The Trail Conference’s #GivingTuesday Week is the perfect time to skip the holiday crowds, get outside, and support trails this holiday season. When you give the gift of trails Nov. 22 through 29, you can even send your support to the trail region that’s most important to you. Starting Tuesday, Nov. 22, you can designate your gift to trail work in any of our four regions: New Jersey, New York east of the Hudson River, New York west of the Hudson, or the Catskills.  You can also opt to support all regions, help us fight invasive species through our Invasives Strike Force, or contribute to ..read more

By Ken Posner, SRT Run/Hike Co-founder and Trail Conference Board Member/Volunteer SRT Run/Hike winner Zack Price, left, and fellow 70-mile runner Jason Berry of Bushkill, Pa. The third edition of the SRT Run/Hike took place Sept. 16-17, drawing 102 participants to the spectacular Shawangunk Ridge Trail. This unique connector trail, created by the Trail Conference, links the Appalachian Trail in High Point State Park, N.J, with the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail in Rosendale, N.Y., and in so doing crosses the entire breath of the Shawangunk Mountains, which the Nature Conservancy has identified ..read more

Text and photos by Peter Senterman Help build lean-tos in the Catskills! Ever wonder what it takes to build a lean-to? The Trail Conference, with the cooperation of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), is building two lean-tos on the grounds of the Maurice D. Hinchey Catskill Interpretive Center on Route 28 in Mt. Tremper, N.Y., and everyone is invited to participate. Construction began June 18, and will continue almost every Saturday (weather permitting) throughout the summer. Once the structures are completed, they will be disassembled and packaged into bundle ..read more

By Jeff Senterman, Board Member From left: Catskill Center Executive Director Jeff Senterman, DEC Senior Supervising Forester for Region 3 Jeff Rider, Trail Conference Catskills Program Coordinator Doug Senterman, and DEC Forest Preserve Forester for Region 3 Ian Dunn help open the new trail at the Catskill Interpretive Center. (Photo credit: Rosalind Dickinson) Good things sometimes do take time, and that was the case as we celebrated the opening of a new 0.5-mile nature trail at the Maurice D. Hinchey Catskill Interpretive Center (CIC) this National Trails Day. The trail began taking ..read more

The techniques used in building dry stone walls can be applied during the construction of a number of trail features, including water bars, steps, armoring, and crib walls. By guest blogger Peter Welch, president of The Stone Trust. Illustrations by Brian Post, executive director of The Stone Trust. Trail Conference Megalithic Crew member Kevin Stamey uses the principles of dry stone walling on the trail. (Photo credit: Georgette Weir) In the rocky Northeast, building a solid trail structure using the materials right at hand is definitely a possibility—if you follow the rules. First off ..read more

Yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the final 2016-17 New York State budget includes a $300 million Environmental Protection Fund—the state’s largest EPF budget ever. Not only is this a historic moment for open space protection in New York State, it’s an unprecedented time for trail users, who are poised to benefit immensely from this announcement. In a surprise move, the entirety of the EPF has been designated for hikers, runners, and bikers to explore the state’s trail systems. Starting today, New York State residents who sign up on a first-come, first-served basis will be eligib ..read more

Submit your best nature pictures in the Capture the Beauty of the Earth photo contest to be featured at the event! Plus: Enjoy refreshments, wine, a raffle, and more By guest bloggers Susan Magnano and Michael Malandra, owners of Photour Adventures Harriman water flow, by Michael Malandra Photour Adventures is celebrating Earth Day at the Elements Gallery in Suffern, N.Y., on Friday, April 22, and we want you to join us! We will showcasing entries in our Capture the Beauty of Earth photo contest, and raffling off prizes from local businesses to fundraise for the New York-New Jersey Trai ..read more

Photo simulation of the dry stone wall to be built at Trail Conference Headquarters this spring. (Photo credit: Brian Post) Registration is now open for the two freestanding dry stone wall workshops scheduled to take place April 15-17 and May 28-30 at Trail Conference Headquarters in Mahwah, N.J. The purpose of these workshops is to construct a dry stone wall along the front of our new HQ at the historic Darlington Schoolhouse and expose the art and craft of dry stone walling to the larger Ramapo Valley community with its abundant stone walls. Homeowners, contractors ..read more

By Georgette Weir, Volunteer Trail Supervisor Reblazing of the trails through Mills-Norrie State Park is expected to be completed this spring. (Photo credit: Georgette Weir) Volunteers from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference have been out reblazing trails at Mills-Norrie State Park in a project that began this past winter and, as of mid-March, was expected to be completed this spring. Several trails have new blaze colors that that now align with the park’s already published trail map. The trail routes and colors were determined in the 2013 park master plan. Park managers turned to the ..read more

By Members of the Long Distance Trails Crew Long Distance Trails Crew Chief Chris Reyling has been honored by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy as Mid-Atlantic Volunteer of the Year. (Photo credit: Andrea Minoff) Congratulations to Long Distance Trails Crew Chief Chris Reyling, who was named Appalachian Trail Conservancy Mid-Atlantic Volunteer of the Year! Long Distance Trails Crew (LDTC) members submitted the nomination of their crew chief to the ATC in January. Chris, along with Potomac Appalachian Trail Club volunteer John Hendrick, was officially recognized by the ATC Mid-Atlantic region ..read more