Hike #1025; Cortlandville to Bear Mountain/Anthony Wayne

Hike #1025; Cortlandville to Bear Mountain/Anthony Wayne Rec. Area

4/2/17 Cortland to Bear Mountain/Anthony Wayne Rec. Area with Timothy Kovich, Kellie Kegan, Neil George, Rob Gearheardt, Craig Craig, Murray Warnock, Michelle Fraser, Tommy Stix, Robert Warner, Serious Sean Dougherty, Cindy Browning, Five Mile Kelly, and Julio ?

With the coming of Spring, I always feel the urge to do “Kick my Own Butt” hikes, challenges to get myself in better shape for the Summer, and just to feel more alive. I hadn’t been doing as much elevation, and wanted to post something not too insanely tough, but still a good challenge.

The group on Camp Smith Trail, "Anthony's Chin"

I met the group in the morning at Anthony Wayne Recreation Area, the most ridiculously huge parking area in all of New York, built for what appears to be the entire NYC vacationing capacity.
I was rather surprised to see Tommy and Rob there. I neglected to mention in my 20th anniversary hike journal how Lerch and I were drinking his Explorer’s Series Johnny Walker I guess it was, heading across Pequest Viaduct when we just happened upon these two guys who’s reaction was basically “What the hell is going on, these guys in suits and ties, and all these people...”. We invited them to join the rest of the hike. Although tempted, they didn’t join us for this one, but amazingly showed up for this next one.
I hadn’t known it really, but this would be a killer of a hike, even for me let alone a first timer.
I was rather proud of myself for putting together this really different hike. Surely, no one has or ever will again try to put together this odd hike. Like so many of the ones I used to do, this one ended up running over and being more difficult than anticipated.
We shuttle in a couple of cars to the Courtland town municipal area and parked in their lot. The first bit of this hike was a rather odd route.

Van Cortlandt Upper Manor House

We walked Heady Street, which closely paralleld Eton Downs, the more main road, down to Oregon Road where there was a sort of health care campus across the street. One building stood out as out of place and of much greater antiquity.
Upper Manor House was built and enlarged between 1756 and 1773 between original prominent land holder Pierre Van Cortlandt. There was an early small brick structure upon which the current building was enlarged starting in ‘56. When Van Cortlandt moved north, the house was then occupied the Beekmans. There seems to be a difference in history on it as read on line versus what is on the highway historic marker.
The house was headquarters to General George Washington for several days in 1776, 1779, and 1781. It had a wooden sculpture with owls and such on it in front. Quite a nice little spot.
We headed down Pump House Road from here, to the north and down to the Peekskill Hollow Creek. There were old abandoned pump house buildings to the right of the road as we reached the bottom. We then turned right to continue on Pump House Road on the other side of the creek.

1894 map showing Gallows Hill and Cortlandville

We went gradually up hill a bit parallel with the creek until I saw a little cleft in the hill to the left. I announced to everyone that this was the first tough part. I dashed up hill into the woods.
Soon, we found a very old woods road and a sort of level area. I found out later that this hill was known as Gallows Hill. Maybe the flat area was some historic gallows site. I couldn’t find much information on it other than the fact that it was known as Bald Hill before it was Gallows Hill.
When we came to the top of the steep ascent, there were some really well graded old woods roads and some rubble between two, perhaps from collapsed buildings. We made our way through to the next road to the north, and I spotted out of the corner of my eye a trail cam. I hollered back to everyone not to get caught in that, and to follow me around despite the fact that it was on a more prevalent trail.
It turned out we weren’t trespassing at all despite what I’d thought might be private land. We later saw public land signs.
We headed gradually down hill to a pretty little pond and a pull off area for ATVs. Surely only the locals really know about this place.

A hidden pond at Gallows Hill

We convened here, then bushwhacked down hill carefully past some lovely little cascade drainages. It led us to another old woods road. To the left, it led to a very a large land fill, but to the right it gradually descended to Sprout Brook Road near where it crossed the tributary of the same name.
We turned left on Sprout Brook Road and followed it parallel with the stream down hill to the west, passing some big lovely trees along the way.
We continued on Sprout Brook Road until the last house on the right; after that there was an old quarried area that is now part of Hudson Highlands Gateway Park. There were no official trails in this section, but I figured we could bushwhack through anyway.
The grades of the gravel pits that last saw use in the 1970s were way more treacherous than I’d expected. We had an easy enough time following the old access roads at first, but we then found ourselves bushwhacking through a mess of thorns and weeds, even though it was still so early spring, toward the main park access. It was frustrating because we were still so closely parallel with Sprout Brook Road.

Old stone walls in the gateway park

Eventually, we reached the blue blazed Upland Trail, which makes it’s way up hill gradually to a split, where we could go left or right on the loop. I intended this section to be a lollipop loop, just to cover the trail system here. Who knows when we’d be able to make it back out here, so I wanted to see as much as we could.
The trail led us through old pastures, which were from the agricultural latest use of the upland properties. During the American Revolution, the hill was used to light signal fires to warn troops down the Hudson of problems. At that time and into the 1800s, lumber was taken off and then the younger trees were used to produce charcoal for the iron industry at nearby Cold Spring and West Point. A dairy farm was the last commerce on the hill, which provided milk for a local ice cream manufacturer.

View of the Hudson and Annesville Creek

We turned to the left onto a spur trail that led up hill a bit to a nice view over the confluence of the Hudson River and Annsville Creek. We paused here for a few moments before continuing on along Uplands Trail.
From here, we headed to the north through some woods, and a saddle in the ridge to the intersection of the yellow blazed Hudson Overlook Spur Trail.

Hudson overlook

I gave everyone the option of skipping this section. We would after all just be going out and back on it. Surprisingly, no one took the option to stay back and rest. We continued on down hill and parallel with some pretty wetlands, weaved around a rock and to the top where there was an outlook very similar to the previous one we had seen, only this time the reactors of the Indian Point nuclear facility were in more open view. We took a break here before turning back the way we came.
Once back on the Upland Trail, we didn’t have far to go before we reached the Vernal Pool Trail. We turned right on this white blazed trail, which weaved to the northernmost part of the property, and then turned back to pass a stream and a very nice vernal pool.

Puncheon in Hudson Highlands Gateway Park

We returned to the blue Upland Trail, and followed it to the south through more woods and high above Rt 9. Soon, we came to the red blazed Annsville Creek Trail. We had two directions we could go on that shortly, and we took to the right fork. This took us out to a pretty little pond. I checked out what the map showed as an overlook, but it wasn’t much of anything. It was at the pond that we met up with Serious Sean and Cindy. There was an alternate access to the park here off of Doris Lee Drive. We continued to the north on the trail back to the Upland Trail, and then turned right to descend out the way we came in, and beyond to the parking area off of Sprout Brook Road.

Retention pond walking along Sprout Brook

We cut off of the road and skirted the ball fields on the other side. This took us to the south with a nice off road route. We then came to a pretty new retention pond with hay laying on it for the growth of grass. We walked along that before emerging again at Sprout Brook Road.
I knew nothing of it at the time, but the section of the retention pond closest to the Sprout Brook follows directly across from the long abandoned right of way of the two foot gauge Peekskill Valley Railroad, built in 1873.
The railroad was constructed to serve an ironworks in Peekskill, but apparently traveled northeastward and perhaps connected with the Dennytown mine railroad bed we had hiked a while back in Fahnestock State Park!

1893 map of Peekskill with Peekskill Valley Railroad

The whole history of all of this is quite fascinating. I had no idea this line went this far before. I had thought it was just a short line that went along the Annsville Creek from where we turned off on the previous hike to the area.

Seen in a swamp as we turned off to Sprout Brook Road

After passing a mockup wooden crocodile, we turned out to Sprout Brook Road and then to Albany Post Road. We went left over the creek and continued on the road out to cross Peekskill Hollow Creek. There, we turned right onto a narrow paved path. The path came out to a corporate place, and dead ended. We couldn’t get through. We had to go back out to the road, then made the next right turn onto Hallenbeck Road.

Historic image of Uncle Abram and the old mining railroad.

Hallenbeck Road was named for “Uncle Abram” and William Hallenbeck. An area on the creek known as “Uncle Abram’s Swimming Hole” was mentioned in one of the history sites.
Based on the view in the historic photo, Uncle Abram’s Swimming Hole must have been at the confluence to the Peekskill Hollow Creek and Sprout Brook where it becomes Annsville Creek. The railroad crossed there on a long bridge and/or causeway.

Old Peekskill Valley Railroad grade

Hallenbeck Road ended at a sewage treatment plant with chain link fences. I thought for sure we could get through to hike on to the other side, to the existing Annsville Greenway. On the previous hike, where we did Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway, we had hiked part of this near the end.
We would now have to amend the hike a bit. We climbed off trail, steeply up the slope to the left, toward Bear Mountain Parkway. We walked along it for a bit, then saw where we could get back down. We could see the old railroad right of way below, but I think only Serious Sean went down and walked it. The rest of us admired it from above.

1891 map showing the old Peekskill Valley Railroad

We soon reached the right turn pointing us to Camp Smith. We followed Rt 202 over Annsville Creek, and on the other side dashed across the circle to the mobile mini mart where we could get some snacks and drinks. We hung out there a good while, and everyone needed water.

VIew of Annsville Creek and Dunderberg Mountain

Once our break was done, we turned right on 202 to head west and north. We took a side road down toward Roa Hook, because it looked like it’d be cool to see, but then it looked to be inaccessible between the railroad and businesses down there. We held off on that for another time and turned back to 202.
Eventually, we reached the old Bear Mountain toll gate where the Camp Smith Trail starts in Hudson Highlands State park.

Camp Smith Trail

I was surprised at how many people were out on this trail. It was actually quite busy. The trail went up hill at the end of the parking lot. It skirted extremely closely to the border of the Camp Smith military property. That property was lined with signs and ropes along the boundary. There was something about live firing range nearby. It was surprising that they went so far as to rope off the entire boundary parallel with the trail. We continued up hill on the route, which was very well built, with constant seasonal views of the Hudson and the highway below.
At the first height of the land, we had a really good view down the Hudson to the south. We could see the nuclear power plant again, as well as the confluence with the Annsville Creek.

View down the Hudson

As we continued on Camp Smith Trail, we met a blonde girl who was doing an out and back hike on the trail, which is 3.7 miles long. We ended up walking with her like she was part of our group for almost the entire length of this trail.

View of Iona Island

At the next overlook area, we could clearly see Iona Island, the former Navy munitions base on the Hudson River. The island has an interesting history, from it’s earliest days as a native American fishing settlement, to an encampment for British troops during the Revolution, an orchard farm, and an amusement park.

Historic image of Iona Island when it was a Navy depot

The government bought the island in 1899 for use as the munitions depot. Today only five original buildings from that use remain. Iona was a very strategic location, protected by the Hudson, but only 41 miles from NY City by rail on the West Shore Railroad.

West Shore Railroad approaching Iona Island. Ed Wittikind Photo

Iona Island saw America through World Wars I and II, and closed in 1947. For a time after that, a “mothball fleet” of ships was stored adjacent to it in Tomkins Cove.

Historic aerial of Iona Island in service

The island was purchased by Palisades Interstate Park Commission and became part of Bear Mountain State Park in 1965. Today the remaining former military buildings are used as storage for park maintenance.

Historic postcard of Iona Island

The island is now very popular for birding because of it’s grass lands and such, as well as for rail fans photographing trains on the still busy former West Shore Railroad.

1927 Iona Island wreck

Sadly, the island is closed to public, so visiting is a bit of an issue.
That railroad was was also once the route of the New York, Ontario, and Western, which we we have been doing as series. Won’t be able to do that section though.
The trail went up and down over some pretty rough terrain parallel with the Camp Smith property.
Iona Island was the site of a wreck on July 5th, 1927 when an O&W trail crashed into vacant standing passenger cars. Four passengers were killed and 23 were injured from the crash.

1927 Iona Island wreck

We continued from this to the next overlook, heading up and down the topography on rocky slopes. We watched large boats moving along the Hudson from the many different outlooks, past Iona Island.

Historic Iona Island image

It was obvious that this trail attracted many sight seeing people who are not exactly used to how trails are marked, and are often ill prepared. We saw some of the more obviously out of shape people falling back and walking the other directions after the first two overlooks.
On one slope, I met two girls and a guy who were standing looking around, seemingly lost. I took a few moments to let them know what the turn blazes meant. In their European home countries, they don’t have the trails marked in the same way, so it’s understandably difficult at times to figure out where to turn. We continued on up the slope ahead of them from here, but they passed us again when I waited at the top for the others. This repeated a few times.

View on Camp Smith Trail

We took a longer break at one of the better overlooks and let everyone catch their breath a bit more.
The two girls who had gotten slightly off trail before stopped here. Their names were Franziska Na and Nastja Foraus, and they have been going on adventures in the NYC metropolitan area on their days off. They took our group photo for us, and I invited them to come out on our future hikes.

Historic Iona Island postcard

We continued to the north, and one of the best overlooks Serious Sean calls “Anthony’s Chin”. By far, the most famous overlook is just off of the Appalachian Trail, and is actually on the old route of the AT, known as Anthony’s Nose.

Bear Mountain Bridge from Camp Smith Trail

The girls turned around somewhere in this area, and Five Mile Kelly also had to turn back. Along the way, we passed by one parking lot much lower, and climbed again, and she had said she was going to cut out at that point, but instead decided to keep going with us.
We invited her to finish the rest of the hike with us, and we’d drop her off when we finished, but she wanted to get done a bit earlier.

The group on Anthony's Nose

We met another guy on Anthony’s Nose, Julio I guess it was, who told us about the old Appalachian Trail route that went direction up the nose. The trail was deemed too dangerous, and so it was closed in favor of the more gentle route it now takes to the north. He offered to guide us down the old way if we so wished. Of course, we agreed, and had a really good time of it!

Bear Mountain Bridge

The trail really was pretty insanely steep. One wrong step or a slip, we could go tumbling down Anthony’s Nose maybe all the way to the highway. Still, it was marked to some degree with the old white AT blazes, and we were able to follow it well enough.
We waited at the bottom for everyone to catch up, where there was an epic straight on view of the Bear Mountain Bridge as the sun was setting over Bear Mountain behind it. It was an outstanding spot to sit and take a few minutes.
The Bear Mountain Bridge has a really interesting history as well. It was originally supposed to be a railroad bridge, where work started in the 1880s.

Work had “progressed rapidly” on the footings to this bridge, but it stalled out and was never completed for it’s original intended use. Instead, the highway bridge was planned, and eventually completed in 1924.

Construction of Bear Mountain Bridge

At the time of it’s completion, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, a distinction it held for only 19 months, when that title was taken by the Ben Franklin Bridge between Philadelphia PA and Camden NJ.
Prior to the completion of the bridge, the southernmost crossing of the Hudson River was the Poughkeepsie Railroad bridge (now Walkway Over the Hudson) constructed in 1888.
We made our way down to the deck of the bridge and crossed, with some great views to the north up river. Unfortunately, the Appalachian Trail through the Bear Mountain Zoo was now closed for the evening, so we would have to use the blue blazed bypass trail to go out and around. I didn’t mind that too much, because I’d actually never taken that trail before, so it would be something else new for me.

Bear Mountain Bridge

The trail went around the zoo, skirted a fence, and then went along a creek for a bit. It had some nice stone steps that took us up hill to the regular AT route again nearing Bear Mountain.

AT bypass at Bear Mountain

My original plan for this hike was to go up Bear Mountain and follow the AT most of the way back toward the cars, and turn at Fawn Trail or similar ones when we got close to West Mountain. It had simply gotten too late, so I made the executive decision that we would bypass Bear Mountain and take the gentlest trail possible to get us back to Anthony Wayne Recreation Area. Or new friend who came down the mountain with us opted to join us all the way to the end, which was cool.
We took the Appalachian Trail up some steps and through the picnic areas at Bear Mountain. There were still lots of picnickers out there, and the sun was going down quick. We headed on through past the large building with the carousel and turned away from the AT. We went off the marked trail route briefly, and then headed up hill to pick up the route of the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail.
That route was far more difficult than I’d thought it would be too. We were going up hill for a bit on that, and waited at the crest. I think Rob was up front with me for that, followed closely by Tim. Those new guys were handling the hike really great.
Actually, everyone handled the hike very well. This was one of those trips that was so much tougher than anticipated, and yet no one complained, we just got through it and everyone kept a commendable high level of morale.
When we reached Lakes Drive, we opted to follow that to the right because it was so much easier, and then cut to the left on the Appalachian Trail again when it crossed. We followed that shortly to the Fawn Trail, which would take us back to Anthony Wayne.

Big log

It took us up hill and through the saddle of a small part of the West Mountain ridge. Along the way, I found the giant hollow log I had gotten in on a hike several years before. This time, Tim got inside it.
Once we crested the hill, it was an easy route back down to Anthony Wayne. Emerging into the enormous parking area was such a huge relief after the incredibly strenuous day. Everyone remained very positive right up to the very end. We figured out who could drive who back to where, and were on our way.
I really needed this workout. Rob and I had McConalds on the way back (I’d been wanting to try a “Grand Mac” anyway), and after that craziness it tasted amazing. It didn’t matter what it was, we were both so starving that just about anything would do.
I think sometimes we really need to knock ourselves out to truly feel alive, to push ourselves to the point that we can barely do more, just so that we can recognize our own potential. This was one of those days, and it was much more clearly worth it in retrospect.