High Tor, Little Tor and South Mountain Park and Gurnee County Park

The Long Path-Mt. Ivy, New York
NY-NJ Trail Conference Map 112-Hudson Palisades Trails
7-1/2 miles

With my irreplaceable hiking partner “Northeast Hiking” diligently earning her degree in Ecology, I am sadly hitting the trails without her. I parked my car on a turnoff on Route 9W and Route 304 and crossed Route 9W to connect with the Long Path. The first mile or so is mainly road walking (Scratchup Road), however, the trail is surrounded by beauty on both sides; an apple orchard and the amazing rock cut from the Tilcon Quarry. I also spotted a few dears in the orchard. I followed the Long Path until it reached Old Route 304. I followed the Long Path Blazes until they turned right off the road and steadily climbed towards High Tor Mountain. The renowned author/playwright Maxwell Anderson, a long time Rockland County resident wrote a play entitled High Tor after the mountain. After a long climb, I encountered the Spur Trail, which leads to the historic High Tor Vineyards. I trudged along, opting to go explore the Vineyards another day. Steadily I climbed until I reached High Tor Mountain. The views were amazing, and included the Hudson River and the Village of Haverstraw. During the American Revolution, the troops used High Tor Mountain as a place to signal. There are the remains of an old radio tower and lots and lots of graffiti. I descended High Tor Mountain and followed the LP to a lovely woods road. I followed the woods roads for what seemed to be two miles and found the White Trail which leads to Little Tor. The view from Little Tor was not as dramatic as High Tor, but well worth the short hike. I doubled back to the Long Path and continued on the woods road until I reached Central Highway. I crossed Central Highway and continued on the Long Path. The trail here gets more technical and steadily ascends. The ascent brings you to the Gurnee County Park with its amazing vistas. Although the signs posted on the trees warned me to “Do Not Approach, Ground Unstable” I took a peek and was rewarded with a view of the Ramapo Mountains and Harriman State Park. The Long Path descends pleasantly to Gurnee County Park. I followed the Long Path onto Route 45 and rewarded myself with a nice breakfast at the Mt. Ivy Diner. And a special thanks to my pal April for giving me a ride back to my car.

Black Rock Mountain-Harriman State Park

For this hike, consult the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Trail Map 118. At long last, my hiking partner, Northeast Hiking, decided to put down the school books and take a hike with me. We parked our vehicle on a roadside turnoff on Route 106, approximately 1/2 mile from Lake Stahahe. After getting our bearings, we headed up the White Bar Trail until in intersects with the Nurian Trail. The Nurian Trail is blazed in white. The trail was blazed by a man named Kerson Nurian. Now, Nurian was an interesting man: he was a brilliant trail blazer, however, he did a great job at irritating both Harriman Park and the NY-NJ Trail Conference by never asking permission to blaze his trails. The trail is beautiful, full of pine trees and hemlock groves. After about 2.00 miles, we turned right onto the Yellow blazed Dunning Trail. The Dunning Trail leads you right to the Boston Mine. The Boston Mine is an incredible sight. Imagine a huge cave leading into the mountainside. The Boston Mine is a large opening in the side of a low hill, leading into a water filled shaft. The mine was last worked in 1880. We explored the Boston Mine for a bit and then continued on the Dunning Trail. The Dunning Trail is very pretty, as you hike you are surrounded by mountain laurel and evergreens. The last time I hiked this area of Harriman, I was unable to find the Bald Rocks Shelter, happily we found it today and enjoyed a pleasant lunch outside of the stone shelter. The Bald Rocks Shelter is a stone shelter with a fireplace inside, it was built in 1933. We next connected with the Ramapo-Dunderberg trail, a favorite of mine. The Ramapo-Dunderberg trail is a white blaze with a red circle. The "RD" is a challenging trail: it rapidly ascends and descends and most of the trail is along huge glacier boulders. We followed the "RD" up to the top of Black Rock Mountain. Black Rock Mountain is the highest point in Harriman State Park, elevation 1,280 feet. The view from the top was fantastic. We next left the "RD" and rejoined the Nurian Trail. The Nurian Trail descended Black Rock Mountain steadily and we were soon back on Route 106 where we had parked the car.

Long Path-Tallman Mountain Park

(3.90 total miles) Begin your hike by parking in the Tallman Mountain Bike Trail parking lot located on Route 9W, Palisades, New York. Follow the Aqua Blazed Long Path as it meanders through wetlands and across old stone walls which used to be property dividers. This particular day I happened to be a little more on guard, as there had been reports of Panthers roaming Tallman Mountain Park. The rumor mill has it that possibly one of the many celebrities who live in the area, such as Bill Murray, Didi Conn, and Ellen Burstyn may have been keeping Panthers as pets. Luckily, I didn't spot any panthers, but I did see quite a few White Tailed Deer as I trudged along. At approximately mile 1.95, the trail begins to parallel rocky cliffs which afford views of the Sparkill Marsh. Enjoy the views and continue onward. At mile 3.0, the trail reaches an incredible viewpoint: the Hudson River, the Tappan Zee Bridge, and the Piermont Pier. The Piermont Pier is interesting and historical. A little known fact about it is that during World War II thousands of soldiers shipped out from the pier, heading to Europe to fight in the War. The pier, now retired from public service, is a great place to take a walk as you listen to the wind in the cattails. From the viewpoint, the Long Path steadily descends to the Tallman Mountain Bike Path. Continue on the bike path for approximately 200 feet until the Long Path leads you through the quaint Village of Piermont, New York. There are quite a few good restaurants and shops along the way. The Long Path ascends up Paradise Avenue, passes an old Erie Railroad rail bed and continues up to Route 9w. Instead of continuing on the Long Path, I opted to walk Route 9W back to where I parked my vehicle. On the way, you will pass a mansion owned by Arlene Dahl, an actress, the mother of Lorenzo Lamas and a local celebrity. I really loved this part of the Long Path......and for the panthers.....I'll catch you another time!

Long Path-Fort Lee, NJ to Rockefeller Lookout

(Miles 1-3.45) I began my hike where it all began...the beginning of the Long Path in Fort Lee Historic Park, NJ. Park your vehicle in the parking lot and begin your adventure. I was a little disappointed to say the least as I was expecting some type of monument commemorating the beginning of the Long Path. All I was greeted with was the three aqua blazes signifying the beginning of the famous Long Path. I made my way down the path as it begin and exited Fort Lee Historic Park and turned north onto River Road. I followed the blazes upward and was rewarded with an awesome view of the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson River. The vistas from the trail are truly amazing. I spotted a red tailed hawk and a few rabbits. This section of the Long Path travels along the cliffs of the Palisades. To your right is the Hudson River and to the left is the Palisades Interstate Parkway, which tends to be a bit noisy along the way. At approximately mile1.35 the trail parallels a gas station which has restrooms and food and beverages. At approximately mile 1.60 the trail leads to Alison Park. I strongly recommend that you stray off the Long Path for a moment and stroll the park. The park is named after William O. Alison who lived in the area for most of his life. Reconnect with the Long Path and at mile 2.95 you will be in awe of the High Tom Promontory. Amazing views of the cliffs and the Hudson River. This is a great place to stop, take pictures and enjoy the views. I continued ahead and reached the Rockefeller Lookout. Again, the views from the Rockefeller Lookout are incredible. I turned around at this junction and headed back down the Long Path until it intersected with the yellow blazed Dyckman Hills Trail. Follow the yellow blazes downward and you will be rewarded with a beautiful waterfall. As the yellow blazes ended, I connected with the white blazed Shore Trail. The Shore Trail is amazing. It follows the Hudson River and affords views of both the George Washington Bridge and the cliffs of the Palisades. Along the way I noticed a lovely patch of Daffodils and some stone work. PLEASE DO NOT PICK THE FLOWERS! I was lucky enough to speak to "Dan" the gentleman who lovingly planted the Daffodils and is painstakingly building stone walls. Dan was nice enough to point out the many different types of Daffodils that were blooming and a patch of moss that he planted. I followed the Shore Trail for approximately another 2 miles until I found myself under the George Washington Bridge. After pausing to take some photographs, I headed upward along the Shore Trail until it led me back to Fort Lee Historic Park. All in all, a terrific hike.