Since starting this blog three years ago, I have been all over
the Hudson Valley. There are still a few
pockets of good hiking spots that I have not reached. Sterling Forest State park is one of those
places.
Located in southern Orange County just west of Harriman
State Park, it includes 18,000 acres of forest.
During colonial times, Sterling was an industrial site. Its mines provided the iron for the cannons
and cannonballs. It also provided the
iron for the chain that stretched across the Hudson at West Point to block
British ships.
The further south I went, the more views of
Sterling Lake I would get. The Fire
Tower provided the best views. Despite
the clouds coming in, I could make out the Devil’s Path and Slide to the
north. To the south, the skyline of
Manhattan could be seen. To the east,
the hills of Harriman and Sterling Lake were in view. To the west, a small bit of Greenwood Lake
could be seen. The ridge that the A.T.
follows rises to the west.
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Smoky is looking out for us |
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Sterling Lake |
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A tiny slice of Greenwood Lake |
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The Devil's Path in the distance |
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Slide Mountain |
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Manhattan's skyline |
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I love fire towers |
What did you do when you saw the bear? Scary.
ReplyDeleteGreenwood Lake brings back probably my earliest memories. My aunt and uncle had a summer cottage there during the summer of 1972. That's where my uncle threw me in the lake and gave me a lifelong fear of water. Thanks Uncle Jack!!!