3. Pine Swamp Mine

Distance:	Dayhike
Difficulty :	Easy to moderate for children
Distance :	3.1 miles, loop
Hiking time :	2.5 hours
High point/elevation gain :	1180 feet, 800 feet
Hikable :	March-November
Map :	NY-NJ Trail Conference Maps 8 and 4

Within the last three centuries, more than twenty iron mines were opened and worked in the Hudson Highlands and the area now known as Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks. The iron they produced was shipped to England during the early 1700s to be turned into tools, nails, cooking utensils, and other common articles. In this period of taxation without representation, duties were collected on both trips. King George III's iron manufacturing policy (along with his stamp and tea taxes, of course) was highly unpopular with the colonists, eventually leading to the Revolutionary War.

Today, the open mine shafts and mammoth pits are fascinating to visit. Pine Swamp Mine, your goal on this trip, is the largest remaining mine with a slanting chamber that is open for exploration. The mine workers had homes nearby that they were forced to abandon when the mines closed; some foundations are still apparent along the Dunning Trail. The occasional apple tree or lilac bush is a living reminder of the families who once inhabited the area.

This loop hike is well suited for inexperienced hiking families or for folks whose desire for an unusual adventure surpasses their endurance levels.

From New York City, take the Thruway (I-87) north to Exit 15. Follow NY Route 17 north approximately 10.5 miles. At a traffic light, bear left where a sign indicates a turn for Harriman State Park. Go up a ramp and, at the top, make a right on NY Route 106 (Old Route 210). Continue for 4.2 miles to the Kanawauke Circle. Go around the circle and turn onto Seven Lakes Drive north. Proceed for 0.75 mile and, at a sign for "fishing access," turn left into a driveway. Continue down the driveway to a large parking area at Lake Skannatati, and leave your car here.

From the northern end of the parking area, duck into airy, rock-strewn woods on the Arden-Surebridge (ASB) Trail, marked by red triangles inside white rectangles. (Do you have any preschoolers learning shapes and colors? Put them in charge of finding the sharp, frequent blazes.) Pass near the northern end of Lake Skannatati and angle right, away from the water, heading northwestward. One-tenth mile from the start, the trail climbs up a moderate slope toward a ledge and rock area. As you track through slabs of ledge and mounds of glacial boulders, you'll pass kid-size caves on either side. Since everyone knows that kids and caves go together like cookies and milk, plan to pause here to let the little ones do some investigating.

After a short uphill scramble, the trail begins to hook left, cresting a grassy plateau that nourishes a few oak trees. Can you find a double acorn? As you continue, watch for blueberry bushes edging the trail, and do some picking if the berries are ripe. At an intersection 0.25 mile from the start, bear left (west), still following the familiar red-and-white blazes, as the Red Cross Trail departs right (northeast). Beyond the intersection, the woods open up, allowing you to view Lake Skannatati on the left. As you wander through the pleasant woodlands, choose categories (birds, tree stumps, toadstools . . . ) and see how many of each you can find.

Scale a section of ledge and then drop gently down the other side. If the kids are getting restless, play "Name that Tune": take turns singing the first few notes of familiar melodies while the others guess the title. The trail trends northward as it descends, then swings back to resume a westerly course at 0.5 mile. From a sag rimmed with hemlocks, look left to see the mucky edge of Pine Swamp.

Laurel crowds the trail at 0.75 mile as you roll over gentle hills through more hemlock forest. Approaching the swamp, the spongy trail crosses a seasonal stream and snakes up a slope to crest a knoll. After a moderate to steep descent, bear left at double blazes to dodge an area littered with boulders. As you pass a large glacial erratic boulder (who will be king of this "mountain"?), point out the rust-colored earth to the kids as you climb the slope. What mineral causes the discoloration? (It's the iron.)

When the trail meets an old woods road that heads right (northeast) and left (west), turn left, still following the red-and-white- triangle blazing. Almost immediately, cross a seasonal brook on stones. Who took the fewest number of steps to get across?

At 1.2 miles, just beyond another stream crossing, turn left (south) onto the yellow-blazed Dunning Trail, a woods road, as the ASB Trail continues straight. As you pass through stands of hemlock and white pine, find the largest hemlock cone and the smallest white pine cone. Which is bigger? Hemlock needles are flat; can you name the only other tree with flat needles? (The fir tree.)

Pine Swamp washes toward the road on the left. One-tenth mile from the last intersection, as the edge of the swamp meets the path, look to the right up a steep slope for unblazed side trails. Take a trail, any trail: all lead in 0.1 mile to Pine Swamp Mine on the east side of Hogencamp Mountain. Encourage the kids to stay with you as you enter the mine, a tremendous man-made cavern. It's relatively safe to explore, since the floor slopes upward, but keep kids away from the cavity at the base, which is full of water. (The abandoned mines are 10 feet to 6000 feet deep. The Forest of Dean Mine, worked from 1754 to 1931, was the deepest—and most productive—mine, although no one can locate it today. The entrance was sealed off long ago and it is believed to be buried on land owned by the U.S. Military Academy.)

Back on the Dunning Trail, ask the kids to list the animal sounds they hear: frogs conversing in the swamp, squirrels scampering through layers of leaves, birds piping overhead. What animals can you see? As we walked along the road, we met two lovely fawns. (Your chances of seeing a deer are greater if you move quietly.) Do you see any signs of deer? Look carefully along the ground for tracks. Examine the double-tear-shaped hoof marks: if the toes are together, the deer was walking when it made the print; if the toes are separated, the deer was running. Look for deer droppings (small cylindrical pellets), and signs that twigs were torn from low thickets. In early fall, check young trees for antler rubbings; deer rub their mature antlers to remove a velvety covering.

Departing the swamp, the trail rises gradually and, 1.85 miles from the start, meets the rugged, turquoise-blazed Long Path. Turn left (southeast), stepping down a grassy, rock-covered slope. As you descend, pass through dense thickets of mountain laurel, sometimes referred to as "laurel slicks" or "laurel hells." This shrub, native in the Northeast, is quite common, and grows in low clusters when young, attaining heights up to 13 feet. Can you find the shortest and tallest bushes within this "slick"?

Two and one-half miles from the start, the trail snakes past impressive ledge outcroppings and then crosses an active stream on stones. To the right, you can see Lake Skannatati. Appoint a young hike leader here to guide the group on the upcoming descent. Tumble down the soggy slope, hopping from one stone to the next behind your leader. The trail pitches and heaves over rugged ground, angling closer to the lake. One-half mile from the stream crossing, after skirting the northern rim of the lake, you reach the parking area and your car.

Note: The park closes at dark. Swimming is permitted only at certain beaches and pools; boating is by permit only. Camping, picnicking, and fires are confined to designated areas.