Cheescote Pond

Cheescote Mountain Park,
Town of Haverstraw,
Rockland Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Long Path: Green blaze

Total Time: 0:17 hour
Estimated Distance: 0.7 Miles

Pros: Scenic lake
Cons: Suburban area and view of houses
Hike Type: Lollipop Loop
Level of Difficulty: Very easy

Google Maps of Parking:
https://goo.gl/maps/whriLRPfZq49pVCu5

I still had to take it easy with my hiking, so elected for this very easy trail around a scenic lake only a few miles away from Harriman State Park. I parked on Cheescote Lane at the cul-de-sac, and walked along the trail to the lake. I then took the Long Path for a short distance and then continued along the path around the lake. I looped around the lake and then took the trail back to the parking area.

Map of the Route

Cheescote Pond Connector Path

Strange Orange Mushrooms on the Trail Path

Sign Approaching Cheescote Pond

Me at Cheescote Pond

Paved Path where the Long Path Goes

Long Path Leaving Cheescote Pond

Cheescote Pond Paved Path

Cheesecote Pond

Cheescote Mountain Loop

Cheescote Mountain County Park
Rockland County,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Long Path: Green blaze
Unmarked Trails

Total Time: 1:20 hour
Estimated Distance: 2.5 miles
Level of Difficulty: Moderate to Slightly Difficult
Level of Recommendation: Slightly Recommended
Points Of Interest: Pond and view
Pros: Scenic Pond and Nice view
Cons: Around a built-up area, path around pond recently paved, not enough marked trails, part of this area creepy

Hiking Partner:
Shimmy Rosenberg

Google Map of Parking:

View 2013 Hiking Locations in a larger map

Cheesecote Mountain is an individual mountain jutting out adjacent to the Ramapo Mountain escarpment. It is not part of Harriman State Park, and  half the mountain is built up with million-dollar homes, and the other half is preserved as parkland. There are many trails and paths in this park, though the only official marked trail is the Long Path, which enters on one side and comes out the other.

We parked on Call Hollow Road by the Cemetery Access area, and headed up the Long Path from there. In less than five minutes the trail hits a cemetery, and skirts around it. The cemetery looks like some sort of veteran's cemetery. From there the Long Path crosses under the power lines, and starts climbing the mountain. On the right side of the trail there are houses in the distance. We then walked around the pond, which was recently paved all around, taking away from its natural setting. We then took a northern spur trail up to the top of the mountain and a good viewpoint, and then down a little to a bushwack. We bushwacked to a wide trail skirting the northern part of the mountain, which eventually on to Call Hollow Road.

Map of the Route

Entrance of the Cemetary

The Long Path Skirting by the Cemetery

Cheesecoate Pond, from the Long  Path

Large House Behind  the Paved Path around Cheesecoate Pond.
This path was just recently paved for some reason.

View from the Cheesecoate Mountain Summit.
Facing west towards Jackie Jones Mountain and Tower.

Another view from the Summit, Facing West.
Note Gate Hill Road Snaking Up the Mountain

 

Shimmy Descending the Steep, Rocky Path
Along the Northern Flank of Cheesecoate Mountain

Cheescote Mountain,
Cheescote Town Park,
Rockland County,
New York

I had gone to Cheesecote Mountain to explore all the unmarked trails there several weeks earlier, but got rained out and had to leave earlier. So I had decided to return on a nice do and more thoroughly go through the trails. Parked on Cheese Cote La. and took the short path to Cheesecote Pond and the Long Path. Then took an unmarked trail north to the summit, where there were great views of Horse Chock Mountain and the Jackie Jones tower. Continued on the unmarked path, not knowing where it would leave me, until it ended at a narrow paved road. This road looked very newly paved and I took it south, and it led me back to the pond where a new parking lot was being constructed there. Apparently they will be developing this park and providing car access. Hiked around the lake and back to the short path to my car, then circled the mountain and found the road that climbs the mountain. This is a very recently paved road and they are now allowing vehicular traffic all the way up to the pond from Willow Grove Road. This new road is very interesting, being very narrow and curvy, and ascending about 400 feet.

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Cheescote Pond from the Long Path

Looking west from the summit to Horse Chock Mnt.

Jackie Jones Mnt with tower from summit.
Looking west.

Looking northwest to Willow Grove Rd.
as climbs up the mountain

Limekiln Mountain

Harriman State Park,
Rockland County, NY

Didn't have much time today for a hike so had to do one close to home that is quick. I hadn't been to this mountain in a while and the trail was a bit overgrown. Started at the Tuxedo-Mount Ivy Trailhead off Diltzes Road, and followed the trail for just a short while by the Power Lines. As the trail veered off the Power Lines, took the unmarked (and slightly overgrown) Limekiln Mountain Trail up the mountain. The trail had been so overgrown that I had accidentally lost the trail and instead continued up the side of the mountain by the fork where the trail goes up the mountain. I veered on the wrong fork and this trail just ends about halfway up the mountain. So I had to bushwack the rest of the way to the top. At the top headed towards the north side of the Mountain towards the File Factory Hollow Lookout, and then headed west up to the top where the main lookout is and where the real trail ends. This mountain affords one of the best views in the entire park! Took some pictures and then headed down the trail. At the point where I veered the wrong way, I built a cairn and put a log around the false trail so that others don't make the same mistake that I did.

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Looking up towards the summit.
From point where I veered off trail.

Looking southeast near summit.

Looking south near Summit.
Overlooking Camp Ramaquois.

Looking northwest:
Overlooking File Factory Hollow,
Horse Chock Mountain, Call Hollow,
and Cheescote Mountain

Looking west. A better view of Cheescote Mnt.
And the Hudson R. is viewable to the right.

From the summit lookout.
Facing south towards Monsey.

Facing South from the lookout.
Power lines and Swamp by Mahwah River.

Me at the rock at the lookout.

Cheesecote Mountain

Cheesecote Town Park,
Ramapo Mountains,
Rockland County, NY

Was raining much of the day and was still very foggy when I left in the afternoon. I had checked the radar before heading out and there were severe thunderstorms heading towards us - so I had to plan the hike to be back before the thunderstorms arrived.

Parked on top of Cheescote Mountain on Cheescote Lane, which is a developed neighborhood of newly construction million dollar homes. The trailhead is in a cul-de-sac surrounded by some of these homes. It's a really strange place to start a hike. From the road took the short gravel trail to Cheescote Pond, where I picked up the Long Path and headed for a short while east. There is some construction going on here and it looks like they are trying to develop the park around the pond area. I certainly hope they keep it wild the way it is now. From the pond headed off the trail onto one of the many unmarked woods roads in the path towards the summit of the mountain. Started heading down the mountain but was getting nervous about the weather so bailed out and headed back the way I came. Did a little cut-across on a different path towards the Long Path, and then took the Long Path back to Cheesecote Pond and back to the trailhead.

This was a very eerie hike. The fog was extremely dense and it was lighly drizzling with hardly any visibility. I could hardly see where I was going navigating through the dense fog. At one point I passed some old ruins which really looked really ghostly in thick fog.

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At the beginning of the hike.

Cheescote Pond.

The fog had totally blocked it out from view.

Another view of Cheescote Pond

At the summit of Cheescote Mnt.

Spooky ruin off the unmarked woods road.

The yellow-blazed Long Path heading back.