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October 31, 2005
Hiking the Palisades
For years, I've meant to spend a day hiking somewhere just outside the city. Someone mentioned Breakneck Ridge, which is right on the Hudson river train line, and I considered that for a while. Every time I visit websites about it, though, I read about how steep it is at the beginning and how people somehow die doing it every once in a while. Then I remember that I don't own hiking boots and I find a way to postpone the trip.
My mother has also recommended hiking the Palisades. You can get to the trails by taking the subway up to the George Washington Bridge and walking over (if you can DO that without losing your shit). The trails follow the Palisade cliffs up the Hudson, offering views and quiet picnic spots.
Somehow, when I brought up hiking as a weekend possibility last week, Derek took the initiative to plan ahead (and find a map) and we finally made it to the Palisades on Sunday. We packed a lunch and drove over the GW (too scared/lazy to walk) and parked at the Park Headquarters. From there, we followed the upper trail for a couple of miles, hiked down a gazillion stone steps, hiked right along the water for a few miles, and then followed switchbacks back up to the parking spot. It was just the right amount of exercise, the foliage was nice, the weather was perfect, and it felt great to be near the water (I always feel more comfortable near water, hence the sailing, lake-visiting, etc.).
The upper trail runs between a road and a rather sharp dropoff. It was a little annoying to hear and see the traffic, but there are a few spots where you can walk out onto the edge of the cliffs and see sweeping views of the Hudson and New York. Eventually, you get to a little stone castle called the Women's Federation Monument, where you can climb up to a platform and pretend you are Rapunzel. After that, you can continue on the upper trail for a while longer, or you can climb down to water level.
The lower trail runs right next to the water for a long time, and there are plenty of places to sit on rocks and look at the Bronx or Westchester or whatever is on the other side of the Hudson. Once you're down there, you can also look up at the cliffs above -- the scale is quite dramatic. It's peaceful, too. We saw a few other hikers and families, but for the most part we were on our own. Photos of the hike are on Flickr.
Posted by csageday at October 31, 2005 10:49 PM