6/15/2015

SchunemunkMountainLoopfromTaylorRoadviaSweetClover,JessupandDarkHollowTrails|NewYorkNewJerseyTrailConference
GoHiking

GetInvolved

BeInformed

TrailStore

OurCommunity

AboutUs

Search

Schunemunk Mountain Loop from Taylor Road via Sweet Clover, Jessup
and Dark Hollow Trails
Overview
Thisloophikeclimbstoaridgecomposed
ofunusualconglomeraterock,withmany
viewpointsfromopenrockledgesdotted
withpitchpines.
Details
Time:
Difficulty:
Length:
RouteType:
Dogs:
Features:
Location
Park:
Region:
County:
State:

4.5hours
Strenuous
6.5miles
Circuit
Allowedonleash
Views,Waterfall,Public
Transportation
SchunemunkMountain
StatePark(Schunnemunk
MountainStatePark)
SchunemunkMountain
Region
Orange
NY

Maps/Books
BuyTrailMap: WestHudsonTrailsMap
BuyBook:
NewYorkWalkBook
Publication
FirstPublished: 06/24/2010
Updated/Verified:06/24/2010
Submitter:
DanielChazin
TrailheadGPS

Coordinates41.407553,74.081725

DrivingDirections
TaketheNewYorkStateThruwaytoExit16(Harriman).ProceednorthonN.Y.Route32for
aboutsevenmilestotheVillageofMountainville,andturnleftontoPleasantHillRoad(County
Route79).Atthebottomofthehill,turnleftagainontoTaylorRoad,thenbearrightandcross
thebridgeovertheThruway.Thetrailheadparkingareaisontherightsideoftheroad,just
beyondthejunctionwithCreeksideLane.
Bus
ShortlinebusgoestoMountainvilleandmakesastopatAngolaRoadandRoute32.Crossthe
street(Rt.32)wherethere'sabigsignthatsays"BlackRockRod&GameClub"and
walktowardPleasantHillRoad(CountyRoute79).Atthebottomofthehill,turnleftontoTaylor
Road,thenbearrightandcrossthebridgeovertheThruway.Thetrailheadisontheleftsideof
theroad,justbeyondthejunctionwithCreeksideLaneandoppositethetrailheadparkingarea
ontheright.
Description
Fromthewesternendoftheparkingarea,crosstheroadandproceedsouthonthejointJessup
(yellow),SweetClover(white)andHighlands(tealdiamond)Trails,whichclimbgentlytothe
crestofafieldandthendescendtoawoodsroad.Totheright,youcanseeSchunemunk
Mountain,whichyou'llsoonclimb.
Turnrightontothewoodsroad.Inabout500feet,you'llcometoajunctionwiththewhite
blazedSweetCloverTrail.Turnleftontothistrail,whichcontinuesalongagrassywoodsroad
throughafield.Attheendofthefield,itreentersthewoodsandturnsright,passingoldstone
walls.Whenthewoodsroadagaincurvesright,followthewhiteblazesstraightahead.Thetrail
nowclimbstocrossrailroadtracks.Thisisanactiverailline,sobesuretostop,lookandlisten
forapproachingtrainsbeforecrossing.
Ontheoppositesideofthetracks,thetrailbrieflyturnsleft,thenimmediatelyturnsrightand
beginsasteadyclimbofthemountain.Afterawhile,thetraillevelsoffandemergesattheedge
ofaravine,withviewstotheeast.Itthenbearsrightandclimbsmoresteeply.Itlevelsoff
again,crossesatributarystream,thenpassesanothereastfacingviewpoint.
AftercrossingthenorthernbranchofDarkHollowBrook,you'llreachapanoramicviewpoint
fromopenrocks.You'renowhighenoughonthemountaintoseetheHudsonRivertothe
northeast,andtheEastHudsonHighlandsbeyond.NorthandSouthBeaconMountainscanbe
identifiedbythetowersontheirsummits.
You'llsoonpassanotherviewpointand,justbeyond,reachajunctionwiththeyellowblazed
JessupTrail(alsotherouteofthetealdiamondblazedHighlandsTrail).Turnleftatthejunction
andheadsouthalongthesummitridge,formedofconglomeraterockoutcropsstuddedwith
pebblesofwhitequartzandpinksandstone.Thisunusualrockhasbeensmoothedbyglacial
action,sometimesresemblingalevelsidewalk,andpitchpinesgrowoutofcracksintherock.
Alongtheway,you'llpasstwomorespectaculareastfacingviewpoints.
Justbeyondthesecondviewpoint,you'llreachajunctionwiththeblackonwhiteblazedDark
HollowTrail.Thiswillbeyourreturnroute,butyou'llwanttocontinueaheadforanotherthirdof
amileontheJessup/HighlandsTrail.Afterpassingthroughdensemountainlaurelthickets,the
trailemergesonalargeexpanseofconglomeraterock,withcairnsandwhiteblazespointing
righttotheMegaliths.Continueaheadontheyellowblazedtrailforashortdistancetothe
1,664foothighsummitofSchunemunkMountain(markedontherockwithwhitepaint),
whichaffordsa270degreeviewtothewestandnortheast.

http://www.nynjtc.org/hike/sweetcloverdarkhollowandmegalithsschunemunkmountain

1/2

6/15/2015

SchunemunkMountainLoopfromTaylorRoadviaSweetClover,JessupandDarkHollowTrails|NewYorkNewJerseyTrailConference

Retraceyourstepstothejunctionwiththewhiteblazedsidetrail,andfollowthisshorttrail
(alsomarkedbycairns)totheMegalithsagroupofhugeblocksthathavesplitofffromthe
bedrock.You'llwanttotakeabreakhere,astheinterestinggeologicfeaturesarecomplemented
byafineviewpointtothewest.
Whenyoufeelrested,returntotheJessup/HighlandsTrail,turnleftandcontinuebacktothe
junctionwiththeblackonwhiteDarkHollowTrail.Turnrightontothistrail,whichcrosses
severalintermittentstreamsandsoonbeginsasteadydescent.Thefirstpartofthedescentis
quitesteep,afterwhichthetrailcrossesDarkHollowBrook,bearsleftandreachesashortlevel
stretch.Justbeforethedescentresumes,thereisanothergreatviewtotheeastandnortheast
overtheHudsonRiverandEastHudsonHighlands.
Afteranothersteepstretch,you'llcrossabrookandbearleftagain.Soon,thetrailjoinsawoods
road,whichitfollowsformostoftheremainderofthedescent.Atonepoint,thetrailproceeds
straightahead,cuttingoffaloopoftheroad.Thefinalviewpointofthehikeisreachedasthe
trailbeginsasteepdescenttorejointhewoodsroad.
TheDarkHollowTrailendsatthebaseofthedescent,justbeforetherailroadtracks.Turnleft
ontotheredblazedOtterkillTrail,whichdescendstocrossDarkHollowBrookbelowan
attractivewaterfall,thenclimbstoreachajunctionwiththewhiteblazedSweetCloverTrail.
TurnrightontotheSweetCloverTrailandcrosstherailroadtracks.ContinuetofollowtheSweet
CloverTrailasitdescendsthroughthewoods,turnsrightontoawoodsroad,thenbearsleft
andfollowsagrassyroadthroughafield.Whenyoureachthejunctionwiththeyellowblazed
JessupTrail,turnright,thenleft,followingthejointSweetClover/JessupTrailsbacktothe
parkingareawherethehikebegan.

Comment:Pleaseberelevant,civil,noncommercial.

Wish I had more time up top!

OnOctober18th,2013Sullysays:

Thisisanexcellentallaroundhike.
Thedirectionsareaccurateandthemarkersareclearlyvisiblethroughoutthehike.
ThePuddingstoneConglomerateswerearealtreatanditwasgreattoseesomanyPitchPines
inoneplace!
TheviewfromtheMegalith'sisabsolutelyfantastic.
Willdothisnextyearwhenthedaysarelongertogetthemostoutofthismountain.
Thanksagainforthedirectionsanddescriptions!

Great hike
OnSeptember30th,2013steppenwolfsays:

Anumberofexpansiveviews+someinterestingrocksmakesthisagoodhike.Mostofthe
climbingisdoneonthesweetclovertrail.TheJessuptrailisratherpoorlymarkedyouhave
touseamixtureofcairnsandmarkstonavigate.Imissedtheturnofftothemegaliths.Ifyou
reachthejunctionofabluedotonwhitetrail,youhavegonetoofaronjessuptrail.Theturn
offtodarkhollowtrailiswellmarkedonyourwayback.Ittookmeabout4hoursincluding
someconfusiononthejessuptrail,someminorbreakstotakepicturesanda20minbreakat
themegaliths.

May 2012
OnMay18th,2012hefriedman@eart...says:

IhikedthisrouteinmidMayandfoundtheabovedirectionsveryaccurate.Thebeginningand
theendofthisroutetravelsthroughabeautifulmeadowthathadwildflowersandbutterflies.
SomeoftheblazesoftheSweetClovertrailweresparsealongtheway.Theviews,thewalk
alongtherockyridge,thevisittothemegalithsandthe270degreepanoramamadethishike
memorable.Thehikeatthetopwasenhancedbyexcellentblazingwithmanycreatively
placedcairns.Theascentissteepandthedescentissteepandrocky.

nice energetic day hike

OnJune19th,2011pelagorisays:

didthishikeprettymuchexactlyasdescribedwiththewifeand2kids(10and12)today.
afteragentlestartthishikerises1000'inlessthanamileandisareallworkoutjustwhat
wewanted!forthosewhowantabreak1/2wayupcontinuetoabout1060'elevationwhere
therearesomerockstositonbythewaterfallandcascade.spectacularviewsfromallaround
atthetop.myGPS read1670'atthehighpoint.detouroffthedarkhollowtrailtoN41
23.684W07406.599foranotherspectacularviewovertotheeastonthewaydown.we
covered6.5milesin5hourswithatotalascentofjustunder1500'.greathike!

thecoordinatesforparkingare:N4124.461W07404.904

The Google Parking Map for

OnJune20th,2011k2malkin@optimum.netsays:

TheGoogleParkingMapforTaylorRoadParkingwasincorrectuntilthisposting.The
correctparkinglotcoordinatesare41.407553,74.081725
or+4124'27.19,744'
54.21.WearenotabletoconfirmtheviewpointcoordinatesofftheDarkHollowTrailbut
wecanconfirmthatthisisagreathike.

http://www.nynjtc.org/hike/sweetcloverdarkhollowandmegalithsschunemunkmountain

2/2