Elk Pen

Harriman & Bear MountainLoopVerified September 9, 2026

Distance

5.0 mi

8.1 km · NYS Parks

Elevation gain

1,299 ft

396 m · USGS 3DEP

Time

2¼ h–2¾ h

computed, Naismith's rule

Difficulty

moderately strenuous

index 114, computed

Blazes

White rectangle (Appalachian Trail)White with red triangle (Arden-Surebridge Trail)

NYS Parks

Getting there

By car

trailhead parking · NYS Parks

The route

Elk Pen RoadAppalachian Trailwhite stripe blazesArden - Surebridge Trailupside-down red triangle on white background blazesmile markerswalking direction, as the park describes the loop

Trail line from OpenStreetMap (2007688, 5620443), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Tiles © OpenTopoMap, CC-BY-SA.

Download GPX GeoJSON Walk there in Google Maps Apple Maps

Weather at the trailhead

Day	High	Low	Forecast	Rain	Wind
Wed, Sep 9	82°F 28°C	68°F 20°C	Partly Sunny, night: mostly cloudy then chance rain showers	42%	0 to 8 mph S
Thu, Sep 10	82°F 28°C	59°F 15°C	Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Sunny, night: partly cloudy	28%	6 to 12 mph W
Fri, Sep 11	76°F 24°C	53°F 12°C	Sunny, night: mostly clear	1%	5 mph NW
Sat, Sep 12	77°F 25°C	61°F 16°C	Mostly Sunny, night: slight chance showers and thunderstorms	44%	0 to 5 mph SE
Sun, Sep 13	79°F 26°C	62°F 17°C	Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, night: slight chance rain showers then mostly cloudy	44%	5 mph S
Mon, Sep 14	80°F 27°C	61°F 16°C	Mostly Sunny, night: partly cloudy	9%	3 mph NW
Tue, Sep 15	80°F 27°C	64°F 18°C	Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers, night: chance rain showers	25%	3 to 8 mph S

Forecast for Elk Pen Hikers' Parking Lot from the National Weather Service (OKX office), issued Sep 9, 6:05 AM, fetched Sep 9, 7:06 AM; refreshed hourly. Public domain.

Today at the trailhead: sunrise 6:31 AM, sunset 7:18 PM (computed, NOAA solar algorithm). Check the last train against sunset.

Route by trail

Mile	Trail	Blazes	Length
0.0	Elk Pen Road	—	0.0 mi
0.0	Appalachian Trail	White stripe	0.1 mi
0.2	Arden - Surebridge Trail	Upside-down red triangle on white background	3.2 mi
3.4	Appalachian Trail	White stripe	1.8 mi
5.2	Elk Pen Road	—	0.0 mi

Trail names and blazes from the OpenStreetMap route relations, lengths measured along the drawn line, in walking order.

Along the way

Mile	What	Name	Elevation
0.0	Parking: Elk Pen Car Parking	Elk Pen Car Parking	—
3.4	Viewpoint: Lemon squeezer rock gap	Lemon squeezer rock gap	—
3.9	Parking	unnamed	—

Features within 120 m of the line from OpenStreetMap (ODbL), fetched 2026-09-09. Mile is the distance along the line to the nearest point on it.

Getting there by car

Elk Pen Hikers' Parking Lot

41.26490, -74.15397

Directions in Google Maps Apple Maps

Trailhead from the managing agency · verified 2026-09-09. No station is within a verified walk of this trailhead.

Elevation profile

Elevation sampled every 50 m from USGS 3DEP Elevation Point Query Service (2026-09-09). Gain 396 m, loss 396 m. Hover the profile to see the spot on the map.

Every fact, with its source

Fact	Value	Source	Verified
Distance	8.1 km (5.0 mi)	NYS Parks	2026-09-09
Elevation gain	396 m (1299 ft)	USGS 3DEP	2026-09-09
Route type	Loop	NYS Parks	2026-09-09
Time	2¼ h–2¾ h (computed, Naismith's rule)	formula	computed
Difficulty	moderately strenuous (index 114, computed)	formula	computed
Blazes	White rectangle (Appalachian Trail), White with red triangle (Arden-Surebridge Trail)	NYS Parks	2026-09-09
Managed by	Palisades Interstate Park Commission / NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation	NYS Parks	2026-09-09
Trailhead	Elk Pen Hikers' Parking Lot 41.26490, -74.15397	NYS Parks	2026-09-09
Parking, fee, lot times	Not yet verified	—	—

Distance8.1 km (5.0 mi)

Elevation gain396 m (1299 ft)

Route typeLoop

Time2¼ h–2¾ h (computed, Naismith's rule)

Difficultymoderately strenuous (index 114, computed)

BlazesWhite rectangle (Appalachian Trail), White with red triangle (Arden-Surebridge Trail)

Managed byPalisades Interstate Park Commission / NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

TrailheadElk Pen Hikers' Parking Lot 41.26490, -74.15397

Parking, fee, lot timesNot yet verified

Permits & closures

No permit, reservation, or capacity rule is recorded for this hike. Check the official sources before you go.

Seasonal

Arden Valley Road is closed to vehicles from about 1 December, or the first snowfall, to 1 April; NYS Parks does not say which section, so winter access to this lot is unconfirmed. source · verified 2026-09-09

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Wrong walk time? Closed trail?

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