Hike of the Week 02/13/2003

Description:

Walk to the rear of the parking area. To the left (east), you will notice a white circular blaze with a red “1777W.” Turn left and follow this trail uphill. In about 0.2 mile, watch carefully for a sharp left turn. Follow the 1777W Trail steeply downhill for a short distance. At the base of the descent, the 1777W Trail bears right on a woods road and is joined by the white-blazed Appalachian Trail (AT). Follow the joint 1777W/AT for only 250 feet. At a large tree marked with a double blaze, the AT turns right, leaving the road. Leave the 1777W Trail here and follow the white-blazed AT, which now climbs a little and joins another woods road.

In another 0.4 mile, follow the AT as it bears right, leaving the woods road, and soon begins a steep climb up the eastern face of West Mountain. Near the top, there is an outstanding viewpoint to the left over Bear Mountain and the Hudson River. The stone building on the summit of Bear Mountain is the Perkins Memorial Tower. After a brief descent to a valley, the AT climbs steeply to a junction with the blue-blazed Timp-Torne Trail, which comes in from the right. Follow the joint AT/Timp-Torne Trail ahead, passing another viewpoint to the left over Bear Mountain and the Hudson River. The trail now swings to the west side of the ridge and soon reaches a west-facing viewpoint over Black Mountain. The Palisades Interstate Parkway and two large parking areas for the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area are visible in the valley below.

The joint AT/Timp-Torne Trail proceeds south along the ridge for 0.6 mile, passing more viewpoints to the west. After reaching another east-facing viewpoint, with a tower of the Bear Mountain Bridge visible to the northeast, you will come to a junction, marked by a sign. Here, the AT continues ahead, but you should turn left and follow the blue-blazed Timp-Torne Trail, which heads southwest, crossing a fire-scarred ridge. Soon, the yellow-blazed Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail joins from the right. Continue ahead, following the blue/yellow-blazed trail, which runs along ledges, with views to the south.

In another 0.3 mile, you’ll reach a junction. Here, the yellow-blazed trail continues ahead, but you should bear right, following the blue-blazed Timp-Torne Trail. In 500 feet, you’ll come to the West Mountain Shelter, built in 1928, which offers views of the Hudson River to the southeast. This is a good place to stop for a break.
After you’ve rested for a while, retrace your steps back to the junction of the blue and yellow trails. Turn right at the junction, following the yellow-blazed Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail, which ascends slightly to reach an east-facing viewpoint in an open area. The trail now descends, first steeply, then more gradually through mountain laurel thickets. After reaching a valley at the base of the descent, it climbs steeply, levels off, then again climbs to reach the top of a knoll.

The Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail now begins a steady descent of about 750 vertical feet. It soon reaches a very steep section, where extreme care should be taken if the trail is wet, icy or snow-covered. The grade then moderates somewhat. About halfway down, the trail crosses a stream and joins an old woods road, with more gentle grades. The road is eroded in places, and the trail has been routed away from the road in a few spots.
At the base of the descent, follow the yellow-blazed Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail as it turns left onto a level road, the route of the Doodletown Bridle Path. It continues along the road for about 750 feet, then turns right, leaving the road, and ascends a shallow ridge. The yellow-blazed trail then descends to cross a stream and follows an old road uphill to a junction with the 1777W Trail.

Turn left here, leaving the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail, and follow the 1777W Trail westward. You’re now proceeding along the old Doodletown Road, which dates back to the 1700s and was once known as the Caldwell Turnpike (to the right, the road leads to the abandoned hamlet of Doodletown). Soon, you’ll hear the sounds of traffic on the Seven Lakes Drive, above to the right, and pass a pine grove to the left. In half a mile, you’ll reach the intersection where you turned onto the Appalachian Trail earlier in the hike. Continue ahead along the road for 250 feet, then bear left, following the 1777W blazes uphill. At the top of the rise, turn right and follow the 1777W Trail back to the parking area where you began the hike.

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