Home ⎜ Hikes + Wanderings ⎜New York ⎜ Down Under Storm King

While hiking up Breakneck Ridge, the views of Storm King are quite captivating. Getting lost in the beauty of the landscape, I became more and more curious about a certain white door at the bottom of Storm King. Finally I satisfied my curiosity and undertook creating a trek to the “white door down under.” This hike is mainly a bushwack off-trail through relatively open forest, descending from mid-mountain to the shore, then walking north along scree fields to a railroad bed. It is a lesser known place with an abundance of treasures to explore. Revolutionary War ruins dot the shore, and it would be surprising to run into another soul down here. The perspective here is quite different from the quintessential Storm King photos that line the columns of outdoor magazines. The base of Breakneck Ridge is at eye-level here, and the string of Hudson Highland mountains across the river is an unobstructed panorama of beauty.

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Distance: 2 miles, out & back

Time: 2 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Elevation Gain: 200 feet

Dog-Friendly: Yes.

Trailhead Directions: From the NYS Thruway, take the Palisades Parkway to the Bear Mountain Traffic Circle. Take the third exit for Route 9W North. Continue 5.5 miles to exit onto Route 218 North and drive 2.9 miles. The parking area will be on your right.

Hike Directions: This is a bushwack, so it’s really more of a “choose your own adventure,” but this is how I undertook this one: From the trailhead parking areas, enter the woods on the southern end of the parking area and head downhill.  Listen for the sounds of a stream to your left and walk toward the stream. Continue downhill to the river, you’ll be surrounded on all sides by Revolutionary War-Era abandoned buildings and ruins. Skirt the shore of the Hudson, walking north. You’ll soon reach a talus field – carefully continue across the field, departing for a bit from the Hudson River, allowing breathtaking views of Breakneck Ridge. At the end of the field lies a tree, the only tree in the entire field. Turn right and downhill at the tree and you’ll find a land bridge to the railroad line. Once at the cargo railroad bed, keep off the tracks but continue walking north, enjoying Storm King’s shoreline and beach areas.

Scenery: 9/10