With nearly 450 miles of blazed trails crisscrossing almost 130,000 acres of publicly accessible open space, the Palisades region’s hiking system is among the most expansive in New York State.
The region hosts the oldest section of the Appalachian Trail running through Bear Mountain State Park an extensive section of the Long Path, a 358-mile trail from the George Washington Bridge to near Albany; approximately 50 miles of carriage roads in Minnewaska State Park, and dozens of other well-loved trails that bring the region’s seven million annual visitors to waterfalls, wetlands, streams, lakes and forests.
All of these trails require ongoing maintenance and protection, and we take pride in keeping them safe and traversable for all visitors.
Hiking in the Palisades has long been a favorite pastime, from the days of hiking in three-piece suits and top hats when visitors to the park rode the train or the steamer to get to the woods from New York City and beyond.
These early days of tramping in nature predated the establishment of state parks, but the hiking trails they developed would later become established trails that are still in use today.
By 1910, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission had dedicated Bear Mountain State Park and begun assembling Harriman State Park. Hook Mountain was being acquired from quarry operators and swimming areas were being constructed on the Hudson River in Nyack.
By the time that the National Parks Service was established in 1916, Bear Mountain State Park was receiving 500,000 annual visitors. The parks were a hit, and the people needed places to go.
The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC), who owns the parkland of the Palisades region of New York State Parks, set out to give them places to go and ways to get there.
During the 1910s and 1920s, PIPC constructed the Bear Mountain Inn and Trailside Museums and Zoo, constructed larger boat docks at Bear Mountain and swimming, picnicking, and gathering spaces at Bear Mountain, Harriman, and the Hook Mountain area.
They also began the process of officially establishing the region’s first hiking trails, including the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail in 1920 and the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail in 1924.
To construct and maintain these trails, the Commission founded the Palisades Trail Conference in 1920. Over time, this group grew into the present-day volunteer-powered New York-New Jersey Trail Conference.
Today, the Trail Conference builds, maintains and protects a network of over 2,150 miles of public trails; leads efforts to protect open spaces, acquire new public lands, monitor invasive species, and educate the public about conservation; and publishes maps, guidebooks, and digital tools to help outdoor enthusiasts navigate and explore public trails with confidence.
The intervening decades saw the trail system within Bear Mountain and Harriman State Park expand as new trails were built to provide recreational access to new parks like Storm King, Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Sterling Forest, Rockland Lake, Schunnemunk, and the newest state park, Sojourner Truth.
These trails accommodate millions of annual visitors, day-trippers and long-haulers alike, providing access to some of New York’s most beautiful and wild places.
But these trails aren’t merely static lines on a map. They are ever-changing, moving, expanding and eroding. Heavy use by park visitors, falling trees, and storms all take their toll on these pathways to nature. And as storms get stronger and more frequent, there is more work to do to keep trail systems functioning and safe for the public to enjoy.
The Trail Conference and other organizations do what they can to maintain the system, build new trails, and make trails sustainable in the face of new challenges and increased use, but there is always more to be done.
A version of this essay by Palisades Interstate Park Commission Chief of Staff Matthew Shook first appeared in the New York State Parks and Historic Sites Blog.
Illustrations from above: Hudson Palisades Trails Map Cover, 2023; William T. Howell, an avid hiker and photojournalist whose images were crucial in persuading the public to conserve the lands that are today known as Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks (from the collections of the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission); and visitors arrive at Bear Mountain State Park, ca. 1916 (State Parks).
Read more about hiking in New York State.
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