Palisades - Alpine, NJ

The Palisades - Alpine, NJ (11/15/2009)

This is the Hike of the Week for 5/29/2003 as described on the NY-NJ Trail Conference website. This hike has everything, though it also has one major drawback: the constant sound of traffic from the Palisades Interstate Parkway, which the trail follows very closely at times during the first half of this hike. But the pluses far outweigh this one minus. This hike has ruins, lots of them, including one of the best preserved ruins I have ever encountered in New Jersey, the ruins of the 1911 Zabriskie estate known as Cliff Dale.

There are also spectacular views (and lots of them) from the cliffs of the Palisades, looking down onto the Hudson and the Alpine Boat Basin far below. The second half is a very enjoyable river-level ramble along the Hudson which ends at the Alpine Boat Basin where one is now treated to views of the awesome Palisades far above. It's easy to identify where I was standing earlier during the hike while looking down. Finally, the hike has history, passing the Kearney House which is the oldest house in the park.

Total distance hiked today was about 5.9 miles in about 3.5 hours.

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