The occasional loud Harley from the roads below could be heard. This was a pleasant walk through relatively quiet woods, to outstanding views over the Hudson River Valley. Like most hikers, I prefer loop hikes to an “out-and-back,” but sometimes you don’t have much of a choice. Among them Maxwell Anderson, whose well-known 1937 play, High Tor, is the basis of a 1956 movie with Bing Cosby and Julie Andrews. One of Rockland County’s most beautiful sites, it had inspired countless poets, artists, and even playwrights. While Van Orden always refused to sell, his death in 1942 revived fears that High Tor might end up defaced by quarrying. On numerous occasions, quarry operators sought to buy the property from its owner, Elmer Van Orden. Like Tallman or Hook Mountain, this chunk of South Mountain was, by virtue of its trap rock composition, faced with the threat of destruction by quarrying. The definition of tor is: a high craggy hill. That’s what it’s called on the first map of the New World, printed 17 years later. When explorer Giovanni da Verrazano sailed past the ridge in 1524, he thought it resembled a “fence of stakes,” or in military parlance a stockade (or palisade) built for defensive purposes. To the native Lenape, they were “Wee-Awk-En,” the rocks that look like trees. The vertical, striated appearance of the Palisades inspired people to name them. Hikers are rewarded with some of the most outstanding views in the lower Hudson Valley from the summits of High Tor and Little Tor. High Tor State Park has a swimming pool, a large picnic area, and hiking trails, most notably a 3.5 mile stretch of the Long Path and several short spur trails. High Tor is the highest point on the entire Hudson River Palisades. Its highest peak, High Tor, sits at an elevation of 832 feet above sea level and Little Tor at 620 feet. The park is located on South Mountain, which has two peaks, High Tor and Little Tor. High Tor State Park is a 691-acre state park on the north edge of the Town of Clarkstown in Rockland County, NY.
The park is open year-round, from 8am to dusk. Parking is available for about 20 cars – No restrooms on site Trailhead parking: County Route 33, New City, NY 10956 Max elevation: 832 ft.– total elevation gain approximately 700 ft.īuy Map (Paper & Avenza): Hudson Palisades Trails Map #112 (2018)įree map: High Tor State Park Trail Map (2015)
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