Unboring Exploring: Giant Stairs of Palisades Interstate Park, NJ
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Survey this surprisingly EPIC trail within the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey and New York! Comprised of substantial views up and down the Hudson River, a waterfall, rope swings, AND a rock scramble in the shadow of towering cliffs, this hike is CHOCKABLOCK with natural curiosities. So lace up your hiking boots and have a go at this gem amongst New Jersey!
Palisades Interstate Park | OUTER SPACES with TIFFBFIRST | Alpine, NJ
On this episode of Tales from the Woods, presented by Outer Spaces, I switch things up a bit. While exploring one of my favorite sections of the Palisades Interstate Park, I get a lil introspective on you and reminisce about the days when we appreciated the art of music. Check out the article I read that inspired the topic for this hike-doc episode of Tales from the Woods.
HIKE SPECS
Rated: Moderate
Length: 6 miles
Duration: 4 hours
Dogs allowed: Yes
Transportation: Port Authority Bus Terminal (Rockland Coaches #9 or #9A bus)
TRAIL DIRECTIONS & MAPS
GPS Coordinates: 40.953427, -73.920645
HIKING ESSENTIALS
Always remember to bring the 10 essentials for day hikes. Better to have and not use than need and not have.
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Palisades Interstate Park
May 10th 2015 A short hike on the Long Path of the Palisades Interstate Park in Alpine New Jersey
⁴ᴷ Hiking the Giant Stairs Loop in Palisades Interstate Park - Full Hike
The Giant Stairs Loop hike takes place at Palisades Interstate Park, on the border of New Jersey and New York beginning at the State Line Lookout.
This hike travels through the New Jersey border monument, High Gutter Point, Peanut Leap Cascade, The Giant Stairs, and Women's Federation Monument. It offers sweeping views of the Hudson River, many birds, a waterfall, a rope swing, a difficult rock scramble, and a steep ascent to the top of the cliff. It can also be completed in reverse.
Filmed October 28, 2017. Video is sped up 7X. View the full, 3 Hour unedited version of this hike here:
More information about the hike can be found here:
Timestamps:
Long Path North (Aqua Trail) to Border Monument - 0:43
New Jersey Border Monument - 2:40
High Gutter Point - 3:37
Steep Steps - 4:07
Aqua Trail to White (Shore) Trail - 5:22
Peanut Leap Cascade (Waterfall) - 7:00
Reaching the Hudson River Shore - 7:14
Rope Swing - 7:28
Giant Stairs Begin: 9:48
Giant Stairs Challenging Rock Scramble #1: 12:05
Giant Stairs Challenging Rock Scramble #2: 13:00
I get lost (go left here not right) - 18:14
Giant Stairs end - 19:25
White (Shore) Trail to Blue/White (Forest View) Trail (Steep Ascent): 20:30
Women's Federation Monument: 22:47
Blue/White (Forest View) Trail to Aqua Trail (Long Path) North to State Line Lookout - 23:42
The links below contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I'll receive a small commission from your purchases.
Camera Equipment I used:
GoPro HERO5 Black:
FeiyuTech G5 Gimbal:
SanDisk 128GB microSD Card:
GoPro HERO5 Black Batteries with Charger:
Wealpe GoPro HERO5 Black Frame Mount:
Transcend USB 3.0 Card Reader:
Anker PowerCore 10000 Power Bank:
Music credits:
Tobu & Itro - Sunburst [NCS Release]
Follow Tobu:
Follow Itro:
Easy Lemon 60 Second by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Source:
Artist:
Constancy Part 3 - The Descent by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Source:
Artist:
Heroic Age by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Source:
Artist:
Enter the Maze by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Source:
Artist:
Namaste by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Artist:
Track: Phantom Sage - Our Lives Past (feat. Emily Stiles) [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Watch:
Free Download / Stream:
Giant Stairs Hike from State Line Lookout, Palisades Interstate Park
Scenic adventurous hike on the Giant Stairs from the State Line Lookout in Palisades Interstate Park, Alpine New Jersey.
Start 520 feet above the Hudson River at the State Line Lookout. Hike through woods on the Long Path Trail. Enjoy sweeping views from High Gutter Point. Descend the cliffs to Peanut Leap Cascade. Scramble over landslide boulders called The Giant Stairs along the Hudson River Shore Trail. Ascend the steep steps of Forest View Trail. Visit the Women’s Federation Monument. Return to State Line Lookout and enjoy lunch at the State Line Cafe.
Shot on GoPro with Karma Grip
Top Accessible & Coolest Ruins in New Jersey
????*Check Out our FB Pages and Website*????
Facebook for PA:
Facebook for NJ:
Website:
Also visit exploringnjandpa.com for more!
Top Accessible & Coolest Ruins in New Jersey
Cliffdale Manor - Alpine, NJ
40.9399,-73.9215
Fries Mills - Millville, NJ
39.3380,-74.9598
Amatol - Hammonton, NJ
39.6013,-74.7436
Van Slyke Castle - Oakland, NJ
41.0478,-74.2515
Brooksbrea Terracotta Ruins - Manchester Township, NJ
39.889900,-74.441500
Estelle Manor - aka Bethlehem Loading Company - Landing, NJ
39.387196,-74736387
Video not up yet
nj palisades interstate park
April and me hiking the north sections of the park. If you go there on the weekends maybe you'll see us down by Peanut Leap Falls.
Closter New Jersey - A Short Documentary (Presentation) ****
This is a short documentary of Closter, New Jersey. Home to 8,700 residents, and less than two miles away from the Palisades Interstate Parkway, Closter remains a highly sought after place of residence for professionals who conduct business in New York City.
Due to Closter’s long history, the housing inventory is varied and includes a mix of 19th-century houses, mid-century split-levels and ranches, and larger luxury homes built in recent decades.
The most notable feature is the recent revival of the 16-acre shopping center which includes Whole Foods, Target, Homegoods & Starbucks. Noted for its in-house bar and restaurant, the new upscale movie theater, CMX, has also become a celebrated destination.
In addition to convenience, the selection of restaurants, salons, and work-out studios has made Closter Plaza a community gathering place that promotes what Closter residents like to refer to as “a close-knit feeling.”
Full Hike (WM/S): Towering Cliffs Like Trees Along the Hudson (Palisades Interstate Park, NJ/NY)
Old Route 9W—suspended in a semi-unkempt existence—meanders through the northern portion of Palisades Interstate Park. Long gone are commuters on horses and wagons. Even that most ubiquitous modern people-mover creation is banished: the personal automobile. Now, only humans, their furry companions, and local wildlife populate the old Boulevard. They gather at the State Line Lookout for views spanning two states.
Keen eyes might make out hikers navigating the unforgiving Giant Stairs of the Shore Trail, 520 feet below the Lookout. The hikers are in New Jersey, on the Hudson River western shore. Looking east over the brackish river presents views of New York State: far north beyond the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and south into the skyline of Manhattan. Occasionally, bald eagles and ospreys punctuate the scene by riding updrafts from the sun-heated cliffs.
Ambitious explorers can deviate from Old Route 9W to follow the Long Path down the Palisades Cliffs, and loop back up to the starting Lookout area using the Shore/Forest View Trails. Main features on the 4-mile journey included a border monument, musical cascade, ruins, boulder hopping, meadow, and interstate travel. When water is flowing, people often hear the Peanut Leap Cascade long before its sighting. The ruins and vine-covered meadow have interesting histories that are slowly being erased by time and nature.
Photos:
Route: Long Path-Shore Trail-Forest View Trail
Type: Loop
Distance: 4 mi.
Elevation Loss: 520 ft.
Location: Palisades Interstate Park, New Jersey/New York, USA
Date/Time: 2019-08-26 09:20
My Thoughts:
The Palisades and adjoining grounds feel like an isolated pocket of exploration surrounded by industry and civilization. One almost feels lost among deep wilderness. Leaving the Old Route 9W behind is entering an alternate space, a shifted timeline.
Aside from obvious exhibits such as the Cascade and Giant Stairs, I was fascinated by the ruins and relaxing meadow overrun with a thick vine carpet. What was once a garden that hosted great parties is now graffiti-covered scatterings of stone architecture. Farther south, mowed lawns and playground have disappeared under what I suspect is invasive porcelain berry or some other grapevines. If camping were allowed, either would be prime candidate.
The Giant Stairs were an indisputable struggle. Unfit and/or less-agile hikers should be extra cautious. Harder sections were toward the southern terminus. However, ascending 520 feet in 0.3 mile, on the Forest View Trail, took the cake. It reminded me of the Blue Hills in Boston, Massachusetts or insane slopes of the Fundy Footpath in Canada.
#Hiking
Palisades Park in Alpine, NJ (2012 #1 most expensive zip code) by iTOWNSEE.com
In 2012 Alpine NJ was ranked by Forbes as America's most expensive ZIP code with a median home price of $4.25 million!
For more info and images with Alpine NJ check out .
is a little window to the town next door or across the ocean. I see town here, i see town there.. i can go TOWNSEE anywhere!
Palisades Interstate Park, NJ
April and I heard about the Palisades Interstate Park so we decided we would check it out. It is well worth the drive. If you plan on visiting the park just know that you have to be out of the park before dusk. The park gates will be locked at night and there is no boondocking or camping allowed there. There is a lot to see there. If you plan on hiking the entire park be ready to get a room somewhere. Yes, it's that long. not very wide. It is a beautiful place even though it's across from New York. places to camp are far and few in between.
Song: Your hand in mine
Explosions In The Sky
State Line Cafe, Alpine / Closter New Jersey (NJ)
State Line Cafe, Alpine, New Jersey (NJ). Also, known as State line lookout, Closter, NJ, state line lookout trail, Palisades state park NJ, Rockefeller lookout palisades parkway, and state line dinner. There State Line Lookout, Long Parth, Shore Trail, Carpenter's Trail, Dyckman Hill Trail, Huyler's Landing Trail, Closter Dock Trail, Forest View Trail, and peanut leap trail are the best to have a view of Hudson River and New York State.
Lookout Inn was built from Palisade stone and chestnut wood in 1937-38 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Park kept the Inn open-air during warmer months, and an attendant (In the video, you can see in the large photograph taken in 1938) operated a filling station in the parking area.
U.S. Route 9W passed between the Inn and the lookout point, and on a busy day the Park assigned a policeman to help visitors
cross the highway to enjoy the view; later, the policeman controlled a traffic light for this purpose. After the Palisades Interstate
Parkway opened in the 1950s, 9W was moved to the west and park visitors now use the once bustling roadway as a trail.
People say about this place on Google business:
1) Always loved this place, still love it. Such a gem, a treasure. And the coffee is great. And the burgers and the fries are very good. The baked goods are homemade and also wonderful. Love the authentic old mountain cabin vibe, and the bookstore. Just really glad it is here.
2) LOVE this place; great place for a good burger after a hike!
3) The food is hearty and welcome after a long hike, but too slow for a quick bite on the road. Friendly but not speedy service, plenty of room for kids to explore outside, food isn't anything special but certainly not bad.
4) Great staff! I just wish there were some healthier food options.
5) The great burger here after my hike!
Palisades Interstate Park, NJ & NY
Today I hiked parts of the Long Path and the Shore Trail at Palisades Interstate Park. This is a great park on the banks of the Hudson river, across from Manhattan. The southern point of the park is below the George Washington Bridge and stretches north about five miles.
Palisades Cliffs Park, NJ Drone Fligto Washington Heights, NY and back
Flight from NJ to NY and back with DJI Phantom 4 Drone, stock.
NJ: State Line Lookout@Palisades; NY: Walkway Over the Hudson@Poughkeepsie
State Line Lookout is a scenic overlook on the Palisades, NJ, with a refreshment stand and gift shop. It is situated at the highest point on the Palisades Cliffs (elevation 527 ft.).
---------------
The Walkway over the Hudson,is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, on the east bank and Highland, New York, on the west bank. Built as a double track railroad bridge, it was completed on January 1, 1889. Since October 3, 2009, It became a pedestrian walkway and the longest footbridge in the world.
Palisades park ruins on nj side of hudson river
Video was taken on the NJ side of the Hudson River in Palisades Park
More abandoned ruins along the Palisades Cliffs
In this video, I explore more abandoned ruins along the cliffs of Palisades Interstate Park!
Click here to see my video on Cliffdale Manor:
Click here to see my video on Tonetti Garden:
Palisades Interstate Park: Castles, Scrambles, Waterfalls and Ruins
In Alpine, NJ lays the sprawling magnificence of the Palisades Interstate Park. Resting along the western shore of the Hudson River and stretching from just south of the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, NJ up passed the New York state line at Rockland County, NY, the park offers over 30 miles of majestic hiking trails, complete with beginner and intermediate pathways and breathtaking views. It truly is one the most spectacular and intense hiking trails in Northern New Jersey and its proximity to NYC makes it a wonderfully quick escape out of the city and back into nature.
Read More:
Audio Credits: Mike Schpitz and Phys Edison - Sly The Family Jones
Palisades Interstate Parkway (Exit 1) northbound
The Palisades Parkway connects the Bear Mountain Bridge and the lower Hudson Valley with the George Washington Bridge. Besides the Garden State Parkway, it is the only parkway on the west side of the Hudson River.
NOTES: Skip to 6:00 to see the George Washington Bridge
Skip to 7:30 where the Palisades Parkway begins
Also Includes: Cross-Bronx Expressway/Harlem River Drive Ramps, George Washington Bridge
For Historic Overview:
Trekking/Hiking Trails @Palisades New Jersey
Palisades Interstate Park New Jersey (4-26-15)
Hiking Trails / Trekking Cliffs
Music by:
1. Foster The People - Pumped up Kicks (Skeet Skeet Remix) 2011
2. Rihanna, Kanye West, Paul McCartney - FourFiveSeconds
(Afrojack Remix)
3. One Day by Matisyahu Instrumental (FL Studio)
Special Thanks to:
Francis
Lyn
Tim
Cheska
Hanz
Zayden
All Rights Reserved