New Jersey - East

Description

This scenic and challenging point is at the bottom of the Palisades, a five hundred foot cliff along the west bank of the Hudson River just north of New York City. I took the Palisades Parkway to State Line Lookout in New Jersey where there is a visitor center and several excellent vistas. Free park maps showing the trail system are available. From the visitor center I proceeded north along the abandoned "old route 9W" until a blue-blazed trail diverged to the east. The trail skirts the edge of the cliffs for about a half mile, sometimes approaching within two or three feet of the precipice. Just before swinging east and passing through a gate in a chain link fence, it passes a large witness monument indicating "Station Rock" 488 feet to the east along the state line. Since this line extends over the edge of the cliff I did not investigate a beeline approach. The trail, now blazed white, descends steeply down rock stairs and dirt paths. At the bottom is Peanut Leap Falls and the ruins of a summer house dating from the nineteenth century. The trail continues south along the river and soon passes through another gate in a chain link fence belonging to the Lamont-Doherty Geophysical Observatory. At first, I mistook this for the state line but my GPS came to the rescue and indicated another half mile. Most of the shoreline trail is flat and passes through woods and tall grass. Oh yeah, they did mention copperhead snakes. Finally the trail reaches open rocks with white blazes and leads directly to the objective. An 8-foot boulder with a large face toward the river is marked with a dotted triangle at the NJ/NY line. The USGS topo map shows the Station Rock monument, which may date from 1774.

Photos (click to enlarge)

	The objective is at the bottom of this five hundred foot cliff along the Hudson River. The Tappan Zee Bridge barely visible. Photo by Brian J. Butler
	About halfway down the cliffs stands this New Jersey/New York boundary monument indicating Station Rock some 488 feet to the east. Unfortunately, a straight-line traverse involves a three hundred foot fall. Onto sharp rocks if it matters. The astute reader will notice that this witness monument twins the one near the New Jersey - New York - Pennsylvania tri-state. The chain link fence is provided courtesy of the Lamont-Doherty Geophysical Observatory. Photo by Brian J. Butler
	Just in case you hadn't noticed. Photo by Brian J. Butler
	Eventually you reach the bottom of the cliffs and proceed south along a shoreline trail, which alternates between open rocks and reedy areas. A white blaze fortuitously marks the easternmost point in New Jersey. Photo by Brian J. Butler