Camp Bluefields

Camp Bluefields, Blauvelt State Park (10/31/2008)

This is Hike 1 ("The Army Tunnels") from the book Hiking the Road to Ruins with the addition of a 2-3 mile loop to a park high point and a jaunt back using other blazed trails. The highlight of this hike is undoubtedly the exploration of the abandoned Camp Bluefields, which was built in 1910 as a training rifle range for the National Guard. It was abandoned for this purpose in 1913 but then used by the YWCA as a camp until 1918 when it once again became a training facility, this time for soliders during World War I.

The most fascinating parts of what now remains are the several long target walls, where targets were raised on rails and then shot at, and three tunnels of varying length, built to allow soldiers to get from one area to another without being shot. All the tunnels can still be entered and two of them can actually be walked end-to-end. At points, you can also walk on top of the tunnels which is easier than bushwacking from one point to another. The longest tunnel is at least a quarter mile long, and in almost complete darkness during its entire extent (so bring a flashlight). David Steinberg gives an excellent description of how to explore this area, and we were able to follow his instructions perfectly, spending at least two hours wandering for miles among the ruins.

After exploring these ruins, we took the Long Path north about a mile to the high point just east of Tweed Boulevard. We returned via the Red trail (from near the high point), and then the White trail back to the Long Path to the parking area. The trails can be seen on this hand-drawn park map. Total distance traveled was probably seven miles in about 4.5 hours (much of that exploring the ruins).

(Click on the thumbnail to bring up a bigger image in a pop-up window)

What a pleasant start!

Parking area

Damned pond

Bridge over creek

Abandoned car

Beautiful pine forest
My favorite tree ...
... the majestic pine

First glimpse of middle tunnel
Entrance to middle tunnel
View of target wall from entrance
Laura in middle tunnel

In middle tunnel
Small slits in tunnel
View to the entrance
Woah! That spider is huge!

Tunnel crickets abound
Proceeding down middle tunnel ...
... we encountered a flooded collapse ...
... so we went back to the entrance

Target wall outside middle tunnel
Blockhouse opposite middle target wall
Near eastern tower looking down to tunnel
View of eastern tunnel from tower

Below first target wall
Laura peering inside wall hole
Eastern tower from below

Walking along eastern tunnel
On top of eastern tunnel
Huge tree crashed on tunnel
At entrance to eastern tunnel

Eastern tunnel entrance
Eastern tunnel target wall

Close-up of electrical recess

Hole in ground ... not today!
Graffiti is all over
Entering eastern tunnel

In eastern tunnel [photo by Laura]
View of target wall from eastern tunnel
Inside eastern tunnel
Laura climbing into room under eastern tower

Another room below tower
[Photo by Laura]
Northern-most room under eastern tunnel
Climbing out of wall hole

Laura on top of western tunnel
Root entrance to western tunnel
Laura about to enter western tunnel
Western tunnel is about to implode

View to end of western tunnel
Exit of western tunnel
Laura at exit
Stairs to first pit

Looking up from first pit
Inside first pit
View from above
Collapsed tree near second pit

Graffiti on wall near pits
Beneath western tower
View from below
Western tower

Back through western tunnel
Laura climbing out of western tunnel
On the western tunnel
Done exploring, back on Long Path

High Point on Long Path

View west from Long Path
Manhattan skyline
Graffit at high point
Our lunch spot

View of Hudson River
On the White trail

Damn crossing on Orange trail

On top of Orange trail damn
Ruins ...
... on Orange trail ...
... which suddenly ends

Pond on Orange trail
Back to the pines of the LP