The US Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Visitor Center sits above Sterling Lake at 116 Old Forge Road in Tuxedo. Its doors are open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the park itself runs from dawn to dusk. This year the shoreline below it changed status. The Sterling Forest State Park page lists one item under "New for 2026": "The property around Sterling Lake to the Sterling Lake Loop trail is now restricted – no hunting."
The two state parks on either side of Tuxedo hunt on different calendars this fall. Sterling Forest runs the longer and less restricted season. Harriman keeps its deer hunt to weekdays inside a set of mapped northern zones. So the quietest walk in late fall depends on whether it's a Tuesday or a Saturday, and the Sterling Lake loop is now the one stretch of nearby forest where the answer stays the same all week.
Sterling Forest Has Been in Season Since October 1
Sterling Forest sits in Wildlife Management Unit 3P, which puts it in New York's Southern Zone. Under the state Department of Environmental Conservation's 2026–2027 Hunting & Trapping Guide, Southern Zone early bowhunting runs October 1 through November 20. The regular deer season follows from November 21 through December 13. Late bowhunting and muzzleloader seasons then run December 14 through 22 and December 26 through January 1. From October 1 through New Year's Day, the season stops only for the three days around Christmas.
Inside the park, hunting needs both a state license and a $5 Sterling Forest permit. It covers big game, small game and turkey. The park allows no September hunting. The park's hunting brochure sets no weekday limit like Harriman's. DEC states that Sunday hunting is allowed in all areas of New York, though state lands can add their own rules. In practice, a Saturday walk in the outer sections of Sterling Forest during the regular season, which opens on Saturday, November 21, is a walk through active hunting ground.
The brochure also lists the ground set aside from hunting. Along with Sterling Lake and its loop, hunting is barred in the Doris Duke Wildlife Sanctuary, the Appalachian Trail corridor and any other posted restricted zone. Hunters may not cross restricted areas to reach their hunting ground. The one exception is a marked wood road from the parking area on the west side of South Gate Road in the Maplebrook area. Hunters must also stay at least 500 feet from homes and other buildings.
Harriman Keeps Its Hunt to Weekdays
Harriman runs a narrower program, and this is only its second fall. The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference reported that weekday deer hunting in the park's northern section began on November 3, 2025. The park and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission started it to give the forest a chance to regenerate after years of heavy deer browsing.
For 2026, the Harriman deer program FAQ sets the season at November 2 through December 16 and December 26 through December 31. It excludes all weekends and official state holidays, and it allows no hunting in September or October. The holidays it lists are Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, Christmas, and New Year's Day. By the park's own count, its deer management area is closed to hunting for all but 34 days of the year.
The hunt covers only part of the park. Four zones at the northern end make up about 20,000 acres, roughly 40 percent of Harriman. The other 60 percent, about 28,000 acres and 118 miles of marked trail, stays closed to hunting even during the season. The lottery issues 500 permits. Hunters may use bow, crossbow, shotgun or muzzleloader, but no rifles or handguns. Hunting is barred within 150 feet of roads and within 500 feet of any building, group camp, shelter or parking lot.
The zones are not where they were last fall. The Trail Conference's 2025 notice described five zones covering about 19,000 acres, including ground near Lake Tiorati, Arden Valley Road, and the Appalachian Trail and Long Path corridors. The 2026 program uses four zones and about 20,000 acres, so a remembered 2025 boundary is no longer a reliable guide. The current lines are on the park's 2026 hunting map, and the FAQ says notices will be posted at trailheads and other key access points.
The weekday rule does not cover all of Harriman. About 1,800 acres west of the Thruway have been open to hunting since 2009. That ground is managed under Sterling Forest's program, so it follows Sterling Forest's calendar, not Harriman's weekday schedule.
Harriman has one more change unrelated to hunting. Two Victory Trail connections near the northwest corner of Lake Sebago are closed for the rehabilitation of the Lake Sebago beach facility, and the park expects the closures to last through the middle of 2027.
The Two Calendars, Side by Side
Set side by side, the two schedules show a weekly pattern. Harriman's hunting zones go quiet every weekend. Sterling Forest's hunting ground does not.
| Dates in 2026 | Sterling Forest hunting ground | Harriman's four northern zones |
|---|---|---|
| Now through Nov. 1 | Early bowhunting, any day | No hunting |
| Nov. 2 to Nov. 20 | Early bowhunting, any day | Hunting on weekdays only |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Early bowhunting | Closed for Veterans Day |
| Nov. 21 to Dec. 13 | Regular deer season, any day | Hunting on weekdays only |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Regular deer season | Closed for Thanksgiving |
| Dec. 14 to Dec. 16 | Late bow and muzzleloader | Hunting on weekdays only |
| Dec. 17 to Dec. 22 | Late bow and muzzleloader | No hunting |
| Dec. 26 to Dec. 31 | Late bow and muzzleloader | Hunting on weekdays, Dec. 28 to 31 |
Sterling Lake and its loop, the Doris Duke Wildlife Sanctuary, the Appalachian Trail corridor, and Harriman's ground outside the four zones stay hunt-free on every date in the table. The exception is the roughly 1,800 acres west of the Thruway, which follow Sterling Forest's calendar.
Planning a Week of Walks Around Tuxedo
With the table in hand, choosing where to walk on a given day takes only a few steps.
- Weekday mornings from November 2. Hunting can be under way in both parks, so the Sterling Lake loop is the nearest forest walk with no hunting at all. Harriman east of the Thruway and outside the four zones is also hunt-free, but check the 2026 map before picking a trailhead.
- Saturdays and Sundays. Harriman's four zones are closed to hunting every weekend. Sterling Forest's hunting ground has no such break, and its regular season opens on Saturday, November 21.
- Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. Harriman's zones are closed on both. Sterling Forest's season continues.
- The whole season. Choose daylight over dawn and dusk. DEC sets big-game hunting hours from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, so the first and last light of the day fall inside legal hunting time.
These hours matter most for early-morning dog walks, which in November fall in the same window the Trail Conference's hunting-season guidance singles out as the time hunters are most active and visibility is lowest.
What the Dog Should Wear, and What the Hiker Should
The Harriman FAQ addresses dogs directly. Pets should be leashed at all times under park rules, and the park suggests a brightly colored vest or bandana for leashed dogs. Hunters using firearms must wear fluorescent orange or pink. Hikers are not required to, though the park recommends bright colors, both so hunters can see hikers and in case someone gets lost or hurt.
The Trail Conference, in guidance updated for the 2026–27 season, adds a few habits. Make some noise, stay on marked trails, put pets in bright gear too, and read the signs at the trailhead before setting out. Harriman's FAQ also notes that hunters tend to avoid trails and other busy areas, because human activity spooks deer.
The rules here come from the parks and DEC, and they can change during the season. Treat this as general information, and confirm details on the posted signs and official park pages before heading out.
Thanksgiving Morning, Accounted For
Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26. Harriman's hunting zones are closed that day, and the Town of Tuxedo's Turkey Trot 5K & Fun Run starts at 8:15 a.m. at Quarry Field. Sterling Forest's regular deer season continues through the holiday, and the Sterling Lake loop is hunt-free that day as on every other.
Most of what we do at Elizabeth Broderick comes down to knowing these forests by the season, not just from the map: which gate leads where, which shore sits inside the new no-hunting line, and how Tuxedo's land is used from week to week. If you'd like to see how a particular property sits in relation to Sterling Forest or Harriman, we'd be glad to walk it with you. Explore curated Hudson Valley estates.
