1. Pine Meadow Lake

Distance:	Dayhike
Difficulty :	Moderate for children
Distance :	4 miles, loop
Hiking time :	2.5 hours
High point/elevation gain :	1260 feet, 620 feet
Hikable :	March-November
Map :	NY-NJ Trail Conference Map 3

It's not always easy to maintain your kids' interest in family hiking: cable television's seventy-odd channels, the latest rap recordings, and the newest video games provide stiff competition. That's why every hike in this book is loaded with neat "kid features."

On this route, which encompasses Pine Meadow Lake and Diamond Mountain in Harriman State Park, children can search for frogs in a swamp, skip stones on the calm water of a lake, play "King of the Mountain" on mammoth boulders, and pretend to be giants on a safe, sheltered summit. Brief ascents and descents, as well as numerous trail junctions, keep the kids focused between the various points of interest.

Beat that, Nintendo!

From New York City, take the Thruway (I-87) north to Exit 15. Follow NY Route 17 north approximately 4.5 miles. Just past the village of Sloatsburg, turn right onto Seven Lakes Drive at a sign indicating the entrance to Harriman State Park. Continue for 4.3 miles, passing by Lake Sebago on the left, and turn left into a driveway (the second driveway to the left after you cross the dam at the outlet to Lake Sebago), which leads to a parking area for boat launching, hiking, and fishing. (Swimming is not permitted in this area, although there are numerous swimming beaches at other lakes in the park.)

Walk back along the driveway to Seven Lakes Drive and cross the road. Look for the Seven Hills trailhead (marked with a "7"), blazed in blue-centered white circles. Head southward on this footpath, marching uphill for 0.3 mile through spacious woods. (Make sure kids know the rule: whiners must walk backward for 30 paces!) Loose rocks litter the way as you gain altitude; kids may need some help to keep from slipping. The trail widens and crests, then embarks on a gentle descent. Look for clusters of blueberry bushes along the way.

At 0.6 mile, meet a woods road (Woodtown Road) at an intersection marked with double blazes. Turn left (east), and cross a trickling seasonal stream on a row of rock slabs. Can you spot any bee balm (genus Monarda, also called Oswego tea) sprouting along the bank? This wildflower appears in late summer, growing along streams like this one. At 0.7 mile from the start, the white-on-blue-blazed trail turns right off Woodtown Road as you follow a white-blazed side trail left toward Monitor Rock. Push through blueberry and laurel bushes for 0.1 mile to crest a block of ledge offering seasonal views and crowned by two impressive glacial boulders. Can anyone scramble up one of these?

Return to Woodtown Road and turn left, soon crossing the Tuxedo-Mount Ivy Trail, blazed with red dashes on white. Now descending gradually, continue on Woodtown Road for 0.25 mile to a junction with gravel Pine Meadow Road. Turn right (southwest) onto Pine Meadow Road. On the left, a swamp encroaches on the road; shortly, you cross the swamp outlet over a stone bridge. If the kids need a rest, let them sit near the swamp and just observe for a few minutes. What kinds of insects scoot across the water or hover above it? What sounds do they hear? Can they describe various smells?

At 1.35 miles from the start, avoid a cross-country ski trail that turns left (south); continue straight (southwest) on Pine Meadow Road near the swampy bank of Lake Wanoksink. At 1.8 miles, head straight across the white-on-red-blazed Pine Meadow Trail to arrive at the northwestern shore of pristine Pine Meadow Lake. Spread out a picnic lunch on the sunny, sloping ledge that slides into the water. Adults can take in the sun while the kids explore the water's edge. Swimming is not permitted, but there are no rules against stone-skipping contests, frog "hunting," or water bug collecting. Do you see any turtles basking in the sun on the rocks near the edge of the lake? Of all of the turtles native to the area, the snapping turtle is the largest. Its shell is between 8 and 18 inches long, but it is not large enough to shelter the large limbs, head, and tail of the snapper. Thus, powerful jaws allow this turtle to defend itself against predators.

To begin the return trip, turn left (northwest) onto the Pine Meadow Trail (another trail blazed with red squares on white). Drop modestly down a rugged path, crossing a seasonal stream. Quickly, at a junction, continue straight (northwest) on the white-blazed Diamond Mountain Trail as the yellow-blazed Tower Trail splits right and the Pine Meadow Trail turns left (southwest). Begin an ascent up the southern slope of Diamond Mountain. Similar to the ascent at the start of the hike, this climb is steady and rugged.

At 2.1 miles, the trail opens onto a grassy plateau that nourishes a few scrub oaks. Instruct the kids to keep a careful watch for blazes, often splashed on rocks rather than trees. As you cross the broad, open summit of Diamond Mountain, cropped panoramic views take in Lake Sebago. There's no need to worry about curious kids: this is a child-friendly summit with no sudden drop-offs, no sheer cliffs, no dilapidated fire towers.

Cresting, the Diamond Mountain Trail ends at an intersection with the Seven Hills and Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trails. Turn right (northeast) to follow the combined white/white-on-blue trail. Track across exposed ledge on level ground. If the kids are startled by a snake darting in front of them, remind them that most snakes you'll encounter on any hike in the Northeast are common garter snakes. Because they live primarily on an earthworm diet, garter snakes have flourished despite human intrusion and development. If you hike in midsummer, you might spot baby garter snakes; females give birth to between twelve and seventy-two live offspring in July and August.

Almost 2.5 miles from the start, the combined trail splits: the white Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trail departs left as you follow the blue-on-white Seven Hills Trail straight. To the left, Lake Sebago shimmers far below. In another 0.1 mile, the yellow-blazed Tower Trail merges from the right (east). Stay straight here also, following the blue-on-white Seven Hills Trail.

Beyond this junction, drop gently on ledge as an even better view of Lake Sebago emerges. The trail snakes through patches of blueberries, searching for the easiest route off the mountain. Briefly join a woods road before double blazes guide you northeastward, back into the woods, as the woods road departs right. At the base of ledge, you meet the trail marked with red dashes on white. As this trail bears right, bear left over more ledge, through lush colonies of laurel. Let the kids run ahead with instructions to wait for you beside the huge, cracked erratic boulder known as the "cracked diamond." (We thought it looked like a giant mouth. What do you think?) At 3.25 miles, turn left onto Woodtown Road and retrace the initial 0.7 mile, following the blue-on-white blazes of the Seven Hills Trail back to your car.