Hike #1122; Haverstraw and High Tor
4/26/18 Mount Ivy, Haverstraw, and High Tor with Annika Krystyna, Edward DiSalvo, and Galya
This next one would be a large loop starting in Mt. Ivy NY, for a loop I’d put together utilizing the Long Path as well as towns, trails, and rail beds in the vicinity.
South Branch of Minnisceongo Creek
The area is pretty interesting; I’d done a couple of hikes through here in the past. The first one was in my series to hike the entire Long Path, another I haven’t quite finished yet (long way to go).
I’d done a trip from Long Clove to the south up into Harriman. On another trip, I’d done a loop with Justin Gurbisz around the area, which included my first substantial exploration of the New Jersey and New York Railroad.
Mt. Ivy was an old Quaker settlement that became more substantial with the railroad.
Abandoned in Mt. Ivy
The New Jersey and New York Railroad was originally chartered in 1856 as the Hackensack and New York Railroad, which ran from Rutherford to Hackensack NJ, and was then rechartered as the Hackensack and New York Extension Railroad and extended north. Later, it was reorganized as the NY&NJ Railroad, and by 1870 it reached Haverstraw town line. It was extended to West Haverstraw in 1873, and then to the Village of Haverstraw in 1887.
Where NY&NJ crossed
It became part of the Erie Railroad system with a lease in 1896, and it continued as an Erie subsidiary up until 1960’s merger with the Lackawanna Railroad.
Like most railroads, it declined at about the same time.
In late 1939, passenger service was scaled back from Haverstraw to a little settlement known as Thiells, which is just a bit to the north of Mt. Ivy. At that time, only one motor car operated above Spring Valley NJ, probably to access Letchworth Village, a hospital for mentally and physically debilitated.
1910 map showing the line around Thiells
In 1940, all passenger service was cut off above Spring Valley, and the line from Thiells to Haverstraw was abandoned completely.
Map showing World War II era NY and NY RR
Freight service continued only as far as Thiells, undoubtedly because Letchworth Village had it’s own coal fired power plant and needed the service, just west of Thiells.
Where the railroad crossed Thiells-Mt Ivy Rd
I’m not sure when freight service was discontinued and the line abandoned from Spring Valley to Thiells and Letchworth Village, but it appears to have been abandoned quite a long time.
Letchworth Village was a major campus that opened up in 1911. It has been the subject of controversy for mistreatment of patients, with reports by Geraldo Rivera, and the like. The place finally closed down in 1996, but the railroad to it was probably finished some time before then. Maybe the seventies.
The rail bed and bridge site
All service on the line was scaled back to Spring Valley. It remained in service under Erie-Lackawanna, and then for a time passenger service was operated by Conrail after 1976. In 1983, it was taken over by New Jersey Transit and is today known as the Pascack Valley Line.
I had begun exploring this line a couple of years ago when Justin and I wandered through from Mt. Ivy. We walked the right of way to the split, where the spur went in to Letchworth Village, and Justin took me for a great tour of the site.
The rail bed
We ended up following different trails into Harriman, and then looping back on The Long Path, which crosses Rt 202 in Mt. Ivy.
This time, my plan was to try to follow the railroad line right on to it’s end. I didn’t even know where it’s end was at the time, but I wanted to see it.
There is an important trail history associated with Mt. Ivy as well. In the early days of hiking trail development, each significant trail would go point to point from railroad station to railroad station. Of course, very few people had cars in the 1930s.
Historic image of the Mt. Ivy station
Trails were given names such as “Suffern-Bear Mountain”, “Ringwood-Ramapo”, “Hewitt-Butler”, and “Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy”. The Tuxedo-Mt. Ivy Trail once ended at this station.
The old rail bed
The western end of this trail is still where the station used to be in Tuxedo, but the eastern end of it simply ends at a parking area quite a bit to the west of Mt. Ivy, but the trail still bears the same name it always had.
I decided to make the meeting point and starting point for the loop the Stop & Shop just to the west of the former station site, where the Palisades Interstate Parkway crosses over Route 202. In retrospect, this was rather far to the west, and I should have moved cars a bit futher to the east.
NY&NJ Rail bed
After making a pit stop at the store, we were on our way.
We crossed over the South Branch of the Minnisceongo Creek, which had a pretty wetland around it, and then continued east along 202 to the Palisades Parkway underpass. Just on the other side, we turned to the left on Thiells-Mt Ivy Road. It was right about here that the railroad crossed. We could see obviously where it crossed over Rt 202, as a 4 wheel drive truck path accesses it from the north. There was apparently a different bridge at Palisades Parkway in rail days.
The rail bed
The station must have been in this area somewhere. The right of way was obvious ahead, and we walked onto it parallel with a car wash. People working there looked on at us somewhat interested, more in disbelief I’m sure.
We made our way into a rather deep cut, and came to a spot where there used to be a bridge over the grade. The east end of it is Hill Road, which is probably what the through road was called. Prior to 1952 and the development of Palisades Interstate Parkway, it went through.
The rail bed beyond apartments
The road used to continue across, and then go through to connect with Quaker Road on the other side of the parkway. It was apparently unneeded after that construction and cut off.
There were private homes above the cut to the right of us, and The Gardens at Palisades, an apartment complex, were on the left. We managed to stay in the right of way for a time, but it got kind of nasty and we opted to climb out and walk through the parallel apartment complex. We continued while the right of way was wet.
The rail bed
A trailer park soon appeared on the right side, and we climbed down a really steep spot in order to get back onto the rail bed when the apartment complex area was no longer possible to walk through.
A spot where grass was right down to the rail bed was near the end of the apartments, and we entered the woods for a short swath. When I walked this with Justin, we exited the railroad bed between houses just ahead of this point, because it looked like it was just going into more back yards.
The rail bed
This time, with only four of us, I figured we might as well just try to push on through. We really had not much trouble walking it. The houses were kind of close by, and the edges of the right of way in places were mowed in as parts of their lawns. It was a little weedy, but we managed to make it through alright. I at one point was questioning where exactly it went, because it looked like there were two grades. I knew somewhere in here the spur line to Letchworth Village used to break off to the left, but wasn’t sure where.
The rail bed
At one point, we went into another little swath of trees between the homes, and there was what appeared to be a second railroad grade at a lower level to the left.
The rail bed
I figured that could be it, and that the other line might be obliterated in the development.
The rail bed and possible second one
We entered the woods on the north side of the development area, and the right of way was clear enough to walk for a time ahead.
The rail bed
In retrospect, the line should have been double tracked in this area because it was in fact approaching the spur line that went to Letchworth. Some of this spur is now obliterated by the development.
A bit after entering the woods, we came to a fenced building which Google maps calls the Town of Haverstraw Parks Department. It was at this point the junction used to exist, though I did not know it at the time. The “path” if you want to call it that, a semi overgrown route through the woods parallel with the fence to the park management area went left toward Letchworth, while the old main line route I wanted to followed continued straight into a bit of cut, parallel with the facility from the other side. It was rather badly flooded out, but this section still had some ties as well as some tie plates. We walked it briefly, but then made our way up the slope and into the woods parallel. If anyone were watching us while working in there, they’d probably have thought we were nuts.
We made our way back down to the rail bed when the fence ended, but we couldn’t go far.
The rail bed
It was pretty clear where we were, but it ended parallel with the Minisceongo Creek just ahead. There were a lot of new houses built on the right of way which obliterated it.
Overgrown rail bed
There was no way we were going to be able to get through. Both Creekview Drive and Riverview Drive had homes built on it, or their back yards extended over it. We would have to find another way through. The Minisceongo was a pretty brook, but the slope on the right side would be too tough to try to push through on.
Instead, we turned to the left and tried to walk parallel with the creek down stream. There was a reasonable path that was reasonable enough to pass through on. It paralleled the building and led to it’s access road.
The old Letchwoth spur bridge
We got to the access road and were able to turn right to continued across, but there was an old set of stone piers next to both the road bridge and a gas line bridge.
Overgrown rail bed
I didn’t realize it until I was doing the research for this journal entry that this was the piers for the former Letchworth Village spur. The historic aerials clearly show that it went out and around the current facility, then continued north over what is now a golf course to reach the power plant at Letchworth, and then beyond to get passengers to the residences.
In the later years of the railroad, they only operated a gas engine on weekends on this section of track because it was specifically for coal and for the visitors to the village.
Abandoned parcourse
We turned right on another old roadway after crossing the bridge, and followed Minisceongo Creek up stream, soon passing long abandoned exercise stations.
Abandoned parcourse
I know from working in parks that these parcourse circuit trails are difficult and costly to maintain, but this was the first time I’ve ever come across one completely abandoned. It struck me as strange that they’d leave it in at all, because it’d be considered a liability.
We pushed on ahead along the road, which skirted the left hand side of the Minisceongo Creek. We were heading north, but that was down stream. The tributary meanders a lot heading generally west, but also north and south a bit.
Foundations
Just ahead, we came across some ruins on the left. I’m totally uncertain of what they used to be. They were concrete foundations, so they couldn’t have been all that old.
Along the Minisceongo
Part of me wonders if that could have been part of a water treatment facility for Letchworth Village, but I’m not sure.
The rail bed
We continued walking along the creek, and there were more old beat up exercise stations out in the weeds the entire way.
The rail bed
The path was really quite beautiful, and well worn enough. We followed it along the creek past what appeared to be a little dam site on the right, or maybe a natural riffle.
The rail bed in developments out of Mt. Ivy
We also came very close to a house on the left. The path seemed to follow a water utility or sanitary sewer or something. We had to just keep on moving. No one came out of the houses to tell us not to be there. We had a second section of woods ahead, and then came to another house above us. Just before reaching the third house, we turned to the left, heading up hill to Bedford Lane, which appeared to be the earlier main route of the Thiells-Mt. Ivy Road.
Junction view: To Letchworth Village is left, main line right
This road came out to that road at it’s end. We passed a few houses and kept looking to the right to see if we could get back on the old railroad bed. There was no way here.
Thiells-Mt. Ivy Road, or Rt 47, was really narrow after it’s intersection. We managed to keeep walking along the shoulder heading to the north, parallel with the left side of the Minisceongo Creek. On the opposite side was the Philip J. Rotella Memorial Golf Course, and there were workers there who watched us cautiously as we walked by on the road.
NJ&NY main line at park place
Form this point, I pretty much lost track of the old New Jersey and New York Railroad. At the time we were walking it, I figured it just kind of ended somewhere in this area and didn’t continue all the way to Haverstraw. Maybe, I thought, the stuff I had seen along the Minisceongo in the aerial images was just a utility easement or something. I truthfully did not do a lot of research into this hike prior to walking it. I just looked at the current aerial imagery and put together a loop based on what looked interesting.
Above the rail bed
It was done on pretty short notice when I knew I would have the Thursday off, and when I knew who would be available.
It gets pretty frustrating at points like this one. I have these Thursdays off which are great opportunities to explore places like this with smaller groups, maybe with similar interests and availability. I tried to schedule the hikes based on who responds to a personal request. I had contacted Pete Wilcox to see if he was free to do a rail exploration in Pennsylvania, but then he wasn’t free.
The rail bed where it hit the back yards: obliterated
I then contacted Ed and Annika, and they were both free for this one.
Arranging something like this is great, except I don’t always get the time to figure out all of the details prior to actually hiking it, like in this case. I find out so much more in retrospect.
We passed by the intersection with Rosman Road. The railroad used to cross this road just across the way. We thought we saw remnants along the previous road stretch, nearly washed out on the slope above the creek, but can’t be sure.
Historic image of Thiells Station
This area was the formal location of the settlement of Thiells. There used to be a station at this point, near where it crossed the road, but there’s a lot of speculation as to exact spot.
The Minisceongo
The settlement of Thiells started out as a colonial community known as Haverstraw Forge. It was from here that General Anthony Wayne was able to protect the Stony Point area on the Hudson with 1,350 Continental Army troops. Thiells was named for John Thiell, who set aside a tract of land for a mission for the Native Americans, as chartered by the City Road Chapel of London in 1784. The area became known as Thiells Corner, and later just Thiells. That original building was extended upon, and lasted until it burned down in 1973.
Ruins along the Minisceongo
The railroad crossed the road and is now obliterated by an elementary school just up the road from this point. I looked at the maps, and determined that it made no sense trying to get through that section. It looked more promising staying to the north side of the creek as it’s own orientation went from north/south to east/west.
At the next intersection, we turned to the right on Suffern Lane. There was a military memorial on a big rock in the corner as we made the turn on the busier road.
Ruins
There was a dam on the Minisceongo near the previous crossing at Thiells, but I’m not sure what it’s purpose was.
The road at least had a good shoulder and then a good sidewalk on the north side, but otherwise this was probably the crappiest part of the entire hike. I couldn’t see across to teh railroad bed, which I was always wondering about, and we were just in a residential area.
We passed several development roads coming in from the left, and weaved around corners until we were finally more closely parallel with the Minisceongo again.
Busted ass exercise station
While we walked this stretch of highway, Galya found an unopened bottle of Evian water. It had a past due expiration date, but it read “best if” on it, so she opened it to try it. It was actually fine tasting, because I had some too. It was getting pretty hot, so she was glad to have found it.
I watched as we got closer to the creek again to see if I could see the railroad bed, and I couldn’t. I wondered if it simply ended by the Thiells Station.
Path along Minisceongo
Of course, it did not. At this point, I know now that the rail line was in a deep cut out of sight from where I was looking over for it.
While on this road stretch, I spotted a pipe below spanning the entire length of the Minisceongo. I decided to walk down and see if just maybe I could walk across it to go and look for the railroad bed.
I got down to the pipe and was ready to walk across, but not everyone was keen on it.
Pipe
I realized my shoes I had worn were like bologna skins on the bottom, and would not fare well if I tried to walk the pipe. I decided we could wait.
Walking the Minisceongo
In retrospect, I wished we had crossed the thing, because I would have found the cut I didn’t know about until now, and we would have moved ahead to find the ruins of an old trestle site, where the railroad crossed the Minisceongo.
We climbed back up the slope and moved further on down Suffern Lane to the east, and totally missed where the bridge used to be. There are apparently even still piers in the creek.
Old railroad fill
The area ahead was much changed, and I could only speculate on what we were looking at.
Dam on the creek
As we moved ahead, there was a giant stone wall along the right side of the road. I looked at the blocks and could tell this was something old, but wasn’t sure quite what. Just ahead of this point was the Garnerville Reservoir, or one of these reservoirs, as there are a few in tiers down the creek.
After research, I found that this stone wall was actually part of the railroad. An industrial spur went along the top of this structure, while the main line crossed the road, apparently on a bridge.
Dam in Thiells
The main line, which I thought continued along the south side of the Minisceongo, crossed to the north, and then followed a driveway across. It then passes through developments and is completely obliterated all the way through to where it reaches the North Rockland Central School. It passed through the yard of it heading to the east.
The spur line continued straight ahead, parallel with Suffern Lane, which soon changes names to West Railroad Avenue entering the town of Garnerville.
War memorial near Thiells
The wall sort of ended, and there were houses on the right side. We continued past them, and then there was another slope with some kind of passive recreation park land on it. We climbed on up, and walked into the woods where we could see to the Minisceongo, in the bed of what used to be the Garnerville Reservoir. We could see the dam, which was purged open. I didn’t realize it at the time, but we were standing on the railroad bed for this view.
Garnerville Reservoir
We continued walking on the railroad bed, until it came to a private house area. We had to cut to the left and climb back down to West Railroad Ave, at an area that was fenced off where the dam was mostly opened up. Actually, it may not have been opened up at all, and it’s all just silted in terribly over the years. There is still a spillway of sorts.
We walked then by more houses along Suffern Lane/West Railroad Avenue for a bit.
Park either on the rail bed or next to it...
As per maps, this must have been the old railroad spur, with the road built on it. We passed by a second reservoir to the right, and then more houses. We passed the intersection with Main Street and turned right to cross the Minisceongo on the bridge, but then when I looked at the maps I decided it was better to remain on the north side for a bit longer. We went back to West Railroad Ave and walked to the east a bit, and soon were parallel with a third reservoir. This one was nicer because there was a good sidewalk on the road.
Nearing Garnerville
Some of the time there was a nice swath of grass with a pavilion or walking area making this the obvious choice. We passed a few more houses before reaching Bridge Street in Garnerville.
There were huge old mill buildings at this point, and I was immediately interested. We cut to the right and soon reached the entrance to this extraordinary historic mill complex. The brick buildings towered above everything, but were not all vacant.
The old mills
Garnerville is named for the Garner family who owned the textile printing industry known as Garner Printworks, established in 1838.
The area of today’s Garnerville saw it’s industrial history start in 1760 when a grist mill was erected on the Minisceongo Creek by Cornelius Osborn.
The first textile mill at the site was built in 1830 by a man named John Glass, who made calico prints. The settlement was known for a time as “Calicotown”. Sadly, Glass was killed by an explosion on a ship in 1831.
There's a brewery...
The Garner brothers purchased and expanded upon the plant in 1838, and employed 800 people. By 1853, the Garner operation was making eleven million yards of cloth per year, and the village was renamed for the prospering business family.
In 1860, the Garner mills provided uniforms for the Union Army.
The industry continued to grow, and by 1915, it owned the entire village quite literally; everything from the street lamps to it’s own private police force.
Garner Printworks
1.6 million yards of cloth were produced per week. At one point, the Garnerville operation made enough cloth to have clothed every woman in the world.
The Great Depression in 1929 hit the company hard. The mills all closed, the buildings were abandoned, and all of the machinery was sold off. The buildings sat abandoned until William Larking and several other local businessmen opened up again utilizing a $150 million dollar loan from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Reconstruction Finance Corporation.
The creek passes beneath
Again, the works provided military uniforms to American soldiers, this time for World War II starting in 1940. Still, business would not return to it’s former glory.
Old textile works
In 1950, the United Wire Goods Company on site was the first to employ Puerto Rican and Dominican workers. Still, it was rather short lived. By 1980, all of the textile industry was gone.
Some other industries used the site, but real resurgence did not begin until the first arts festival was held in 2001. More art festivals followed, an arts center was opened, and it became a federal level non profit in 2008. The creekside area was revitalized with displays and paths, and exhibits as well as a brewery opened up.
Art at the textile mill
The art items against the backdrop of old industry make for an interesting dichotomy.
We walked into the site, and I saw a sign for a brewery. Unfortunately, it was closed.
Historic Garnerville postcard
I wasn’t about to hang around waiting for the brewery to open, and was glad to just walk thorugh a bit. We continued out and back to Bridge Street.
Art
We turned to the left and crossed over the Minisceongo, which we could see passed directly beneath some of the works to the east. We turned left on the other side on Dye Street.
Historic Garnerville postcard
The street didn’t go through. I was looking for a way, but the fences and such in this area were not easy to see using the aerial images on my phone. We had to go back.
The creek in the complex
We crossed back over the Minisceongo, and then made our way past the brewery again. We passed a sign that read that this was an "industrial area" and to use "common sense" when it came to safety. It's not that often we see signs like that!
Pipes
We made our way to the right, and then saw a cool spot where the creek comes out from beneath the building in a narrow stretch. This area was badly damaged when Hurricane Irene hit, but they have since rebuilt.
Steps to the creek
We came to a hallway that went off to the right, open air without a roof. We followed it down, not because it was on the way, but because it looked cool. Down at the end, there were some interesting pipes just begging to be climbed on. Other building doors were open and easy to get into, but there were not many directory signs telling us what was where. I went into one where I didn't find anything, but another led into some kind of gallery. There were paintings all over the walls, a few displays, and a big chandelier made out of prefabricated metal.
Boulder face
I went up stairs to see if I could get in to see more, but there was nothing.
We made our way back the way we came, then continued throught the complex to emerge on an access road to the south. Art stuff continued, including a tin man out in front of some business. To the left, e soon came to where the "Creekside Art Trail" terminated.
Faces
Somehow, we missed the northern end of this, but we still went down to check it out. Nicely made steps went down the edge of the creek and a tral led back up stream again into the complex.
We decided to walk a bit of it anyway, and found lots of stone carvings of faces and such. One giant boulder out in the middle of the stream had had a face carved into it.
We turned back again, toward the steps, and I thought to climb to the top and head out to the roads, but something about the creekside ahead just looked too inviting.
Interesting..
There were steep cliffs, talus rock, and concrete platforms. There was also something that looked like it'd been treated with shock-crete. I decided to start walking it and see if I could get through.
Along the creek
I didn't realize it at the time, but I believe the abandoned Calico Hill Cemetery is up the hill from where we were. I'll have to check it out another time.
Initially, it was pretty tough. We barely had a deer path to walk along the slope down to the creek, and it was giving way a bit. After a short scree slope, we were on a flat stone ledge with the shock crete stuff on the hillside to the right. Maybe they put this in to protect a cemetery, but more likely it's because there are houses up the slope that would fall off to the creek. We continued to where it became a nice flat concrete platform, and continued walking along the edge. It was really an amazing little spot.
Ed on a ledge
At the end of the concrete level, we had the choice of staying high up and skirting a chain link fence, or going lower and staying closer to creekside. I chose to take the lower route, as did Annika and Galya, while Ed chose to take the high one. Ed ended up having the climb down at one point to get to us, but then we continued on the creek only to realize we have to either wade over or climb back up.
Ledge climbing
We got to a rough spot where there was no choice, so we just went back to find the nearest place to get up. We found a pipe and a spot that looked climbable. There was caged rock holding up the hillside at this point, which hurt to climb, but we could pull ourselves up it.
I pulled myself up first. I had been having trouble with my backpack for a while now. It was really a good pack, given to me by my friend Lerch, but all of the abuse I'd put it through was taking it's toll. It had tons of holes in it, and both of the back pouches were shredded and wide open. The side pouches, where I like to keep my camera, had lost their elasticity, and if I wasn't careful I could lose whatever I'd put in it.
Pipe
On a few occasions earlier, my camera had fallen out and someone had found it and picked it up for me. I should have thought to put it somewhere more secure before making this particular climb.
I started pulling myself up the caged rocks. It was a weird spot because almost nothing I was holding onto was naturally firm in the ground. I resorted to some sort of tree root near the top, and I like to be more sure about what I'm grabbing hold of.
Just as I made the last pull to the top, and went to go through the hole in the fence, my camera fell out and bounced off the rocks to the bottom. It fell down into a crevace and could not be seen. I though that might be the end of the camera.
The others fortunately saw exactly where it went. Galya was able to get her hands down into the holes between the rocks and feel for it. It took a few tries, but she was actually able to get it out and hand it back up to me, and I secured it as best I could into my side pocket of my pants.
Tin man stuf
The camera suffered a cracked screen from the fall, which was rather shocking since it is supposed to be a waterproof and drop proof camera. It didn't really fall that far. The camera also was a gift from Lerch. He gives quality stuff, and whenever I show him what I've done to his high quality materials, he tends to respond with "WHAT the hell did you do???" much to my great entertainment. I’m rough on equipment.
Creek under the buildings
I waited until the others were climbing up and helped to hold the chain link fence open while they crawled through. I was feeling pretty out of shape at this point due to my diffuculty getting up.
Once through, we walked to the left on a path the skirted the back of an apartment complex. The people who lived there must be absolute slobs, because so much junk was just thrown out the backs of the places and onto the slope toward the creek.
The mills
We navigated through the mess, and then found a half decent path down to a car wash facility. Annika asked if we were there earlier, because we had first started walkint into the woods by a car wash.
We made our way out of an auto lot to Rt 202, and there was a Burger King to the right I think. It seemed like everyone wanted to stop to eat, but I wanted to wait til we got to Haverstraw more closely. This area was West Haverstraw.
West Haverstraw Station
We crossed over the creek to the north, and then turned right into a grassy swath alongside the creek heading east, on what appeared to be a utility right of way.
On the old rail bed
I didn't realize it at the time, but this was where the old railroad grade we were looking for returned to the creekside. We were walking it in this section. It came back to the creek side a short distance after we descended, from the left. Near here, the West Haverstraw Station used to exist. I believe it was to the north, closer to Rt 202, which the railroad crossed at a diagonal with Railroad Ave. I’m pretty sure this station is gone today.
Passing beneath the West Shore RR
We continued walking along the creek heading east, and I don't believe I had any clue that this was once the railroad bed.
It had had a connection with the other West Shore Railroad, which broke off to the left. I didn't notice the junction site. Then, just ahead of that we passed beneath the still active West Shore. I still didn't know we were on the former railroad bed, although now it seems rather obvious to me.
On the other side, we continued walking parallel with the creek. We had a good view to the north to High Tor, the largest promontory we would be on later, which sticks up like a sore thumb, quite literally.
Rail bed on the Minisceongo
We made our way along, and to the right I noted a possible former bridge site over the Minisceongo. This was in the wrong location for where the rail line should have crossed.
We continued walking the nice path until we came to Samsondale Ave. At this point, there were signs all pointing from where we were coming warning against trespassing. There were no signs at all where we initially got on that right of way. Oh well.
Possible former bridge site
We continued soon to Beach Road, which continued to parallel the Minisceongo. The railroad did follow along the swath of grass we followed for just a bit, and then according to images crossed to what is now another industrial site. We saw no signs of any bridge.
We turned away from the Minisceongo for the last time when we got to McKenzie Avenue. We crossed it, and then headed south.
View to High Tor
At a stop sign, we could have gone east to Bowline Point Park, which would have been nice, but I didn't want to really add any extra at this point, and we wanted to stop for lunch somewhere.
The little bay
We continued to the south, and intersected with Warren Avenue. This was a neat little upland with a small church at the end of it. We turned right only briefly, and came to a paved trail leading to the south, right there along the Hudson skirting a small bay.
The Haverstraw station
We were not on the New Jersey and New York Railroad again. It terminated in what is now a school ball field just to the east of us, and we didn't know it. There was a station somewhere in the area which I'm certain must be gone by this time.
Along the walkway
There were a couple of guys doing construction work at the start of the path we wanted to use, so I asked if we could go by. The one guy said sure, but to be careful. We walked the path down hill, and it skirted the edge of the little bay that was separated by Bowline Point Park and an undeveloped peninsula.
View at Emeline Park
We made our way around the low area, and then skirted part of a steep spot, up hill a bit higher, heading toward the little undeveloped peninsula.
High Tor above Emeline Park
The trail terminated at Liberty Street, at the top of a hill, but an abandoned road descended from there to the undeveloped part. Construction was actively going on down there, but they looked to be on a break or something. We went down anyway, and came to a spot where we could walk through woods to the right. There were hobos living out there, as w esaw some tents and such. Just through a bit of woods, we came to a little beach which continued south into Emeline Park.
Emeline Park
This was a lovely little park with some outstanding views of High Tor and Little Tor.
Historic image of West Shore Railroad in Haverstraw
High Tor is part of the Palisades formation, which stretches all the way from Bergen Hill, south of Jersey City NJ, all the way to Mt. Ivy, where the formation dips into the earth after turning inland.
Historic image of Fowler Library in Haverstraw
Along the way, we passed the historic Folwer Library established in 1895.
The Palisades are composed of igneous intrusive basalt which form outcrops and spires. They're obvious cliffs closer to New Jersey, but the northern sections get bumpier and have a slightly different character. My plan was to head to this formation and return to the start point on the Long Path, a section I had done before, but in the rain, so I wanted to get the views.
Haverstraw's brick industry started in 1815 on the clay banks by James Woods
After taking in the sights at Emeline Park, a lovely spot with former docks and what appeared to be industrial ruins, we headed inland on Main Street Haverstraw.
The old highway
The name "Haverstraw" comes from the Dutch word "Haverstroo", meaning "oats straw" from the grasses that grow in the wetlands along the Hudson.
View to Haverstraw
We went down the street, and I think went into three different places to see about getting food. I think one of them was too fancy, one didn't have something someone could eat, and I forget the third. I think only I went into it.
Narrow as hell
We finally settled on Tacos Marianita on West Street, and had a nice sit down lunch. I always end up feeling far too stuffed after having a lunch like this one.
I recall the food was good, but the rice was kind of dry and not as well seasoned as I'm used to from the place in my home town.
We left the place and continued south, and soon came to Riverside Ave. My google maps was trying to send me up this weird way that added at on of extra mileage onto the route, but I found a better way by closer studying the aerial images.
The old rail alignment
There was an abandoned earlier highway alignment, or maybe an exit or former part of Short Clove Road going up hill from Riverside Ave to Rt 9W, still paved. We decided to just go straight, and then walk the abandoned road up hill, then over the tracks of the former West Shore Railroad.
Old station in Haverstraw
Originally in this area, when the railroad was developed in 1872, it utilized a three mile switchback through Long Clove, a break in the Palisades, to get to town while the more permanent tunnel was being built through. It appears that part of the roads are now built over the former rights of way.
Once we got to the top of the hill where Short Clove Road came through, we had a tough spot. We had to walk Short Clove Road the short distance to the west, but it went through an insane narrow cut with large trucks barreling at us the entire time. I'll never walk that again.
The old switchback through Long Clove
We managed to hug the edge of the insane cut and get out the other end as quickly as possible. To the south of us, toward Long Clove, the section of the Palisades is being quarried out, the only remaining bit of it that's not really protected.
View heading up High Tor
We continued on Haverstraw Road until we reached the intersection with Scratchup Road. This closed road is the route of the Long Path to the south.
View on High Tor
The Long Path follows Haverstraw Road for a short bit to the west, on it's northbound route, then turns to the right into the woods of High Tor State Park. We started climbing here, over a series of puncheons in wet areas, an gradually otherwise. I ended up powering ahead.The first real climb that wasn't gently happened abruptly. The Long Path used to go over crazier rocks in this area, and I chose to do that rather than the current official trail. The old trail route has more overlooks, and some of the blazes are still in place, so it's not hard to find it.
View on High Tor
I managed to climb the rocks one handed with a drink in the other.
The only really sketchy one was just before the top of High Tor, there is one spot where if one were to tumble off, they could drop to their death in a chasm to the right. Fortunately, we had no problems and got to the top for outstanding views of Haverstraw and beyond.
The trail took us between High Tor and Little Tor, and I forgot how easy it was up there otherwise. Much of the Long Path followed a very pleasant woods road along the mountain top, and the miles just seemed to fall away quickly.
We crossed S. Central Highway, and then entered the South Mountain County Park. From there, the woods road continued a bit, but the Long Path took to a more rugged footpath again, something else I'd forgotten.
The Long Path
There were a couple of good views on the section, both facing south and north, with the best one being next to what was probably a quarry site on the north side. This was right before the Palisade formation dipped back off into the earth. We descended on the trail and before long reached Rt 45. It turned us to the left and right back into Mt. Ivy where we'd started. We simply had to walk Rt 202 to the left to where we'd started. I had thought that if anyone wanted to do bonus miles, we could explore the railroad bed in the other direction, which goes into another park land, but I wasn't really feeling it this time. Maybe I'll try it again on a future one.
This hike really gave me some great surprises, both during and doing the research afterwards, which made it extra special. Even though I planned it quickly, and felt like I had just slapped up something I figured I wanted to do, but wasn't totally enamoured with, I found more than I would have ever expected. I'm sure I'll be revisiting several of these sites as parts of future trips I'll build off of.
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