Welcome to New Jersey The Palisades (Hudson River). The Palisades are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the Hudson River. They stretch into New York and have a 300-to-540-foot vertical drop-off. You can see the Manhattan skyline, George Washing Bridge, and it is directly across is Yonkers NY.
If you are heading on north east in New Jersey into New York, you can take 9W. Instead of taking 9W you can take Palisades Interstate Parkway. However, this is not the fastest way to travel north but is the scenic way to travel. Along the parkway there are several places to stop, including a barbecue area. If you travel straight up into New York, you will run into Bear Mountain State Park.
One of the first area you can stop at is Ross Dock Picnic Area. Nevertheless, the only time we tried to go there it was closed due to overcrowding, haven’t tried again. Still, there is Hudson Park and Englewood Picnic Area, both are busy during the summer.
Along the parkway there are a couple of lookouts. The first place we stop is Rockefeller Lookout, and Alpine Lookout. Both have beautiful views overlooking the Hudson River. Alpine lookout at dawn will have a great sunrise overlooking eastern New York. Both lookouts can be busy in the summer or on the weekends. But when you go off season it is very quiet, great views, and some trails.
However, there are several areas we have yet to explore. Palisades Interstate Park Trail, Alpine Marina, Cliffdale Manor, and Huylers Beach to name a few. Cliffdale Manor looks interesting, it is runes of a house built in 1911, only the ground floor and second level remain. It looks like an old castle.
The Palisades Interstate parks has around 30 miles of trails, boat launching ramps, cliff-top parkway, and overlooks, picnic areas with playground, and a historic sites Women’s Federation Monument.
As you can see, this stretch of road offers a lot of different activates. We have yet to explore all of the areas, but over the next year or two we will. If you want to see more click on the video below.
