Palisades Park (no giant stairs)

~11 miles
~ 1,450' elevations
moderate to brisk pace varied by terrain

This is a fun hike along the cliffs of Palisades Interstate Park with views of the Hudson River and NY. In January they had a rock slide that took out a chunk of the cliffs and caused them to close the giant stairs (a very challenging rock scramble at the base of the cliff). So we'll do 2 hikes on either side and still enjoy the view.

We start at the state line parking lot by the state line lookout where there are bathrooms. You have to pay for parking so carpooling is recommended. We'll follow Trail F to Trail A (which are cross country ski trails) to the Long Path. This will take us to the Women's Federation Monument, a mini castle dedicated to the women that advocated for conservation of this park and others. After that we'll continue along the top of the cliff with great views of the Hudson and NY. Passing the park office we descend down to the river where we reverse direction and hike along the river and back up to the parking lot where there are picnic tables for lunch.

After lunch we hike down the other side to Peanut Leap Cascade, a very pretty waterfall, and then back up to the cars. Bring water, food, rain gear, and poles if you use them. Due to the steep trails down and up the cliffs, rain will postpone. If you need to contact me, my cell is 609-471-4119.

On a side note, I read on their website that they are trying to reopen the giant stairs in May. If they do reopen we'll decide if we want to change the route to include them.