Hiking Point Peter from Reservoir Number Three
We’ve gone to Port Jervis plenty of time but never really hiked there. We usually go kayaking at Indian Head or visit family in that area. Today we decided to do a nice 10 mile hike from Sparrow Bush NY. We chose the Point Peter from reservoir number three. Well, I didn’t choose it, my hubby did. We were the only ones at this trail and saw no other hiker or biker on it, just between the intersections. It tells you how popular this trail is with the locals.
Hike Difficulty
While this is a 10.4 mile loop, it’s not really too bad for hiking. The trail is designed for bikes but to be honest I would not make it here. The first few miles on this trail were difficult and rocky but I think my mom could do it. There were some uphills but not too many and not steep at all. Since you’re going in a loop you don’t realize the hills until you look down or up at what you just walked. At some points I wanted to just cut through, but I restrained myself.
Half way through the trail, you are at the observation. The views are beautiful. You can see the mountains as well as Port Jervis, Delaware River and Pennsylvania side. The closer you got to the trail the louder it got. You can hear dogs barking from the houses, cars beeping, and just every noise possible. It’s still a beautiful view and most people just park close by and do a short hike to the observation.
The hardest part of the trail was choosing the right path. Even with the AllTrails map we still managed to take a few wrong turns and had to turn around. After the observation, you have 3 different blue paths to choose from. We followed the right side only to be told by the map we are on the wrong path. So we headed back tried another path which took us back to the same spot. After that, we took the road and stepped back on the trail.
Things to See
This was probably one of the most active trails, nature-vise. There were so many chipmunks that every time they ran or moved I would jump to look to make sure it wasn’t a snake. We also saw deer and plenty of birds and at the observation we saw hawks and eagles flying over us. You will also get to enjoy plenty of streams and see the three reservoirs.
Overall, Point Peter from Reservoir number three was a good hike. One thing you should do is make sure you bring plenty of water or a water filtering bottle. We usually do but this was a spontaneous hike so I only filled one small bottle and an Orange juice bottle with water. The last two miles were not fun because we were thirsty and tired. One of us (not me) wore the wrong shoes and got blisters under his feet. We would do this hike again, probably in the fall. I loved the fact that even though the trail path was narrow, there were no giant brushes or overgrown foliage.
