NJ Palisades - Englewood Boat Basin to Ross Dock

Palisades Interstate Park
Bergen Co.
New Jersey

Hiking Trails:
Shore Trail: White blaze
Carpenter Trail: Blue blaze
Long Path: Green blaze
Dyckman Hill Trail: Yellow blaze

Total Time: 2:15 hour
Estimated Distance: 4.2 Miles
Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Pros: Peaceful walk along river and good views
Cons: Urban views and noise from highway

Hiking Partner:
Shimmy Rosenberg

I am almost completed with the gaps in completing the New Jersey Palisades trails. The Palisades form cliffs jutting about 500 feet above the Hudson River along the western side opposite New York City and Westchester. From Ft. Lee north, at the vicinity of the George Washington Bridge, there are two parallel trails stretching north many miles up to the New York State line. The Shore Trail goes alongside the river below the cliffs, and the Long Path is above the cliff, often traversing close to the edge. There are several connecting trails snaking their connecting the top to the bottom.

This hike was on a cold, dreary day. It has snowed on Friday night, and the snow was still pretty fresh from the day before. We parked at the bottom at Englewood Boat Basin, and took the Short Trail south, approaching ever closer towards the George Washington Bridge. At Ross Dock, a park and large picnic area very close to the Bridge, we skirted around the edge of the protrusion into the river, and then took the Carpenter Trail up the cliffs to the top, to the Long Path. We then headed north along the Long Path, and took a detour through Allison Park, a small park with nice landscaping alongside the cliff, and then continued back on the trail past St. Michael's college and then towards the Dyckman Hill Trail. We took the Dyckman Hill Trail back to the waterfront where our car was parked at the Englewood Boat Basin.

Map of the Route

George Washington Bridge from Englewood Boat Basin

Henry Hudson Bridge from Across the Hudson River

Zoomed in to Henry Hudson Bridge

Zoomed North to Yonkers and a Large Barge

Large Midtown Skyscrapers and the Bridge Mid-Span

Me at Englewood Boat Basin

Shore Trail Detailed Marker

George Washington Bridge and Manhattan from the Shore Path

Me on the Shore Path and Hudson River

GWB from Shore Path, Approaching Ross Dock

Middown Skyscrapers and GWB

Me on Ross Dock

Palisades from Ross Dock, Looking North

Cliff Drop Off Along Palisades, Facing North

Red Lighthouse at the Foot of the GWB

Bridge Span Above Midtown Skyscrapers

Manhattan Skyscrapers and Hudson Yards New Development

Carpenter Trail Terminus at Long Path

GWB from Carpenter Trail Terminus View

Ross Dock from Carpenter Trail Terminus

Me at the Above View

Allison Park Plaque

Dyckman Hill Trail Waterfalls 

Tunnel on the Dyckman Hill Trail

Kakiat Snow Hike with Commsar

Kakiat County Park and Harriman State Park
Rockland Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Kakiat Trail: White blaze
Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail: Yellow trail
Mountain Trail: Orange blaze

Total Time: 2:45 hour
Estimated Distance: 3.2 Miles

Pros: Good climb with good views
Cons: None

Hiking Members:
CommSAR Search and Rescue Staff

This hike was a training session with CommSAR, a search and rescue organization. The training featured a mock search of a lost subject where two teams fanned out using clues to find the subject. The subject was a lost and despondent child, and the teams used clues to successfully find the the child in the snow.

The hike featured the first snow of the season, with about 5 inches of snow falling the day before. We parked at the Kakiat Parking area, taking the Kakiat Trail at the foot of the mountain and then ascending along that trail. At the intersection of the Mountain Trail we continued along the side of Cobus Mountain, until the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail, which we took alongside the rock formations and the Grandpa and Grandma Rocks. We took this trail until the gas line, and then went east along the gas line to the Mountain Trail. We took the Mountain past the power line to the summit view of Kakiat Mountain, where we took a short break before heading down. We descended down the Mountain Trail to the end of the trail and back to the parking area.

Map of the Route

A Balanced Trip Rock at the Grandpa and Grandma Rock Areas

View Lookng Down from the Gas Line

View From the Gas Line Facing West

View from the Top View of Kakiat 

View from Kakiat View Facing East

Me at the Kakiat View

Me with Cobus Mountain the Background

Manhattan Skyline in the Distance from Kakiat

Midtown Manhattan Skyscrapers in the Distance

View Facing East/Northeast Towards South Mountain

View Looking Towards Monsey and Airmont

Me at the View

The Timp Loop, Harriman State Park

Rockland Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
1779 Trail: White blaze
Red Cross: Red blaze
Ramapo-Dunberberg Trail: Red blaze
Timp Torne Trail: Blue blaze

Total Time: 3:20 hour
Estimated Distance: 5.7 Miles

Pros: Scenic area, Very quiet, great views at Timp
Cons: Trail Rerouting

Hiking Partner:
Yehudah Koblick

The Timp is one of the more dramatic peaks of the area, with a good climb and excellent view, and a distinct cliff face that can be seen for many miles away. It had been some time since I was last at the Timp, especially down from the 1777 Trailhead.

We parked down below by the trailhead parking, on Mott Farm Road right after Cedar Flats Road. There is no direct trailhead parking, and you have to park about 1000 feet down below the trailhead on the side of the road. We took the 1779 Trail, as it climbs steadily on a wide path, until the Red Cross Trail, which we took north towards The Timp. After climbing steadily here as well, we made it to the Timp Pass. I had intentended upon taking the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail up the Timp, but I could not find that trail there anymore and eventually hit the Timp-Torne Trail, which I saw was now combined with the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail ascending to the Timp. So it appears they eliminated the original Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail and instead combined it with the Timp-Torne, leaving only trail ascending the mountain from the western flank, unlike the two trails that were there before previously.

I never liked the Ramapo-Dunderberg up The Timp. I felt it was too circutous and went around too much and was not necessary to route it of the way. Actually the original Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail used to be a much shorter route, directly ascenting the mountain from its southwest point. However, it was very steep and dangerous, and had become very eroded. Now as much as I didn't like that particular trail, I find it even more annoying when a trail is rerouted.

At the top of the Timp, which afforded us great views, we attempted to take the old rerouted Ramapo-Dunberberg Trail down. But we had trouble finining it in the present conditions without the blazes. We took it for a little bit and then lost the trail, so we ended up bushwacking back to the Red Cross Trail, meeting it near Camp Addisone Boyce, a girls scout camp. We then continued south on the Red Cross Trail, and veering off the trail at the woods road. I had intened to tke this as a reroute back to the 1777, but ended up veering too much to the east, and eneded up in the water pumping property, which is off Call Hollow Road.

Map of the Route

Bear Mountain Bridge from the Northern View of the Timp

Zoomed out to from the Above View

Me at the Northern Timp View

Me, Zoomed In

West Mountain, from the Timp

West Mountain, Northern End of the Mountain

Looking South from the Timp

Looking Southwest

View from the Timp, Looking South

Yehudah at the Timp, in Front of West Mountain

Me Overlooking West Mountain

View of the Hudson River and Haverstraw, from the Timp