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Baby Blue
08-07-2005, 19:58
Is there any good spot near the Palisades Parkway in NY to get picked up for a few days off the trail? Any exits nearby, etc?
Any info would be of great help.
Thanks!

kyhipo
08-07-2005, 21:13
i believe there is a spot not to far after bear mountain at some state park around their i stayed there once what a noisy place it had a lake their also down the road just cant remember the name:-? ky

Cookerhiker
08-07-2005, 21:39
Is there any good spot near the Palisades Parkway in NY to get picked up for a few days off the trail? Any exits nearby, etc?
Any info would be of great help.
Thanks!
How near to you want to be?

As I recall, there's a rest stop of sorts on the Parkway only a few hundred yards north of where the Trail crosses.

Towards Bear Mountain, you have the Bear Mountain Inn area itself but your pick-up driver may have to pay an entrance fee. However, there's a road that snakes around Bear Mountain and intersects the Trail before (south) of the Bear Mountain summit. This means you ascend and then descend West Mountain before your pickup (assuming you're hiking NOBO). From the Parkway, your driver should look for the exit for Perkins Drive. The road itself is not Perkins Drive but takes you to Perkins Drive which ascends Bear Mountain. This access road is relatively quiet. Follow it to where the Trail intersects - this will be before you reach Perkins Drive. You can also access this point from the other side by following signs to Bear Mountain but continuing instead of turning into the Bear Mountain Inn and parking area.

On the other side i.e. south of the Parkway, the first road to the south is 7 Lakes Drive. This is accessible from the Parkway at Bear Mountain Circle - follow the signs. The Trail/7 Lakes Drive junction is not well marked so your driver may miss it. It's south of Silver Mines but north of Tiorati Circle.

Hope this helps. Happy hiking!

MOWGLI
08-07-2005, 21:40
KYhipo probably refers to Canopus Lake at Fahnestock State Park. That's on the east side of the Hudson.

If you're looking for a place near the PIPC, there are several. Lake Tiorati offers parking, so does Anthony Wayne. Bear Mountain offers the most secure parking in Harriman/Bear Mtn SP area on the west side of the Hudson.

Baby Blue
08-07-2005, 22:36
As I recall, there's a rest stop of sorts on the Parkway only a few hundred yards north of where the Trail crosses.


That sounds perfect. So if they are coming North on the Palisades what should they look for? Is there a trail crossing sign before you reach there? And I guess we just turn left when we hit the road and we'll see it?
Thanks so much this is a big help.

stupe
08-07-2005, 22:45
If I understand correctly, you don't want to park a car for a few days, you just want to get picked up by car near the Palisades Interstate Parkway ? Here's directions if you're SOBO.
Anthony Wayne Recreation Area is about a half mile north of where the AT crosses the parkway. When you come down off West Mountian, you cross the dirt Beechy Bottom Road. The next trail, about 2/10ths of a mile before the parkway, is a mountain bike trail that takes you right to Anthony Wayne. If you hit the Parkway, you've gone too far. Anthony Wayne charges a fee in season, at least on weekends. I think it's four or five dollars.
Naturally, if you are NOBO, you would cross the parkway, then go left (north) on the first trail you come to. Either way, you keep the parkway on your left as you head north.
Anthony Wayne has it's own exit, Exit 17.
I don't think there is a pay phone there. There may be a phone at the info center, which is in the center median of the parkway, opposite the Anthony Wayne parking lots. That may be an alternate pick up spot. I know that the nearest phone to the north is at Bear Mountain, and the nearest phone to the south is at the Rt.17 road crossing.
General "Mad Anthony" Wayne is one of my favorite Revoloutionary War figures. Also, be very careful, in this area, not to bowl or drink beer with the wee folk in the mountians....

Mountain Dew
08-08-2005, 00:45
When you get to the wooded area or median of the parkway you can take a left ( if you are north bound) and hike .2 to a visitors centers with parking and access to cars in both directions.

MOWGLI
08-08-2005, 07:17
When you get to the wooded area or median of the parkway you can take a left ( if you are north bound) and hike .2 to a visitors centers with parking and access to cars in both directions.

Overnite parking is not permitted at the bookstore / visitors center. But if you're looking for a pick-up, it'll work. I picked up & dropped off Hungry Howie there in '00 so he could attend a party at my house.

Cookerhiker
08-08-2005, 08:54
Overnite parking is not permitted at the bookstore / visitors center. But if you're looking for a pick-up, it'll work. I picked up & dropped off Hungry Howie there in '00 so he could attend a party at my house.Baby Blue,

The rest area/visitor's center/bookstore mentioned in the above post and Mountain Dew's post is what I recalled. Please note it is not the same as the Anthony Wayne area described by Stupe.

So you have 2 options, both fairly close to the Parkway.

MOWGLI
08-08-2005, 09:33
Baby Blue,

The rest area/visitor's center/bookstore mentioned in the above post and Mountain Dew's post is what I recalled. Please note it is not the same as the Anthony Wayne area described by Stupe.

So you have 2 options, both fairly close to the Parkway.

They are a half mile apart. ANthony Wayne does offer overnight parking, although it is not as secure as Lake Tiorati or Bear Mountain.

stupe
08-08-2005, 11:49
The Visitor Center is a great alternative, they have bathrooms and a nice selection of books on local history, souveniers, some snacks and coffee.
But if I or my ride had to wait more than an hour or so, I'd go for Anthony Wayne. The Visitor Center is a converted gas station, with traffic whizzing by a few feet to either side, and all it's attendant noise. Even a city boy like me, who lives three doors from I278, might find the stimulation too much, especially after being in the woods for any amount of time.
It's fun to interact with the tourists at the Visitor Center, though. Watch their reactions when you tell them you walked there from another state.

MOWGLI
08-08-2005, 11:57
There used to be a nice ice cream machine at the Visitors Center / Bookstore. At least there was 2 years ago. Mmmmmmm

They also sell all kinds of trail maps for Harriman State Park. One of the books that got me interested in hiking at an early age is sold there. The New York Walk Book is a great guide for hiking/walking in the Empire State.

http://www.nynjtc.org/images/book-map/nywb7r.jpg

If you live or recreate in New York, it should be on your book shelf (IMO).

stupe
08-08-2005, 22:30
The New York Walk Book is great.
I can also recommend " Harriman Trails and Their History" by William Myles, NY/NJ Trail Conference. It describes every trail, marked and unmarked, and just about every road, paved and unpaved, and ton's of park history.