ABOUT THE PARKS:
Teatown Lake Reservation - Teatown.org
John E. Hand Park at Bald Mountain
New York City Watershed Recreation - NYC.gov (PERMIT REQUIRED - CLICK HERE)
The permit is free, can be printed online and is good for 5 years
Teatown-Kitchawan Trail - Westchester.gov
DIRECTIONS:
View Larger Map
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| Parking lot next to nature center with signs directing to additional parking if lot is full. |
TRAIL MAP:
Teatown Lake Reservation Trail Map - Teatown.org
Teatown - Kitchawan Trail Map - New York New Jersey Train Conference (the trail up Bald Mountain is blazed yellow, not white as shown on the map and the view denoted by a star on Bald Mountain is overgrown)
HIKE DISTANCE:
Teatown Lake - Bald Mountain - New Croton Reservoir - Cliffdale Farm: 11.6 miles
Teatown Lake - Bald Mountain - New Croton Reservoir: 8.35 miles
PEAK BAGGING:
Bald Mountain
Teatown Hill
Catamount Hill
THE HIKE:
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| The blue-blazed Lakeside Trail leaving from the Nature Center. |
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| The long bridge across the lake that will be crossed at the end of the hike. |
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| Teatown Lake |
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| Frog in Teatown Lake |
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| The blue-blazed Lakeside Trail is also blazed purple as it runs in conjunction with the purple-blazed Teatown - Kitchawan Trail. Trail junctions are well marked with signs. |
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| The purple-blazed TKT leaves the lake along with the yellow-blazed Northwest Trail. |
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| A rustic bench in the woods. |
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| The kiosk at John E. Hand Park says "Dogs are not permitted on DEP lands." The DEP site, however, says dogs generally are permitted. See end of second paragraph HERE. |
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| The trail through John E. Hand Park is blazed yellow, green and purple until the trails split where the green/yellow trail goes to the "view." |
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| The view from the top of Bald Mountain. From what I read, it isn't much of a seasonal view either, but it's a nice break spot. |
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| Retracing from the Bald Mountain summit a short distance, an unmarked trail forks left into DEP land (this is where you need a permit) and switchbacks down Bald Mountain all the way to the purple-blazed TKT. This trail is not shown on the maps. |
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| The unmarked trail through DEP lands is well-defined and easy to follow through pretty woods. |
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| Back on the purple-blazed TKT. |
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| A lot of old stone farm walls throughout the woods. |
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| The TKT crosses over a lovely meadow with lots of... |
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| ... Monarch butterflies. |
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| Croton Dam Road - a gravel road with almost no traffic (1 car and 1 motorcycle the whole time I was on it) with lots of access to New Croton Reservoir on the right for water views. |
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| New Croton Reservoir |
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| A Great Blue Heron on a rock in New Croton Reservoir. |
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| Another Great Blue Heron just a short distance to the left of the first one at an island. |
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| Ring-billed Gull |
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| American Crow |
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| Looking back at New Croton Reservoir from the cove. |
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| Croton Dam Road becomes paved briefly before reaching the Briarcliff Peekskill Trailway. |
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| The Briarcliff Peekskill Trailway starts out with dark green blazes, then I lost the blazes for a bit (might have taken an unmarked branch accidentally), then met back up with... |
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| ... the trail blazed a different shade of green. This is the correct trail. |
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| Back to Teatown Lake Reservation - from Griffin Swamp either continue on to Cliffdale Farm, for the longer hike or head back to the lake for the shorter hike. |
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| Cliffdale Loop Trail through woods and meadows. |
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| The long bridge over Teatown Lake at the end of the hike. |
HIKE SUMMARY:
[ 0.00] Walk through the parking lot and through the gates behind the visitor center; left on gravel road, blue-blazed Lakeside Trail, just before information board
[ 0.20] Left on blue/purple when unmarked goes right
[ 0.40] Left on blue/purple towards dam when orange Hilltop Trail goes right; at dam turn right on yellow Northwest Trail (along with purple) when blue goes straight
[ 0.50] Cross to left on footbridge then turn right (no blazes in this area)
[ 0.65] Cross footbridge; keep straight on green-blazed Briarcliff Peekskill Trail (along with purple) when yellow goes left
[ 0.95] Turn right on paved Blinn Road when green crosses over to left; walk on paved road uphill and around bend
[ 1.05] Turn left through parking area at John E. Hand County Park sign on yellow/purple trail; keep straight when unmarked goes left
[ 1.30] Keep right when trail goes left almost at top of hill
[ 1.35] Keep straight when unmarked grail goes right; trail now blazed yellow/purple/green
[ 1.50] Keep left at fork
[ 1.65] Keep right on yellow/green when purple leaves to the left; trail will be blazed yellow, sometimes along with green
[ 1.80] Keep straight when unmarked trail goes sharply to the right
[ 1.95] Trail turns left at NYC DEP By Permit Only signs; left on yellow when unmarked goes right at T-intersection
[ 2.10] Top of Bald Mountain with no views; retrace
[ 2.25] Keep left on unmarked trail at NYC DEP By Permit Only sign when yellow goes right
[ 2.40] Keep right at fork
[ 3.10] Keep straight when trail comes in from left at NYC DEP By Permit Only sign
[ 3.15] At T-intersection turn right on purple-blazed TK Trail
[ 3.45] TK Trail crosses over meadow
[ 3.65] TK Trail leaves meadow
[ 3.90] Follow purple blazes around left turn heading down to New Croton Reservoir; right on purple when it leaves woods road as footpath
[ 4.10] Turn left on unblazed gravel Croton Dam Road when the purple TK Trail turns right
[ 4.20] Just before big white W painted on tree on right, footpath down to reservoir; continue on Croton Dam Road (several other boat access paths lead to reservoir along the way)
[ 4.90] Keep straight on Croton Dam Road when paved road goes left
[ 5.05] Follow gravel road around bend at end of cove
[ 5.20] Gravel road becomes paved at "Town of Cortlandt" sign
[ 5.30] Pass homes then long stockade fence
[ 5.50] At intersection of Croton Dam Road and Quaker Ridge Road, turn left on green-blazed Briarcliff Peekskill Trailway immediately crossing footbridge
[ 5.75] Keep right when a trail comes in from the left
[ 5.80] Keep left at fork with no blazes
[ 5.90] At t-intersection at creek, turn right on green trail with lighter green diamond blazes
[ 6.05] Keep left at fork after crossing plank bridge
[ 6.15] Cross paved Blinn Road slightly diagonally to the left to continue on green trail now joined by purple TK Trail
[ 6.45] Turn right on green trail (together with yellow) when purple goes straight with yellow
[ 6.70] Cross series of footbridges to Griffin Swamp intersection; keep straight on white to Cliffdale Farm or turn left on white/green/yellow for shorter hike (continue from 9.95 mile point below)
[ 6.95] Power cut
[ 7.45] At mowed grassy area, keep right on orange Cliffdale Trail; after a few steps turn right at old red gate post
[ 7.65] At mowed clearing with unblazed intersection turn left (I believe right is the correct way as they both seem to come back together)
[ 7.70] At T-intersection turn left on orange when orange comes in from right (is probably where a prior right turn would have ended up)
[ 8.00] Follow orange trail as it turns right on paved road
[ 8.15] Orange trail leaves paved road to left at red gates
[ 8.75] Cross meadow
[ 8.80] Keep straight when black-blazed Catamount Hill shortcut trail goes right
[ 8.95] Cross Teatown Road at Cliffdale Farm entrance - either walk through farm or stay on mowed orange-blazed trail which skirts to right of farm
[ 9.15] At T-intersection turn right on white-blazed Teatown Cliffdale Trail
[ 9.65] Power cut
[ 9.95] Griffin Swamp intersection; turn right across long boardwalk on white/yellow/green
[ 10.00] Left on white when yellow/green goes right
[ 10.15] Left on white when trail (black connector trail?) goes right
[ 10.35] White ends at dam; turn right on blue Lakeside Trail just before dam so lake; follow trail along right side of lake
[ 10.40] At fork keep left on blue
[ 10.80] Straight on blue when black comes in from the right
[ 10.85] Left on blue when yellow/green come in from the right
[ 11.00] Turn left on bridge and cross over lake
[ 11.20] Keep straight when pink Lakeside Overlook Trail goes right
[ 11.35] Keep straight when pink Lakeside Overlook Trail comes in from the right
[ 11.40] Wildflower area entrance gate
[ 11.45] Keep straight on trail (steps to the right up to Nature Center do not access parking lot); go through Wildflower area exit gate and turn right on gravel path
[ 11.60] Back at parking lot
