Trying to plan a car-free hike for next weekend. I usually do the Cold Spring/Breakneck thing but want to switch it up. Has anyone taken the Port Jervis line all the way to Tuxedo and walked into Harriman? Last time I looked at a map it seemed like the station is right there, but in reality you pop out next to Route 17 with no obvious trailhead. Do you just walk the shoulder to the park entrance or am I missing a connector? If Tuxedo is a mess, is Harriman station or Sloatsburg any better for someone without a car? Need a loop somewhere around 7-9 miles, nothing too gnarly.

Tuxedo is not a huge mess, but you have to know the one weird move: from the platform, cross under Route 17, walk up the east side about 0.3 mile, and the old trail entrance is behind the gas station/auto shop. It looks like nothing, but it takes you onto the Tuxedo-Mount Ivy Trail. No sidewalk for the first stretch, just a weedy shoulder, so don't do it in the dark.

But honestly? For a 7-9 mile loop I'd stay on one more stop to Harriman and walk from the station to the Reeves Meadow/Stony Brook side. It's a real road but calmer, and there's a deli near the platform for a water refill. The deli is a lifesaver! If you're feeling ambitious, get off at Sloatsburg and use the pedestrian bridge over the Thruway to Seven Lakes Drive.

Have you tried the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail from Suffern? It starts right near the station and gets you on the AT-ish side of the park fast. Which trail were you looking at, Ramapo-Dunderberg or Pine Meadow?

Wait, this is perfect timing. I tried my first car-free hike from Cold Spring two weeks ago and accidentally followed the wrong set of stairs out of the station, ended up on a street with a big stone church, totally missed the trailhead. So Tuxedo sounds even more confusing. Is there any bathroom at Tuxedo or just a platform? I keep seeing “station” on the schedule but my friend said it’s basically a covered bench and a crossing gate. Also, do you need a map app or are the blazes enough once you find the entrance? Thanks for the Harriman deli tip, RiverdaleRambler. A water refill before a hike changes everything for me.

DykerNewbie: yes, Tuxedo is basically a platform with a little shelter, don't count on a bathroom. The gas station near the trail entrance sometimes lets you buy something and use the key, but I wouldn't plan around it.

RiverdaleRambler, I've done Suffern-Bear Mountain from Suffern and it's great, but the first part on the road near the highway really killed the vibe. The pedestrian bridge at Sloatsburg sounds like the piece I was missing. I think I'll take the Harriman stop and make peace with the road walk, then hit the deli before the trail. Is the Stony Brook side still the best jump-off for Pine Meadow Lake, or is Reeves Meadow just the default?

Flatbush_F, Pine Meadow Lake from Reeves Meadow is the default for a reason: the trail is wide, impossible to lose, and the grade is forgiving for the first hour. But don't sleep on the Kakiat Trail if you get off at Suffern and want a real climb—it feels like two different parks.

Have you tried the newish Harriman station connector that goes past the cemetery and over the Thruway? It drops you near the Suffern-Bear Mountain trailhead without walking the highway shoulder anymore! Last spring there was a bridge section closed, but the local trail group says it's open again. If you do the deli, get the egg and cheese before 10 or they sell out.

For DykerNewbie: download the Avenza or AllTrails offline map before you get on the train. The blazes are mostly good, but around the gas station entrance there's one turn where the blaze is on a rock behind a dumpster and you'd never see it cold.