Hike #555 4/23/11
4/23/11 Fort Lee NJ/Manhattan/Marble Hill/Yonkers NY with Chris "Cupcake" Kroschinski and Jaqui De Melo
Taking goofy pictures into mirrors in Spuyten Duyville
My next hike would be a point to point trip between Fort Lee NJ and Yonkers NY. I had been wanting to extend northward with my exploring to the east side of the Hudson more, and so far that had been limited to Manhattan and a little of Brooklyn.
We met in Fort Lee in the morning and left our cars on Wilson Street, just north of I-95 where on street parking was permitted. We began walking north from Wilson Ave on a side street which led to paved pathways. These pathways closely followed a highway. We headed along them to Lemoine Avenue.
Walking along one of the pathways in Fort Lee
It was raining pretty badly, but I was happy to have friends there to hike with me. Cupcake was pretty miserable because he had to get out of bed early and couldn't find his rain pants. He was forced to manufacture a rain skirt out of an old garbage bag.
We crossed Lemoine and headed up steps near the High School, staying close to the hgihway. Sort of off blue blazes began on the left side of us, on the route we'd followed the last time I did a hike here, up the stairs to the edge of the road way. We crossed I think the Palisades Parkway or another road, followed by a foot bridge, and descended on the other side to the Long Path where we turned right.
The Long Path led us along the Palisades Cliffs with great views despite the cloudiness. We took the side trail off of the Long Path to the left to get the terrific view of the George Washington Bridge.
George Washington Bridge from a side trail to the Long Path, Palisades Interstate Park
We then followed the side path back to the Long Path and descended to the bridge level. We crossed one of the roads and then turned left onto the south walkway of the GW Bridge. This was the first time I had been on the bridge since my good friend Kyle took his life here. I thought it would be weirder for me to cross this spot than it was. I actually felt guilty not feeling anything there.
The wind was bad, and the umbrella I had brought kept turning inside out with the heavy gusts. I wore a long cotton trench coat which surprisingly served me well for the trip. The rain made the bridge walk far less enjoyable than it should have been. Once on the other side, we were again afforded a nice view. We descended from the bridge via the switch back walkway leading down to the street level as I'd done the previous time.
George Washington Bridge from Manhattan
We went to the bus terminal area, the first place where we could easily cross under the GW, then headed a block north on the street. We made the next left and descended for a bit, then turned right heading up a set of stairs to a street which almost connected through.
Almost connecting street in Washington Heights, Manhattan
We headed north from here, staying near to the steeper drop off toward the Hudson. At one point, a road went down, and even thought it wasn't a through route up stream we had to go down because I could see a fantastic waterfall on the NJ Palisades from that vantage point.
Waterfall on the NJ Palisades from Washington Heights, Manhattan
Heading north, we soon came to a spot where a trail sort of came up to the road, but was gated off. We were able to hop the gate and begin following the pathway down hill slightly. This was a regular rustic trail, which was quite nice. We were now on the lower finger of Fort Tryon Park. Just after entering the park property there was a giant old tree to our left.
Giant tree at the lower end of Fort Tryon Park
Heading down from the road into Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan
Flooded out walkway in southern Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan
We descended via the trail to a few intersections. There were seasonal views off over the Hudson and the NJ Palisades across. We could see below us the columns of a rest stop along the Hudson parkway where I had stopped for a break the previous time on the lower trail closer to the road.
We continued from the rustic pathway to the paved trailways, the first of which was badly flooded out. The overlook area was holding water like a pond. We continued across and gained a bit of elevation along the nice path with stone walls lining it.
Trail in Fort Tryon Park
We made our way along the trail, which soon split. One path took a higher route, while another descended to some sort of a road with a large arched structure ahead. We stayed going more straight up hill until I realized we would have been better off going through this interesting structure the lower route led to. A set of steps led down from our trail to the lower one, so we took them and walked through the giant arched structure.
Steps leading down in Fort Tryon Park
Arched structure in Fort Tryon park
Trail in Fort Tryon Park
After the arch way the paths led back up hill to where we would have ended up anyway. There was a large arch to the right and a very nice garden. Trails went left and straight. We opted to go straight, while the left side descended a bit. It turns out we probably should have gone left, so we turned off the path through a lawn and then steeply over rocks back to the lower path, which led across an enourmous arch for a vehicle road beneath. Signs on the paths pointed us in the direction of the Cloisters.
Nice garden in Fort Tryon Park
Vehicular archway along the paths in Fort Tryon Park
We continued on the pathways and soon reached the Cloisters. We crossed a vehicular road and continued on a path to the building.
Giant tree at the Cloisters
Along the way were more very large impressive trees. We went through a doorway on the outside of the Cloisters leading to a sort of deck area with a paver road descending in a big loop off the east end. We walked down this and made our way to the loop road that goes around the building.
We followed one of the paved trails from the other side of the Cloisters down hill through Fort Tryon Park. We continued down hill to Riverside Drive, then crossed pretty much directly on Payson Ave. From here, we passed a developed park area on the left, then turned left onto an old road, now a trail within Inwood Hills Park. This park was the most undeveloped portion of Manhattan. We followed the trail up hill as it swirved above the Hudson and the roads and railroad below.
Big tree in the walkway ascending the Inwood Hills, northern Manhattan
Giant tree in Inwood Hills
Giant Beech Tree, Inwood Hills park
We made a left turn off of this trail briefly, thinking the route to take was this other one, but it ended up just ending to the right, and to the left it crossed over a road bridge and continued. We went back up to the main trail, with a large tree growing out into it.
Inwood Hills was full of a lot of great huge trees. I think I saw some White Oaks. Usually the big ones were all Sycamores, but in this case there were Oaks, and in one case possibly the largest Beech tree I've ever seen.
There was another trail that led down hill for a bit, and it crossed under the road and went closer to the Hudson, so we went back up higher again. This pathway eventually led out to a nice view point over the Hudson and towards the NJ Palisades.
Hudson River view form Inwood Hills, northern Manhattan
From here, we seemed to reach the last height of the land before it more dramatically dropped down toward the Harlem River. We began to descend on one of the trails more closely to the river (actually an estuary, not a river). Once were were close to the bottom, we had a fine view of the Henry Hudson Bridge.
Henry Hudson Bridge from Inwood Hills Park
Henry Hudson Bridge
The bridge was quite a sight. One of the older ones, it had a great arch, and we were treated to the good seasonal views of the Harlem River. We could see more trails below us, closer to the waterfront. We made our way to the left, and passed beneath the bridge, which was also a cool sight. I had spoken to Craig Nunn, the King of urban hikes, a few days before, and he had told me the walkway across the Henry Hudson Bridge had recently been reopened, so I was anxious to try it. We made our way along the path, which ascended from beneath the bridge up to the left. Strangely, this bridge appeared to be sitting on a pivoting pier of some kind.
To our left we could see the turning bridge used by the Metro North Railroad through the trees.
Underside of the Henry Hudson Bridge
Seasonal view of the Metro North railroad bridge over the Harlem River
We turned left and headed across the bridge. We were free of the rain here for a bit because the bridge was covered overtop of us.
Once on the other side, the first gate which had a walkway down to the street level in Spuyten Duyville (such a hilarious name) was closed and locked. We had to continue ahead, then turn left down to Palisade Ave. We found a mirror along the way to take goofy pictures into.
Old church in Spuyten Duyville
Goofing off with mirrors, Spuyten Duyville
Mirror shot, Spuyten Duyville
While we headed down hill, there was a nice old church built in the 1880s still situated along the hillside, which was quite nice. Ahead, we had a nice view of the Henry Hudson Bridge towering above the buildings. We turned left on Palisades Avenue, where there was a lady walking. I asked her if she happened to know of a way to get down to the trails below the bridge where we wouldn't have to backtrack, and she said yes, direction us to the site.
We were able to walk beneath the Henry Hudson Bridge and descend easily to the pathways in Spuyten Duyville Shorefront Park.
Henry Hudson Bridge towering above Spuyten Duyville
Trail way in Spuyten Duyville Shorefront Park
Henry Hudson Bridge towering above Spuyten Duyville Shorefront Park
The trail in Spuyten Duyville Shorefront Park
The Henry Hudson Bridge towered above the park and looked incredible. We continued walking to the left. There were other paths leading off to the right, but I believe the level of the water in the Harlem River was so high that it consumed the pathway closest to it.
We continued on through some nice woods, with the vegetation growing greener as the day went. The surprising thing was that this trail did not go through. it was well developed, even with boards along the edge holding the treadway screenings into place, and then it abruptly ended at the Metrotnorth Tracks with a giant boulder over it. We would have to turn back, but only after having a look at the nice view of the Henry Hudson Bridge, as well as the rail bridge which was now turned to allow for the passage of water vessels.
Henry Hudson Bridge from Spuyten Duyville Waterfront Park along the Metro North Tracks, and the rail bridge over the Harlem River turned!
We climbed up from the trail along a rough slope to Johnson Aee above us. We had to climb over a fence at the top to reach the road. Once there, we turned right and followed Johnson Ave all the way to 230th Street. To the right of us was a valley. This was the original route of the Harlem River. The Army Corps. of Engineers actually blasted out the International Ship Channel to move the Harlem River to it's current location. The original river was then filled and developed over. Still, once can see where it should naturally flow. At one point, we came to a stone viewing platform which may have existed along the original river prior to the blasting of the current channel.
This is why Marble Hill is still considered part of Manhattan as a boro, not the Bronx. The border of Manhattan still follows as though the Harlem River were never moved.
Once we got to 230th, we turned right. On the north side of the street, we came to a pizza place we deemed to be an appropriate lunch spot. We stopped and had pizza and/or sandwiches for a nice break.
Stairs in the Bronx
Once we were finished, we continued along the street out across Rt 9, then straight up to Kingsbridge Terrace, which has no through road, but rather a large stair case for one of the blocks which led us up. We turned left here and then right to ascend to the Jarome Park Reservoir, part of the New Croton Aqueduct.
The Old Croton Aqueduct was the first water supply to New York City constructed in the 1840s and used until 1855. The new aqueduct replaced the old one for the most part, and the old one was on the opposite side of the Jarome Park Reservoir. We would follow the west side for convenience and because it looked interesting anyway.
Along Jarome Park Reservoir in the Bronx
Along Jarome Park Reservoir in the Bronx
We continued north until we reached Dickinson Ave and turned left. Along the road, we found two cars sitting right next to each other that were completely burned to nothing more than shells. I wished I'd gotten a picture of it, but there were too many onlookers and one police man.
At the end of the road was a paved path which descended a bit into Van Cortland Park. This was not directly on the Old Croton Aqueduct, but I figured we'd get to it soon. We followed this path north to Major Deegan Expressway and turned left. There was no visible way over...and I knew the Old Croton Aqueduct was on the other side. We continued to the left and soon were headed around Van Cortland Lake.
Van Cortland Lake
Van Cortland Lake
The lake was very pretty, and I figured we'd get around it easy enough, so it wasn't a big deal to miss this little piece of Old Croton Aqueduct this time, we'd come back to it again for sure.
On the other side of the lake, there was another black cinder trail. In addiion, there was a small through style girder bridge. This was certainly a rail trail. Looking into it more, this was Old Putnam Trail, a former rail way which reached far up into Putnam County. This turned out to be an excellent rail trail to hike.
Old Putnam Trail
Former rail bed, Old Putnam Trail, Van Cortland Park
Van Cortland Lake
Old Putnam Trail
Old Putnam Trail, rail bed below Moshulu Parkway
Old Putnam Trail
We continued walking along the railroad right of way, which skirted wetlands, woods, and golf courses along it's way. It reminded me of some of the best rail trails I had been on elsewhere, and was surprised to find something so nice in the Bronx. Save for the sound of traffic, this was a great section.
Much of this line, which was apparently once double tracked, still had ties down on the opposite side, which added to the ambiance. Where the rail bed went under the Moshulu Parkway it was very obvious what the tracks would have looked like. We continued north from here for a bit, with a golf course on the right. When the golf course ended with a chain link fence, we saw this as our opportunity to make our way up hill to the Old Croton Aqueduct.
Old Croton Aqueduct ahead, masonry work in place.
I could see the masonry work of the Old Croton Aqueduct even before we reached it. We had to turn slightly right and ascend on a path that took us to the top of the old aqueduct, where we turned left to head north. We'd have to come back another time in order to follow the rest of it south. I think it would be a great route for a holiday NYC hike.
Giant tree along the Old Croton Aqueduct
View form Old Croton Aqueduct
Old Croton Aqueduct north of Van Cortland Park
Ventilator on Old Croton Aqueduct north of Van Cortland
Hudson River view form Inwood Hills, northern Manhattan
Along Old Croton Aqueduct in Tibbetts Brook Park
In Tibbets Brook Park
We followed the old aqueduct out of Van Cortland Park, and it entered a residential area. It was much like hiking an abandoned rail bed really. A level grade passing closely between homes and across streets. We continued north, crossing a couple of streets, and then entered part of Tibbets Brook Park. In this stretch, the aqueduct followed a shelf along the edge of a hillside. It wasn't long before we came across one of the old ventilator towers that follow the course of the old aqueduct.
We continued through Tibbets brook, and the treadway became paved as it entered a more heavily used part, then went back to rustic foot path.
Old structure along Old Croton Aqueduct, Tibbets Brook Park
Along Old Croton Aqueduct Trail
There were occasional blue blazes along the way to show the route but they weren't particularly well done. There were turn blazes, but they did not point to the direction of the turn, but were rather directly above one another. There were also arrows painted on utilitiy poles and such.
Just before exiting tibbets brook park there was a large building on the right, some sort of place that functioned for the aqueduct. We climbed around a bit before moving on. A second building was very well secured with chain link fences, so it must be still used for something important.
We soon came to the Cross County Parkway, a large highway which severed the aqueduct. A sign told us to turn right, then left on Yonkers Ave I think. I'm not sure where exactly the aqueduct went. Maybe the road was built over it. The road had the blue blazes along it as we continued to walk heading to the west.
Just after passing Prescott Street in the main part of Yonkers, the trail turned off to the right. We knew it was the former aqueduct because it had a ventilation tower just a short distance away.
Old Croton Aqueduct trail in Yonkers
We continued down hill slightly and between houses. This section of the trail was disgusting. There was tons of litter everywhere. It was really sad to see.
We continued ahead, across a stream and over a major road by way of a culvert. There was apparently an early single lane one that once carried the road beneath the aqueduct.
View form Old Croton Aqueduct, Yonkers
View form Old Croton Aqueduct in Yonkers over Nepperhan Ave
Stray cats
Stray cats along Old Croton Aqueduct
We continued ahead, and passed some rough looking, bombed out buildings. Just past here the trail got nice, and nearly litter free. This is because there was a nice neighbor to the trail who did his best to clean it up. He stopped and talked to us for a while about the problems with the area. He warned us that we were passing through one of the most dangerous neighborhoods the aqueduct passes through. I wasn't worried though.
We continued ahead as the aqueduct was on a very high shelf, approaching Hudson River. It would then turn from west to north again. Along the way, we came across a family of stray cats. One of them was very lovable, and it was sad to leave them there. They smelled, but really wanted attention. At leas someone had been feeding them regularly.
Stray cat along Old Croton Aqueduct
Along Old Croton Aqueduct trail
The trail seemed to come to an end yet again, and there was a marlbe marking read "OCA" to show the trail's way. More paint blazes pointed us crudely in the directing we needed to be. We had to follow Palisade Ave to Ashburton Ave I think. We followed some streets until we got to the next official trail head. While walking the section of road, I took a picture of the Hudson River straight ahead to the west, and when I put the camera away a spanish guy started asking me why I was taking pictures of him, which of course I wasn't. Fortunately I had no trouble.
View of the Hudson in Yonkers
We opted not to follow the Aqueduct any further this time, instead heading to the next trail station, in Yonkers. We headed south following Warburton Ave to get there.
Downtown Yonkers NY
Yonkers train station
The inside of the station had some interesting architecture, but we didn't hang around too long. We got our tickets and went up to wait for our train to come.
At Yonkers Train Station
Once the train came, we boarded and rode it back to Marble Hill. We were able to get good views of the Hudson because the train runs right along the waterfront, and then were able to pass by the bridges of the Harlem River. We got off at the Marble Hill Station. From here we had to walk up to the street level, then a couple blocks to the east to get on the Subway at their Marble Hill Station which led back toward the GW Bridge.
Once we were off that last train, we exited to the streets and tried to find our way back to the bridge. There were a lot more people out than there were earlier in the day. The rain had let up around mid day, and only came in a few other waves. It was even getting a bit bright out. The day was certainly recovered.
Group shot on the NY side of the GW Bridgge
We got on the bridge and were able to have a much nicer walk across than we had in the morning.
View from GW Bridge
View from GW Bridge
View from GW Bridge
GW Bridge
GW Bridge
Mirror shot on the GW Bridge
Mirror shot on the GW Bridge
We easily got back to Fort Lee and walked the few blocks on the roads back to our cars which were all safe. It was a great feeling to think we made the most of a day that most dismissed as crummy. We had a really good time, and I'm glad to have great friends who have the drive to get out of bed and make the most of a day regardless of the weather.
No comments:
Post a Comment