New York City Hikes
Storm King Mountain
By Skip Card
The Hike
Few trails pack so much scenery into so few miles as this loop up and around historic Storm King Mountain. A steep scramble sets the hike’s early tone, but soon the trail crests above 1,300 feet and runs past eye-popping views of the Hudson Valley and its surrounding sights.
The Hudson River curls beneath Storm King Mountain.
Photo © Skip Card
From the far corner of the parking lot off Route 9W, look for the orange blazes marking a short, unnamed connector trail that immediately begins a steep scramble up a granite ridge. (This section was rerouted in 2005, and most older maps still show this orange trail as yellow.) Rocky viewpoints soon appear as the scrub oak and hickory thin to offer a peek of the Hudson River through The Clove, the valley gap between Storm King Mountain and neighboring Crow’s Nest. After .2 mile, pass the stone ruins of Spy House, the old summer home of parks commissioner Dr. Edward Partridge.
After several steep scrambles, the orange blazes dip down to end at a T junction with the Stillman Trail (yellow). Turn right onto Stillman and resume your uphill trek. After .5 mile, the trail reaches the top of 1,320-foot Butter Hill, the southern high point of Storm King’s crescent-shaped crest. Storm King was originally labeled “Boterberg” by Dutch settlers for the peak’s resemblance to a mound of butter. The vantage point offers panoramic views highlighted by Black Rock Forest (see the Black Rock Loop listing in this chapter), the Catskills, and the Hudson River. Descend from this false summit into spindly hardwoods and in .2 mile reach a junction with the Bluebird Trail (side-by-side blue and red blazes). Fork right, heading uphill on Stilllman, to the nearby junction with the Howell Trail (blue blazes). Veer left to stay with Stillman as the path cuts through mountaintop forest.  |
| KEY INFO
Level:
Strenuous
Total Distance:
3.1 miles round-trip
Hiking Time:
2 hours
Elevation Gain:
770 feet
Summary:
This lollipop loop circles up to one of the most scenic perches along the Hudson River.
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Views begin .25 mile past the junction as the Stillman Trail reaches the first of several north-facing outcrop ledges that offer commanding vistas. From here, hikers can gaze up the Hudson past Cornwall and Newburgh to see the blue water stretch toward Poughkeepsie. The Catskills line the horizon, with hints of the taller Adirondacks behind them. The trail curls east and winds across Storm King’s scenic 1,342-foot summit, but views truly explode after the trail begins its descent. A rocky perch unobstructed by trees lets hikers gaze across the Hudson to peaks such as Breakneck Ridge (see the Breakneck Ridge to Sunset Point listing in the Eastern Hudson chapter), identified by its thin nose of bare rock running to the river’s edge, and its tree-covered neighbor Bull Hill (see the Bull Hill listing in the Eastern Hudson chapter), marked by a circular quarry gouged from its broad southern flank.
Descend through the trees to a junction with the By-Pass Trail (white blazes) and a south-facing viewpoint looking down the Hudson and across to Crow’s Nest (see the Pitching Point listing in this chapter). Turn right onto By-Pass and follow the trail .4 mile south, passing more viewpoints before the trail skirts a narrow cliff ledge and finally descends gradually through forest. Turn sharply right at the T junction with the blue-blazed Howell Trail, and follow Howell .4 mile uphill to the familiar junction with Stillman. Turn left and retrace your original .7 mile past yellow and orange blazes back down the steep rock to your car.
Options
At the By-Pass Trail junction, hikers can stay on the Stillman Trail for a mostly downhill 1.5 miles that ends at a trailhead on Mountain Road. The Bluebird Trail just past the Butter Hill summit also connects with Stillman on this downhill journey. To the south, hikers can follow Howell Trail across The Clove to reach trails leading to Pitching Point on the northern flank of Crow’s Nest. Hikers who want to avoid ascending or descending the steep rocks on Stillman Trail south of Butter Hill can reach the Howell Trail via Clove Road and an unmarked (but well-worn) path shown on most maps.
Use caution in this area. Unexploded ordnance was discovered on Storm King Mountain in 1999, so hikers are strongly warned not to wander from marked trails.
Directions
From the George Washington Bridge, take the first exit onto the Palisades Interstate Parkway and follow it north to its end near the Bear Mountain Bridge traffic circle. Curl north onto Route 9W and drive past the West Point turnoffs toward Cornwall. Park in the scenic Butter Hill–Storm King parking lot (access via northbound lanes only) at the sharp bend in Route 9W some 3.2 miles north of the junction with Routes 293 and 218. No public transportation is available.
Information and Contact
There are no hiking fees. Parking is free. Dogs must be leashed, and some dogs will have difficulty on the rocky terrain. Bikes are not allowed on footpaths. Trails are shown on Map 7 of the West Hudson Trails series from the New York–New Jersey Trail Conference. For more information, contact the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Bear Mountain State Park, Bear Mountain, NY 10911, 845/786-2701, www.pipc.org.
Text from Moon Moon Take a Hike New York City © 2006 by Skip Card. Used by permission of Avalon Travel Publishing. All rights reserved. This book is available through local bookstores and online booksellers.
RELATED GORP LINKS
 GORP Hiking
New York Hiking Guide
NYC Weekender Guide
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