince than I.

http://www.myharriman.com

https://www.catskillhiker.net/Trails/trails_harri.shtml

https://www.meetup.com/HammockBG/

Take a trip with the meetup group and you’ll get advice from thru, section and local backpackers. Maybe even some hiker trash if you’re lucky.

[cmoulder]

Harriman has around 200 miles of trails and is right in your backyard, of course. I've done almost all of them but for a snippet or connector here and there, and it is a great proving ground for new gear and for training. The biggest downside to me is that it's hard to find places in the park that are far enough away from road noise. But you can say that about most of the AT as well.

More locally, Hudson Highlands, Fahnestock... hop on the trail at Breakneck ridge (or many other spots) and go North as far as you like.

Plenty of stuff in the Catskills, though very few loops. Adirondacks is a huge park with all sorts of possibilities. Cranberry Lake 50 is a good loop with a very minimal road walk thru the town of Cranberry Lake. Pharaoh Lake Wilderness. High Peaks.

[Cbenzy]

Awesome! Thanks! How do I go about the group trips?

[cmoulder]

Go to that meetup link provided by Ratdog and join. I've done a couple of easy trips with Jolly and some of the other folks and they are great.

[Cbenzy]

Thank you!! Didn’t see that.. lol