Irene-Devastated Trail Rehabilitated on Wildcat Mountain

Volunteers, including West Point cadets, rebuilt a washed-out section of trail on Wildcat Mountain the last weekend in October.

By Sona Mason

Our first season on the Sterling Forest State Park Backcountry Trails Project ended with volunteers completing the rehabilitation of a Hurricane Irene-devastated section of trail leading to Wildcat Mountain (photo at left). This was the last project in what was a productive and fun season at Sterling Forest. Volunteers, including three outstanding trainee members of our Conservation Corps who worked hard all season, taught other volunteers, and led trail-building outings, finished the new Doris Duke Trail and completed this big trail job.

The work can be seen–and experienced–almost immediately upon leaving the Hall Drive parking area (P2 on Sterling Forest Trails map) toward Wildcat Mountain. Note: Hikers may want to wait until after deer hunting with guns season, which begins Nov. 16 and ends Dec. 8

And a big thank-you to Bob, Lynda, Scott, Christine, David, Howard, Joanne, Joe, Rene, and West Point Cadets for their work on the Wildcat stream crossing, and to all the volunteers who made our season at Sterling Forest a success!

About Trail Walker

Since 1920, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has partnered with parks to create, protect, and promote a network of more than 2,100 miles of public trails in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region. The Trail Conference organizes volunteer service projects that keep these trails open, safe, and enjoyable for the public. We publish maps and books that guide public use of these trails. The Trail Conference is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization with a membership of 10,000 individuals and 100 clubs with a combined membership of 100,000 active, outdoor-loving people.

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