Vroman's Nose

[IndianChris]

Does anyone have a map of the trail to the top of Vroman's Nose in Schoharie County? Something you could e-mail me would be great or a link. Thanks a lot!

 

[Mark Schaefer]

You can get by without a map, provided you know where the trailhead is. The hike is a fairly easy loop of just over 1 mile and just under 500' elevation climb.

The only online map I could find is this rather small map. Only one of the four trails is shown on this map. The trailhead parking lot is on the north side of the Nose on West Middleburgh Road (aka Mill Valley Road), 0.7 miles west of Route 30. This trail is known as the "Woods Road" and is blazed green. It is the most popular of the trails. On the map it starts above the "o" and "m" in Vroman and loops around the west side to a junction with a red blazed trail (Long Path). The red trail starts below the 'V" in Vroman. Together the trails climb up the southern escarpment to the "Dance Floor" and other viewpoints. The trail becomes blue blazed at this point. You can continue on the blue trail as it descends to a junction with a yellow trail. The yellow trail connects back to the green Woods Road just above the trailhead parking. Trailhead info is here. Geology, history, forestry, and brief trail descriptions are here.

The intersection of Mill Valley Road and Route 30 is 0.6 miles south of the bridge in Middleburgh. If you wanted to try the short, steep, red trail - it is on Route 30, 1.6 miles south of the bridge in Middleburgh. Vroman's Nose is a great hike in any season.

 

[Rivet]

http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/Vromans_Nose_0160.asp

 

[shadowcat]

Vromman's nose

here's the directions we were given:
go to schoharie
when you get into town there's a stewart's on the left; go right over the bridge
follow that road until you see the really nice farm on the hill on the right
turn right down that road
go to almost the end; you'll see the small parking lot on your left.

believe it or not - these were great directions.

 

[IndianChris]

Thank All.
Didn't think I needed a map but was hoping to try and create an elevation profile. My father might do it with me so I wanted to give him an idea of what the trail will be like. The less steep the grade, the better.
Thanks again.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Chris, I generated this topo map via Topozone. Unfortunately it does not show the trails.

The green Woods Road is the most gentle climb up the nose. It starts about 100 yards west of where W. Middleburgh Rd (aka Mill Valley Rd) crosses a bridge over the creek. The trailhead parking is just east of the wooded area shown on the map. It climbs the slope diagonally to the west from about 740' to about 1060' and within in sight of a house shown in purple on the map. Then it bends to the east and climbs up to the 1240' summit along the southern escarpment. There are a couple of steeper pitches near the top, but not overly difficult. The entire path is an old road that brought up party goers to the dances at the "Dance Floor". Total length to the top is 0.6 miles with a fairly even elevation gain.

Even if you decide to return via the same route you should follow the trail further over to the eastern side of the nose where there are more good views. The blue trail then heads north and down the east side. It ends at a trailhead 100 feet south the white St. Paul's church. The blue trail does have a junction with a yellow trail at about 1000' elevation, The yellow trail loops back to the west and ends at the green woods road in a meadow just above the trailhead parking lot. The blue and yellow trails is a shorter return with some steeper sections compared to the green trail.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Chris, I just realized that the local hikes link that Rivet posted gives you everything you want. On the left there is a column of buttons. The second one gives a topo map showing the loop, and the third one gives you the profile of the loop. I've looked at local hikes pages many times without realizing that those were buttons with great info behind them. I'll have to use the local hikes website more often.

 

[Rivet]

Another nice hike nearby is Middleburg Cliffs. It is also part of the Long Path. You get a view overlooking the village with Vromans nose in the distance.

http://www.nynjtc.org/trails/ebh/mburgh.html

 

[IndianChris]

Thanks for the suggetsions! I think I'll just be sticking to Vroman's Nose after a healthy breakfast at the Middleburg Diner.

 

[Ned Kipperson]

Shadowcat, what' with those directions? Did you mean Middleburg? Stewart's is on the right in both towns coming from the north.

Hey Indian Chris, did you know that there's a sewage treatment plant in Mianus?

 

[turd_furgusson]

I grew up in Middleburgh & now live in Schoharie. I can go up Vrooman's nose with my eyes closed. Tell your dad it's an EZ hike, steadilly up hill gradually getting steeper but no big deal. There is no climbing involved at all. Now those directions...I don't know where they came from but this is how you get there. You go THROUGH the town of Schoharie, forget Stewarts, you want to go to Middleburgh so go south on NY Route 30 until it intersects with NY Route 145 right in the town of Middleburgh. It's an intersection with a traffic light. There's a Red Barrell on the left, you turn right, across the bridge & then left once you are over the bridge, (Route 30 South). Go about a half a mile & take your first right onto West Middleburgh Road. Go up about 2 miles & you'll see the parking area on your left. That is the base of the trail. It's a great walk but it is uphill all the way. It is definitely worth the trip but it is a short hike.

 

[ken]

Go about a half a mile & take your first right onto West Middleburgh Road.

"west middleburgh road" no longer exsists since schoharie county got thier 911 computer dispatch set up (i don't know why since there was no other road in the county with that name????) - from the schoharie creek bridge in middleburgh, go south on route 30 - you will see a crossroad in 1/2 mile - it is called "mill valley road" (there is also a sign with 2 hikers on it directing you to turn there (a right turn onto mill valley road)

Go up about 2 miles & you'll see the parking area on your left.

parking area is less than 1 mile up mill valley road - when you first get onto mill valley road there will be a creek on your left - after you cross the creek (and it is now on your right) start watching for the parking area for vromans nose on your left - - - there is a loop you can make on your hike to get back to the parking area - - - you can also climb from route 30 using the long path for a nice steep climb on a "talus" slope (nearly across from "bohringers fruit stand) - my advice is not to take the long path up or down from where the episcopal church is (on a small road thet connects route 30 to mill valley road) unless you carry pepper spray for the loose dogs running around down there and a 9mm for the dog owners that get pissed off at you when you defend yourself from thier dogs (they think thier dogs have a right to bite at you).

 

[turd_furgusson]

I've lived 'round here most of my life & I always 'member it as West Middleburgh Road but U'r right. Since 911 went in here they've changed a lot of the names of the roads recently. It is not a crossroad though, it's only a right turn. We used 2 scamper up the face of the Nose after school when we were kids. We could go up the front in a matter of minutes. Ahhhh 2 B young & foolish again. That trail has lost a lot of rock in recent years & erosion has takin' it's toll so it seems like it's a little tougher climb than it used 2 B. Either that or I'm just turnin' into an old fart! There is a house up there, almost 2 the top. I 'member years ago they used 2 raise Arabian horses there. Little bitty things that weren't much bigger than a large German Shepard. But there is this house up there in the middle of no where. Around here it's pretty lawless so people just let their animals run loose. There R also critters in the woods & recently there have been a few reports of a Mountain Lion. I have personally seen some tracks of a Mountain Lion along the river north of Schoharie & also heard someone say they saw a deer carcass up in a tree a few weeks ago so some good, potent pepper spray is a must if U'r goin' in the woods. That's probably good advice in just about any woods, especially in a year when there's a lot of rabbies which there is around here. U can get some good stuff on E-Bay. Just do a search 4 "Pepper Spray".

 

[ken]

It is not a crossroad though, it's only a right turn. Around here it's pretty lawless so people just let their animals run loose. There R also critters in the woods & recently there have been a few reports of a Mountain Lion.

"mill valley road" is a crossroad to route 30 (there is even a yellow diamond shaped roadsign indicating a crossroad) if you make a left it is now a dead end where the bridge is gone (it used to go over line creek and back out onto route 30 years ago when the bridge was still there) - yup, it is lawless in "polly holler" - - wasn't much deer in the area this year - either too many "mighty hunters" on thier f*%$#'n quads running around all year hunting or the mountain lions & coyotes (or a combination of both).

 

[turd_furgusson]

The road did go across route 30 but it wasn't West Middleburgh Road. It was some other road. It did just loop around in a semi circle & came back out on 30. I forget what it was called but it was another road & is not directly across from W. Midd. road but a jog south. It's been closed now fer a number of years. Now deer, there R thousands of 'em here this year. They're all over the place, worse than rodents. I C a few everytime I go walkin' which is just about everyday the weather's good. This winter was fairly mild here, not much snow nor brutal temps & there's been plenty 4 them 2 eat. Damn things R worse than cockroaches! They're all over. They hide from the snow mobiles & 4 wheelers but if U'r silent in the woods U'll C all kinds of deer. I live right on the creek on Bridge Street in Schoharie & go walkin along the river either north or south & sometimes I go up Terrace Mountain. I C deer just about everday & not just 1 or 2. They're everywhere, U just gotta B silent in the woods 2 C them. There were 2 in my yard earlier today. There R also a fair amount of Bald Eagles 'round here these days. U don't C them every day but I have seen 6 so far since the 1st of the year & have taken some pics of them. I'm having trouble posting pics here as it only allows up to 100kb & all my pics R bigger than that but I have some great eagle shots.

 

[ken]

I forget what it was called but it was another road & is not directly across from W. Midd. road but a jog south. It's been closed now fer a number of years.

maybe this will "jog" your memory - it is an intersection - it even has a yellow diamond shaped sign on route 30 with a cross indicating a crossroad - - - also it isn't closed - it became a dead end where the brigde used to cross line creek - vroman's nose parking is just beyond where line creek crosses mill valley road (just past the left side of the map) see link below.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.ad...atkqdnAnnpCJoDChEGcvGy9LjhQv9pMru8V2/4noqUAcO
church street is the one that the long path comes down on heading north to middleburgh - if you are traveling the long path beware of the loose dogs and owners who couldn't care less what they do to you (the other 3 trails coming off vromans nose are in areas less populated by dogs).