I keep seeing the same advice: 'just take the train to Tuxedo and walk into Harriman.' Okay, but has anyone actually walked from the Tuxedo station to the Ramapo-Dunderberg trailhead on a Saturday morning? The train part is confusing enough if you're coming from the city — it's not a Grand Central train, you have to go over to Hoboken or make the Secaucus shuffle from Penn. But the last mile is the real issue! The road out of the station to the trailhead looks like a narrow shoulder with no sidewalk in places, and cars are moving. I'm dying to know if it's genuinely walkable or if people are just being cavalier about a 40 mph road. Also, is the unmarked trailhead still just a gap in the stone wall, or did they finally put up a sign? I need the step-by-step, not the Instagram version!

Wait, I'm new to this. I thought Harriman station was literally at the park entrance and you just stepped off the train onto a trail. Is Tuxedo the better stop? I tried mapping it from Grand Central and gave up when it told me to take a train to Secaucus then another to somewhere. Is there a bus from the city that drops you closer? Sorry if this is a dumb question but the Metro-North map makes it look like you can just hop off at Harriman and start hiking.

Lol yeah the map is lying to you. I've done both stops. Harriman station is more like a park-and-ride-ish stop, and the walk from there to a real trailhead is not cute — you're on the side of a road with no shoulder for a bit. Tuxedo is better for Ramapo-Dunderberg, but the road walk is still real. The move if you don't want to deal with Secaucus is the Short Line bus from Port Authority. It'll drop you at Elk Pen or Arden Valley Road and you start from an actual trailhead. Train is doable but not as turn-key as the comments make it sound.

So I tried this last weekend because I saw a video about Harriman. Got off at Harriman station and expected a trail sign. Walked past what felt like car dealerships and a gas station? I couldn't tell if I was going toward the park or toward someone's backyard. I ended up walking 15 minutes back to the station and just taking the train home. Is Tuxedo actually marked? I don't mind a short road walk, but I need to know I'm not about to wander onto private property.

Honestly, for a first timer, the train to Tuxedo is fine but you have to know exactly where you're going. The Ramapo-Dunderberg trailhead is a little north of the station, and the last time I went there was no sidewalk for part of it. Harriman station is worse for a day hike, I agree with Chelsea_C. The Short Line bus is the real hack, especially if you're solo and don't want to deal with the Secaucus transfer. But if you're set on the train, go with Tuxedo and put the route into your phone before you lose service.

Oh, I have tried the Short Line bus too! The early weekend departure from Port Authority is fine if you catch it, but if you miss it the next one can leave you standing around forever. And here's the thing about Tuxedo: the station itself is basically an unstaffed concrete slab, which I love, but there's no signage pointing you to the trailhead. You have to walk up the road and look for the stone wall opening on your right. Has anyone tried going in from Sloatsburg instead? I've heard there's a way to reach the Pine Meadow Trail from that side, but I've never done the road walk from the Sloatsburg station to the gas station trailhead. That might actually be the missing link!

Okay so I did Tuxedo this past Sunday after reading this thread. The train part was okay but the road walk to the trailhead felt longer than people say. I was wearing a dark jacket and immediately regretted it. Once I got into the trees it was gorgeous, but I didn't see one other person until I was on the trail. I also didn't see a bus anywhere near the station. Is that normal? I thought there was a shuttle in the summer.

No shuttle you can count on. There used to be some seasonal thing years ago, but I wouldn't plan around it. If you do the Tuxedo walk again, wear a bright shirt and walk facing traffic on the shoulder. The trailhead is not signed but it's right around where the stone wall dips and there's a little dirt pull-off. And yeah, Harriman station is a no from me for anyone without a car. If you're nervous, grab two friends and split a rideshare from Tuxedo station to the trailhead — it's short but it saves you the road stress.

Wait, Sloatsburg? I completely missed that option. I thought it was either Tuxedo or Port Authority bus. Can you actually walk from the Sloatsburg station to the Pine Meadow Trail? From the map it looks like you have to cross a highway or something. If there's a gas station trailhead, that sounds way more accessible than Tuxedo because at least you can buy water before you start. Did I pick the wrong station this whole time?

Sloatsburg station to Pine Meadow is walkable, but it's a different vibe than what not_from_here is picturing — you're walking through a quiet residential street for a while before you hit the trailhead near the old gas station and convenience store area. Not a wilderness entrance, but there is a place to grab water, which is nice. I did it once in the fall and the shoulder got muddy after rain. For a first car-free hike, I'd still say take the Short Line bus to Elk Pen. But if the train is the whole point, Tuxedo to Ramapo-Dunderberg is the most straightforward. Just don't go to Harriman station expecting a park entrance, you'll be disappointed.