2. NY-NJ State Line to Nyack

Features: Tallman Mountain State Park, Clausland Mountain Park, Tackamack
Town Park, Blauvelt State Park, and Sean Hunter Ryan Memorial Park.
Distance: 10.30 miles
USGS Map Quads: Nyack
Trail Conference Maps: Trail Map 109, Hudson Palisades Trails.

General Description

After following the Palisades through New Jersey, the Long Path continues
into New York along the Palisades Escarpment. This section is a mix of state,
county and town parks and some suburban road walking. The trail begins
along US Route 9W in the hamlet of Palisades, continues to Tallman Mountain
State Park, descends to the Village of Piermont, ascends to Mt. Nebo,
Clausland Mountain Park, Tackamack Town Park,  Blauvelt State
Park, and Sean Hunter Ryan Memorial Park, and finally descends into Central
Nyack. This section is rich in history with the trail passing close to historic
places such as Sneden's Landing, the Revolutionary War hamlet of Palisades,
Rockland Cemetery (General Frémont's Grave) and the abandoned rifle
ranges in Blauvelt State Park.

Access

Take the Palisades Interstate Parkway to Exit 4, just south of the New York-
New Jersey state line. Turn north onto Route 9W and continue to the entrance
of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
By public transportation: The Red and Tan Lines buses 9W and 9A give
access to many points along the trail from Route 9W.

Parking

1.00 Route 9W at Rockland County bike trail near the south entrance to
Tallman Mountain State Park. (18T 591378E 4540991N)
2.60 Tallman Mountain State Park picnic area. (Unlocated)
3.45 Street parking in Piermont. (18T 591117E 4543586N)
6.70 Tackamack Park on Clausland Mountain Road. (18T 589147E 4546229N)
10.30 Street parking in Nyack. (Unlocated)

Trail Description

0.00 The Long Path crosses the entrance to Columbia University's Lamont-
Doherty Earth Observatory near the gatehouse. The observatory has departments
for research on climatology, geochemistry, oceanography, and seismology.
The trail veers right, then left, and stays close to Route 9W. Pass a swamp
to the right. The trail then crosses a stone wall and ascends over a small knoll.
0.25 Turn right onto a woods road and continue downhill, roughly paralleling
Route 9W.
0.45 The Long Path reaches the parking lot of a building, the former Tree Ring
Lab of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, but now a daycare facility.
Turn left toward Route 9W and then right onto the highway. Hikers should
exercise extreme caution along this road. It has frequent high-speed traffic.
Keep to the left of the road, well within the white line of the shoulder.
0.55 Reach intersection with Washington Spring Road and Oak Tree Road in
the Hamlet of Palisades, New York. This is an area rich with history. To the
right is Sneden's Landing. Today, it is a well-known enclave for artists and
actors escaping from New York City. Historically, Sneden's Landing was the
site of ferry service to Dobbs Ferry. Exactly 2 miles west on Oak Tree Road
are historic sites such as the De Wint house in the Hamlet of Tappan,
Washington's Revolutionary War headquarters, and the 1776 House where
the British spy Major André was kept prisoner prior to his execution. The
Long Path continues north along Route 9W.
1.00 The Long Path turns right, leaving Route 9W, and enters Tallman State
Park, passing a parking area to the left. It heads towards the river on a gravel
road, part of the Tallman Bike Path.
1.30 With ruins of a brick-and-concrete building visible to the right, the Long
Path turns left and continues along a raised berm. These elevated mounds of
dirt were built in the early 20th century to retain seepage from a never-constructed
oil storage facility that was to be established in the area. The Long Path crosses
a marshy section on plank bridging and passes a pond on the right.

Bridge on the footpath, Tallman Mountain State Park [TODD SCHREIBMAN]

1.95 The Long Path curves to the right and crosses the Tallman Bike Path.
After crossing it, the trail turns left and follows the Palisades Escarpment parallel
to the river. There are views through the trees of Sparkill Marsh, filled
with Phragmites communis (common name "giant reed") extending out into
the river.
2.45 The Long Path skirts the South Picnic Area of the Park, passing a stone
comfort station to the left. It descends stone steps and a paved path to cross a
wooden bridge over a stream. With the park swimming pool visible below to
the right, the Long Path turns sharply left and goes up a paved path with a
wooden railing.
2.70 At a traffic circle, the Long Path crosses the park road leading down to
the river. On the other side of the road, it ascends railroad-tie steps and continues
to climb, steeply at times, to the North Picnic Area. At the top, it turns
right and follows the park road that runs close to the edge of the escarpment.
3.00 The Long Path reaches an outstanding viewpoint on the trail's right
looking over the Hudson River. The Tappan Zee Bridge and Hook Mountain
are visible to the north. Directly below are the mile-long Piermont Pier (the
original terminus of the Erie Railroad) and the extensive Sparkill Marsh. The
villages of Irvington and Dobbs Ferry may be seen across the river, with the 
gothic tower of the Lyndhurst mansion on the skyline to the northeast.
Turn right, leave the road, and begin a steep, rocky descent towards Piermont.
Interesting restaurants and shops are found in the village.
3.15 At the bottom of the descent, the Long Path turns left on a gravel road,
the route of the Tallman Bike Path. In 200 feet, the bike path ends, and the
Long Path turns right on Ferdon Avenue. It immediately crosses Sparkill Creek
and enters the Village of Piermont. At a traffic light, the trail crosses South
Piermont Avenue (left) and Paradise Avenue (right) to continue straight ahead
on Piermont Avenue.
3.45 At the old railroad crossing in the center of Piermont, the trail turns left
onto Tate Avenue, climbs uphill, then turns right and parallels the river. The
trail veers left and climbs up an old concrete staircase, emerging onto Ash
Street adjacent to the former railroad station. (The station building, which is
over 100 years old, is now unused.) The abandoned Erie Railroad right-ofway
that crosses the Long Path here, is a rail trail and an official side-trail to
the Long Path. It provides an interesting alternative path, with Hudson River
views, north to Nyack. The Long Path turns left and continues west along
Ash Street to Piermont Place. Turn left on Piermont Place and then right on
Crescent Road. At the end of Crescent Road turn left, and follow the path
past several houses on the right. Turn right on an old fire road and, in 75
yards, reach US Route 9W. Turn right on Route 9W and follow it for a few
yards to Castle Road, a rural road.
3.90 Turn left on Castle Road, which then bends north. This part of the road
is private. Before reaching the last house, the trail heads to the right into the
woods and rejoins the old fire-road. Turn right and follow this road into
Rockland Cemetery. It has fine views west toward the Ramapos in the distance.
About 500 feet after passing the last house, the path meets a paved
cemetery road. The trail makes a 180-degree turn and continues uphill on the
cemetery road to reach the top of the Palisades and a seasonal view of the
Hudson. At the top, the trail passes the obelisk memorializing Henry
Honeychurch Gorringe, who transported Cleopatra's Needle from Egypt, as
well as the monument to General John Charles Frémont, better known as the
"Pathfinder." Also buried at the cemetery, almost within touching distance of
the Long Path, is George Zoebelein, a long-time trail supervisor of the Long
Path in Rockland County, and a former president of the Trail Conference.
George's gravesite is approximately 30 feet from where the trail makes the
180-degree turn.
4.80 The Long Path leaves the cemetery and gradually regains the Palisades
ridge where it heads northwest along the ridge. It continues on a level path
through the woods, crossing several stone walls and intermittent streams.
5.50 The Long Path arrives at a three-way trail intersection. An orange-marked
trail, built and maintained by Rockland County, goes to the right to Mt. Nebo,
once an Air Force Nike missile site and now a recreation area for the Town of
Orangetown. The same trail will rejoin the Long Path in 0.40 miles. The Long
Path continues straight ahead and heads downhill, crosses a streambed, makes
a left jog, and then goes right. An old woods road goes left and leads to NY
Route 303, near the Kings Highway intersection. The trail ascends gradually
and then undulates through the woods of Clausland Mountain Park, a Rockland
County park.
5.90 The orange-marked trail comes in from the right. The Long Path continues,
crossing a couple of streams along the way, the last time on a wooden
bridge.
6.70 The trail crosses Clausland Mountain Road and enters Tackamack Town
Park in the Town of Orangetown. Tackamack was the Indian name of Jan
Claus, a trader who lived in the area.⁶ The trail passes through a metal gate and
descends, first on a gravel road and then on a woods road, until it reaches a
small water impoundment. Here the Long Path goes right into the woods,
following the water impoundment. The trail follows the stream for a while and
finally crosses it on a wooden bridge. Not long afterwards, the Long Path
crosses Marsico Court.
7.20 The trail enters Blauvelt State Park, passes through a stand of evergreens,
and veers right, after which it joins a woods road. A nearby embankment was
the site of the firing line for the pre-World War I National Guard Camp
Bluefield's rifle range. They were forced to close the camp because the lead
from the bullets kept landing in Grand View, to the east along the river. All the
trees in this section were planted after the National Guard abandoned it. The
Long Path turns right, following the stone wall, and then continues on a series
of woods roads around the rifle range. The trail parallels a target wall of
the rifle range.
7.75 The Long Path climbs over a small embankment and descends a set of
wooden steps to a woods road. This embankment is actually the earth-covered
concrete tunnel that provided safe passage from the firing line to the target
wall. The trail continues to the right along the woods road, passing the entrance
to the tunnel off to the right. It continues straight ahead, turns right at
a split in the road, and turns sharply left on another woods road.
8.20 A white trail and a woods road join from the left, just before a stream
crossing. The Long Path turns right across the stream and heads uphill into the
woods before finally emerging onto Tweed Boulevard (Rockland County Route 5). 
8.60 The Long Path crosses the road and climbs a staircase onto the crest of the
Palisades ridge.
8.70 There is a 180-degree view here, with the Tappan Zee, Piermont Pier,
New York City and the Hackensack River valley visible. This was the site of the
famous "Balanced Rock." Because vandals managed to unbalance the rock,
park officials were forced to remove it in 1966. From here, the trail continues
along the ridge before finally descending to a gravel road. The road leads left
to Tweed Boulevard and right to a water tank.
9.10 The Long Path continues by crossing the gravel road and making a sharp
ascent to gain the ridge. The trail starts descending, crosses an open woods
road, and continues north. It passes a grove of evergreens just before reaching
Bradley Hill Road (Rockland County Route 38).
9.60 The trail turns right on Bradley Hill Road and, after a few paces, turns
left into the woods just past a driveway and regains the Palisades ridge crest.
You are now in Sean Hunter Ryan Memorial Park, a Rockland County park.
[If heading for historic Nyack instead of staying on the Long Path, continue on
Bradley Hill Road and turn right onto South Highland Avenue, at the entrance
to Nyack College. Turn right onto Upland Drive; turn right onto South
Boulevard, and then left onto Central Avenue, left onto Prospect Avenue,
right onto Terrace Drive, and left onto Lowland Drive. Following a switchback,
US Route 9W is reached. Turn left to a bridge across the New York State
Thruway and cross the bridge. At a blinking red light (corner of Franklin Street
and Clinton Avenue) the rail-trail from Piermont to Nyack is reached. Follow
the rail-trail to the left to reach the center of Nyack. Broadway, where buses,
shops, and restaurants are available, is one block to the right.]
9.85 The Long Path passes an opening in an old stone wall. It has good views
into the Village of Nyack. On the right is a bench and mounted in the rocks is a
plaque commemorating Sean Hunter Ryan. The trail starts to descend west off
the ridge.
9.95 The trail passes a side trail on the right (white blazes) to Buttermilk Falls
Park, a county park. The side trail connects with a county-maintained trail system
and allows a loop hike of 2.4 miles. The trail continues to descend off the ridge
and turns left, then right, to pass a residential area.
10.05 The trail emerges onto the end of paved Towt Road. It follows Towt
Road and then continues onto Waldron Avenue.
10.30 The trail reaches the intersection of Waldron Avenue and NY Route
59. Here there are a number of motels, stores and fast food restaurants. To
continue, proceed straight ahead (the road beyond this point is known as
Mountainview Avenue). At the NE corner of Route 59 and Mountainview
Avenue are two monuments. The first is 'Mile to Nyack' and commemorates
the opening of the Nyack Turnpike in 1830 (from Nyack to Suffern). The
second monument is in memory of the slaying of O'Grady, Brown, and Paige,
following the Brinks armored car robbery on 10-20-1981.

⁶ Although a Native American of the Wicqaskeek tribe on the east side of the Hudson,
Tackamack adopted the Dutch name of Jan Claus (or Jan Klase). He was a very active signer
of Native American deeds and his name can be found on the deeds establishing the Tappan
patent, the Demarest patent, and the Wawayanda patent. One wonders how he had
established the right to sign these patents on behalf of Native Americans.