I've heard good things about this state park and decided to make use of an opportunity I had to go with the Outdoor Resource Center on campus. This could easily be done without the ORC but I just had the convenience of having transportation provided through them.
The things to bring
are similar to any other hike. Bring good snacks, shoes, water, and a good
camera. For the path I did today, it probably took around 3 hours to
do.
I met up with the ORC
at 9:00 AM to plan and gather the things we needed. By about 9:45 AM, we were on the road heading towards the park.
The drive is about
45 min. Go out on to highway 20 and head north towards Island Park. The drive there was very pretty with a clear blue sky looking out over the landscape. It was a little chilly in the morning this time of year so I'd recommend some warm pants and a coat to wear.
There are signs to direct you to Harriman State Park on the left from highway 20 about 40 miles north. The road is called Green Canyon Rd and when we pulled in, we took the first right and and stayed on the road past the lake on the left (Silver Lake) until we came to the trail head beginnings with restrooms and maps.
I would rate this particular hike around Silver
Lake as an easy one. It's a good trail to walk and talk with somebody while enjoying the great views of the lake and mountains. We took about 3 hours to go around Silver Lake that included a half hour lunch break and little stops along the way. We were also going at a very casual walk speed. Overall, it's a nice getaway spot to just relax and take it easy while hiking around. There are many other trails that would be a little more challenging that you could do if you decided. Enjoy!