Red Back Loop Trail

Sterling Forest State Park

Stream crossing on the Red Back Trail in Sterling Forest State Park. Photo by Daniel Chazin. Stream crossing on the Red Back Trail in Sterling Forest State Park. Photo by Daniel Chazin. Wetland along the Red Back Trail in Sterling Forest State Park. Photo by Daniel Chazin. Wetland along the Red Back Trail in Sterling Forest State Park. Photo by Daniel Chazin. The Red Back Trail in Sterling Forest State Park. Photo by Erik Mickelson. The Red Back Trail in Sterling Forest State Park. Photo by Erik Mickelson.

This hike loops around the southeastern corner of the park, following woods roads for most of the way and passing the historic Red Back Mine.

41.17604, -74.226778

This hike, for the most part, follows woods roads in a loop around the southeastern section of Sterling Forest State Park, with considerable ups and downs. It traverses a remote and little-used section of the park, and portions of the trail may be very wet, especially after heavy rains. Along the way, the trail passes remnants of the historic Red Back Mine and runs along the interesting...

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Trip Reports

rate experience
August 10, 2021
3
Good but not much to see..
Very unused place except for the bikers in the parking area starting out on the adjoining Munsee-Eagle single track bike trail. Not a soul on the hiking trail this Saturday in August and I even extended it by adding the yellow blazed McKeags Meadow loop which adds an extra mile or so to the hike. Some gentle ups and downs but no viewpoints or very interesting features save the old mine. Still a nice, quiet hike out in the woods. The terrain is varied and you will hear traffic for a while from rt 84 which was mostly along the extra portion I did. Saw a fresh paw print from a young bear at one of the muddy creek crossings. Became an expert in Karate from dealing with all the spider webs along the trail !
rdgee65
August 28, 2020
5
Red Back Trail directions to trailhead
My husband and I just completed the Red Back trail in 3 hrs, 40 mins. It indeed is a "little-used trail!" Not a person to be seen (except at one point, two trail maintainers and their 8-year-old companion) and no traffic to be heard. Heaven! But your directions to the trailhead say to go to Exit 15A and turn left at the bottom of the ramp; they should say to turn RIGHT for a mile or so, then left on Orange Turnpike, then right onto Rt. 72. From there on, your directions are perfect. ALSO: You might want to say that the many biking trails intersecting with the magenta trail could be confusing: We found them so. Thanks for recommending this beautiful hike!
GenieA1
June 02, 2019
4
Nice Area, Very Wet!
I hiked in this area on 6-1-19, and Besides the Red Back Trail, I also did the McKeags Meadow loop, the Hutchinson Trail, and the Munsee-Eagle Trail. The ascents/descents are numerous, but not steep, and I didn't find them overly strenuous. There are no "views" per se, with the exception of ME trail when it passes the power line on the southern side. Mostly quiet, peaceful hiking through the forest. The Red Back and McKeags Meadow trails are very wet in many places and without waterproof boots, you can count on your feet getting wet. The Hutchinson and ME trails are in amazing condition due to all the work done in recent years. These trails were not crowded at all, I spent most of the day hiking in solitude, and only saw a few bike riders here and there. Overall, an enjoyable hike, although I'm not sure it's an area I would return to very often. One suggestion is that the bike trails should be marked one way for the bike riders, as they are way too narrow in a lot of places for people passing in opposite directions.
Michael K7
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