The Long Path from Buttermilk Falls County Park to Clausland Mountain County Park, NY

ABOUT THE PARKS:
This hike goes through a cluster of adjoining parks in the Hudson Palisades:
Buttermilk Falls County Park - Rockland County, NY
Sean Hunter Ryan Memorial County Park - Rockland County, NY
Blauvelt State Park - Wikipedia
Tackamack Park - NY/NJ Trail Conference
Clausland Mountain County Park - Rockland County, NY
Camp Bluefields and Tweed Tunnels - Dan and Laura's Photo Album

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.086899, -73.947150

View Larger Map


TRAIL MAPS:
Hudson Palisades Trail Map #109 - NY/NJ Trail Conference (shows all trail on one map)
Buttermilk Falls County Park - Rockland County, NY
Sean Hunter Ryan Memorial County Park - Rockland County, NY
Clausland Mountain County Park - Rockland County, NY

HIKE DISTANCE:  11 miles

THE HIKE:

Buttermilk Falls, less than 1/4 mile from the parking lot.

Amazing tree roots at Buttermilk Falls.

First view west from the blue trail.

Second view west from the blue trail.

The orange trail crosses Schuyler Road then appears to go through a back yard before entering the woods.

Unfortunately, just beyond those homes, the orange trail skirts an active construction site.

When the orange trail ends, the white trail continues along the construction site with heavy machinery noise and exhaust stench.  Kind of puts a damper on the hike but it's only temporary - the trail leaves that area soon.

Once on the Long Path, construction noise starts to face and seasonal glimpses of the Hudson River come into view.

Sean Hunter Ryan memorial with the Hudson River.

The Tappan Zee Bridge from the Long Path.

Graffiti and lots of broken glass (watch those paws) at a scenic overlook on the Long Path.  Sad.

Looking beyond the ugly to the view.

The Tweed Tunnels at Camp Bluefields - an old firing range with tunnels so soldiers could pass through safely.

I only stepped inside one tunnel opening to get a quick shot.  I was too chicken to go through the tunnels.  If you want to see more of the inside of the tunnels, hop over to Dan Balogh's site where he has several pictures.

After the tunnels, the Long Path goes through some gorgeous stands of huge pine trees.

A creek in Tackamack Park.

The blue trail in Clausland Mountain County Park.

The orange trail in Clausland Mountain County Park.

I believe this is a Southern Flying Squirrel.  He must have been in a hole alongside the trail and ran up the tree when we walked by.  He looked like he had been sleeping.

White trail back to Buttermilk Falls County Park.

The white trail leads back to the parking lot.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  With you back to the road, go to the left corner of the parking lot to start on the blue trail
[  0.20]  Buttermilk Falls; continue on blue trail
[  0.50]  View west
[  0.55]  Orange trail starts to the left; keep straight on blue
[  0.60]  View west; retrace on blue trail back to orange trail
[  0.65]  Right on orange trail
[  0.80]  Rock hop over creek
[  0.85]  Cross paved Schuyler Road and proceed between back yards of homes
[  0.95]  When orange trail ends, turn left on white
[  1.00]  Rock hop over creek
[  1.30]  White trail ends, turn right on aqua-blazed Long Path
[  1.40]  Sean Hunter Ryan memorial plaque at bench
[  1.65]  Cross paved Bradley Hill Road diagonally to the right
[  1.95]  Long Path turns left at woods road
[  2.00]  Seasonal views at top of rock slab on the right
[  2.10]  Seasonal view of Tappan Zee bridge on left
[  2.35]  Cross gravel road
[  2.65]  After going up log steps, keep left on Long Path when red goes right
[  2.70]  View west at graffiti covered rock slab; no aqua blazes but trail continues straight over slab and downhill
[  2.85]  Cross paved Tweed Boulevard slightly to the left
[  3.25]  Rock hop over creek, white goes right, unmarked straight, turn left to continue on Long Path
[  3.35]  Turn right at unmarked intersection when unmarked goes left; blazes continue
[  3.70]  Camp Bluefields and Tweed Tunnels
[  4.05]  Rock hop over creek
[  4.20]  Cross paved Marsico Court
[  4.30]  When unmarked goes right, turn left and cross bridge over creek
[  4.45]  After dam on right, Long Path turns right at wood road coming in from left
[  4.50]  Long Path veers right when unmarked goes left
[  4.65]  Walk through Tackamack Park parking lot; cross paved Clausland Mountain Road
[  4.70]  At fork other side of road, keep right on Long Path when unmarked goes left
[  5.00]  Rock hop over creek
[  5.55]  At T-intersection when Long Path turns right, turn left on orange
[  5.80]  Orange trail goes through hole in chain link fence then through wet area
[  5.90]  Left at fork when orange also goes right; cross paved road at parking lot to blue trail
[  5.95]  At fork keep left on blue when blue also goes right (return route will come in from right)
[  6.30]  At completion of blue loop, left at intersection, cross parking lot and paved road to orange trail
[  6.35]  Turn left on orange when orange also goes right
[  6.55]  Orange ends at the aqua-blazed Long Path, right on Long Path
[  6.70]  Rock hop over creek
[  7.00]  Left on aqua Long Path when orange goes right
[  7.50]  Rock hop over creek
[  7.70]  Cross over bridge
[  7.85]  Cross paved McClausland Mountain Road and proceed through Tackamack Park parking lot
[  8.20]  Cross over bridge
[  8.35]  Cross paved Marisco Court
[  8.70]  Keep right when woods road comes in from left
[  8.90]  Camp Bluefields and Tweed Tunnels
[  9.30]  When Long Path veers right, veer left on to white-blazed trail (to the left of the white trail is an unmarked woods road); rock hop over creek
[  9.70]  Turn left on the red trail at end of white trail after steep climb
[10.00]  Red trail crosses paved Bradley Hill Road then ends at white; turn left on white (no blazes for the left turn so take a few steps right on while then turn around to follow the white blazes in the other direction)
[10.15]  White trail turns left before stone wall; blazes are temporarily hard to see but will continue straight ahead after making left turn
[10.30]  Cross paved Schuyler Road then a footbridge over a creek
[10.50]  White turns left at a gravel road and continues on gravel road
[10.65]  Keep straight when blue goes right
[10.80]  White trail leaves gravel road to the right as footpath; goes down steps and crosses boardwalk
[11.00]  Back at parking lot

Lehigh Gap Nature Center, PA

ABOUT THE PARK:
Lehigh Gap Nature Center

Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund Case Study - EPA

Please Note:  There is full exposure on most of this hike.  Although no hunting is allowed on Lehigh Gap Nature Center property, part of the hike goes through state game lands where hunting is allowed except on Sundays.

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.784222, -75.609287

View Larger Map

TRAIL MAP:
Lehigh Gap Trail System - Lehigh Gap Nature Center
Trail Maps and Guides - Lehigh Gap Nature Center (description of individual trails)

HIKE DISTANCE:
10 miles with 6 and 7.5 mile options (Click here for 7.5 mile version.)

APPALACHIAN TRAIL SECTION HIKING:
TrailHeadFinder.com - AT section miles 1241.9 to 1240.0

THE HIKE:

From the parking lot, head back towards the parking lot entrance watching for the Prairie Warbler Trail on the right.

The Prairie Warbler Trail has interesting interpretive signs about the revitalization of the mountain.

Outerbridge Shelter on the Appalachian Trail

Seasonal views to the east along the Appalachian Trail.

Leave the AT on the North Trail at the 3rd communications tower.

View west from the North Trail.

The North Trail follows near the top of the mountain with continuous views.

It sometimes looks like you will walk right off the mountain but the trail continues on.

The continuation of the Blue Mountain range comes into view at the far end of the North Trail.

Panorama from the North Trail.

The end of the blue-blazed North Trail continues to the Devil's Pulpit....

... on the North Trail NE.

North Trail NE to the Devil's Pulpit

It's a very steep, mostly rock scramble down.  Don't forget the only way out is back up.

At the Devil's Pulpit, a flat rock outcrop.

Panorama from the Devil's Pulpit.

The North Trail SW branch leads to the Charcoal Trail which runs a level below the North Trail heading west.

Views from the Charcoal Trail.

The Charcoal Trail leads to the Prairie Grass Loop which continues west.

Prairie grass on the Prairie Grass Loop - evidence of successful replanting even when dormant in the winter.

Looking back to the northeast from the Prairie Grass Loop.

Where most of the trails have had full exposure so far, the Chestnut Oak Trail follows a fairly level ledge cut into a steep slope through a wooded area.

Chestnut Oak Trail

The Chestnut Oak Trail leads down to the LNE Trail, a level rail bed that parallels the D&L multi-use rail trail 100 feet below.

LNE Trail

The pollution that destroyed the mountain.

Looking up at the Devil's Pulpit from the LNE Trail down below.

Although the LNE rail bed ends where there used to be a bridge, a footpath continues uphill and over a rise back to the Nature Center parking lot.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[0.00]    Walk back towards parking lot entrance and turn right up stone steps to Prairie Warbler Trail
[0.15]    Turn left on the pink-blazed Woodpecker Trail
[0.30]    Keep left on pink Woodpecker Trail when unmarked trail goes right; keep right when unmarked goes straight
[0.45]    Turn right on the white-blazed Appalachian Trail
[0.85]    Outerbridge shelter
[1.00]    Straight on AT when blue-blazed North Trail goes right (return route for 6 mile option)
[2.15]    Cross gravel road
[2.20]    Cross woods road
[2.30]    1st communications tower on right
[2.35]    Small power cut and 2nd communications tower
[2.60]    Turn right on blue-blazed North Trail and pass 3rd communications tower to the left at gravel road crossing
[4.60]    Turn left at blue painted DP on rock at intersection; short distance ahead keep right at unmarked fork
                **For 6 mile hike turn right back to AT, turn left on AT then left on Woodpecker Trail back to parking
[4.80]    Right on blue-blazed North Trail NE and descend to Devil's Pulpit; retrace
[5.05]    Back at sign continue North Trail SW to orange-blazed Charcoal Trail
[6.05]    Left on Prairie Grass Loop
                 **For 7.5 mile hike turn right and pick back up at 9.00 mile mark below when Prairie Grass Trail ends at LNE Trail across from the Bobolink Trail
[6.80]    Left on yellow-blazed Chestnut Oak Trail
[7.40]    Right on black gravel LNE Trail
[7.75]    Chain link fence area on right, Three Ponds Trail starts to left
[7.85]    Keep straight on LNE when Prairie Grass Loop Trail goes to the right
[8.25]    bench on right
[9.00]    Bobolink Trail goes left; Prairie Grass Loop to the Charcoal Trail goes right, keep straight on LNE
[9.50]    Under Devil's Pulpit at Lehigh Gap interpretive sign, LNE turns to narrower path
[9.70]    At fork, end of LNE with interpertive sign to left, footpath uphill to right to continue
[10.00]    Footpath ends at gravel loop road, go right on gravel road back to parking lot