Dunderberg Spiral Railway

Bear Mountain State Park
Rockland Co.,
New York

Trails:
Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail: Red blaze
Timp- Torne Trail: Blue blaze
Dunderberg Spiral Railway Path

Total Time: 2:15 hr
Estimated Distance: 4 Miles
Level of Difficulty: Slightly difficult
Level of Recommendation: Recommended
Points Of Interest: Several good views and historical interest

Hiking Partner:
Debbie Koegel

Google Maps of Parking:

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The good weather continues. Was a beautiful Sunday in late November, and we decided on the eastern flank of Dunderberg which affords a good vertical ascent as well as several good views. We climbed along the R-D Trail, and passed the Dunderberg Spiral Railway tunnels and then took the hoist path as it is followed by the R-D Trail. Throughout this trail the hike passes and goes along parts of the spiral railway remnants. The Dunderberg Spiral Railway was an ambitious project in the early 20th century which involved building a large hotel atop Dunderberg Mountain, and creating a railway that snakes itself up the mountain. This project was abandoned in the middle, leaving many remnants of its existence throughout this part of the hike.

We took several of the good views, including the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, the City of Peekskill, and the Bear Mountain Bridge between Bear Mountain and Anthony's Nose. After a swamp before ascending Bald Mountain, we opted to take one of the railway paths back down to the T-T Trail and then head back from there. We cut across and took the T-T Trail back to our car.

Map of the Route.

Indian Point from first lookout on R-D Trail.
Facing southeast.

City of Peekskill from across the Hudson River.
Facing northeast.

Rail Bridge on the other side of the Hudson north of Peekskill.
Facing northeast.

Anthony's Nose from top view.
With Route 6 and 202 snaking along the side of the mountain.
Facing north-northeast.

Me at the top view, with the Bear Mountain Bridge behind me.
Bear Mountain bridge is to the left of me. Looking north.

View of Bald Mountain

One of the railway tunnels along the T-T Trail.

View facing south while descending the T-T Trail.

Dunderberg Mountain

Southern Portion
Bear Mountain State Park
Rockland County,
New York

Total Time: 2:30 hours
Total Distance: 4.5 miles

Hiking Partners:
Yehuda Koblick
Shimmy Rosenberg

Trails:
Timp Torne Trail (T-T): Blue Blaze
Ramapo Dunderberg (R-D): Red Blaze
1777 Trail: Red Blaze


It had been about 3 years since I was last at Dunderberg, so this trip was long overdue. Dunderberg Mountain jumps out of the Hudson River with its very steep incline. The mountain is full of remnants of an abandoned railway that was partially constructed in the 1890's for a hotel on the top of the mountain.

This was a very hot and muggy day, which restricted the views and made the extensive uphill very uncomfortable. We parked on Route 9W at the trailhead parking across from the Anchor Monument along the Hudson River. We started at the trailhead of the T-T and R-D where they confluence for a short time, and then veered off on the T-T Trail, along the old abandoned railway bed and the tunnels. Continued up the mountain to the viewpoint where Indian Point is clearly visible across the river, and went further until the intersection with the 1777 Trail, which we took south and then east down the mountain.

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Map of the Route

One of the spiral railway tunnels

Me and Shimmy in one of the tunnels

View from inside the tunnel looking out.

At the viewpoint after the bend.

Looking South accross the Hudson River

and Verplanck in Westchester.

Indian Point Nuclear Reactor across the Hudson River.

The heavy haze makes it hard to see.

Me and Yehuda at the lookout, overlooking the Hudson

Shimmy swinging off a Jungle Vine

Shimmy and Yehuda reading the 1777 trail plaque

Me at the Anchor Monument, with Indian Point behind me.