Blueberry season is at its prime in July and August in New York. Strap up those boots, pull out your Harriman-Bear Mountain Trails Map, pack a picnic and leave room for dessert. The Appalachian Mountain Club recommends the Lake Skenonto Loop. This is an eight-mile hike with a moderate elevation gain of 1500 feet. This hike will lead you along several lakes and through thousands of wild blueberry bushes.
Directions from New York Penn Station:
Take the New Jersey Transit’s Northeast Corridor to Secaucus Junction. Transfer to Port Jervis Line to Tuxedo, NY. Average travel time: 70 mins. From the train station, walk north until East Village Road. Make a right and continue down this road crossing over a river and under the thruway. When you reach the T, make a left onto Grove Drive.
Directions on the Trail
On your right, you will see the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail (R-D, red on white blaze), take this until you cross the Triangle trail (yellow blaze), which you will turn right on.
You’ll soon see blueberries by the thousands among the bushes. After your tongue turns purple and you’ve filled your pockets with as many wild blueberries as can fit, you will come to Lake Skenonto. From the lake, take the Victory Trail (blue “V” in a white blaze) south. Make a left on the Blue Disc trail (blue circles on white blazes). This will take you to the Claudius Smith Den overlook. Soon after the overlook, a right onto the Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy trail (TMI, red blazes). Take the TMI until its terminus and then make a left onto the R-D Trail (red on white blaze) and take this back to the train station.
View Wild Blueberry Trek in Harriman State Park in a larger map
Photos: SurFeRGiRL30, AMC, Cocoa Dream
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram