June 5, 2022 – Chilly Spring, NY
Problem: Average
Size: Roughly 5 miles
Max elevation: 1079 ft.– complete elevation acquire roughly 776 ft.
Route kind: Circuit
Purchase Maps (Paper & Avenza): East Hudson Trails Map #103
Free Internet Map: Fahnestock State Park Path Map 2022
Free Avenza App Map: Fahnestock State Park Path Map 2019
Trailhead parking: Campbell Highway, Chilly Spring, NY 10516
Ample road parking is on the market – No loos on website
The park is open 12 months spherical from dawn to sundown.
Park Overview:
Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park, also called Fahnestock State Park, is a 16,171-acre state park situated in north central Putnam County with parts within the cities of Carmel, Kent, Philipstown and Putnam Valley. The park is traversed by the Taconic State Parkway, US Route 9, NYS Route 301 and several other native roads. Rail stations operated by Metro North Railroad are inside ten miles of the park at Garrison, Chilly Spring and Beacon. The park doesn’t have a single, formal entrance. The park is managed and maintained by the New York State Workplace of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park
Fahnestock is characterised by parallel ridges and hills that pattern in a southwest to northeast route. Steep slopes are sometimes discovered on the southeast and northwest facets of a few of these ridges. Elevations vary from roughly 400 ft within the lowest space of the park alongside Clove Creek within the neighborhood of U.S. Route 9, to a most of over 1300 ft on a ridge west of Canopus Lake. Nearly all of the park is at elevations higher than 600 ft.
Because the peaks of Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park are extra hills than mountains, the mountain climbing is mostly much less strenuous than others within the area. This makes the park a preferred vacation spot for informal hikers.
Historical past:
The Fahnestock space was as soon as recognized for its thriving iron business that started quickly after the American Revolution. The iron ore was smelted regionally early within the business’s growth, however later was transported to the West Level Foundry in Chilly Spring, which made cannons used within the Civil Conflict. Remnants of the business and the settlements that grew up round it stay within the stone ruins of former cities, woods roads lined with stone partitions, trenches and pits now lined with greater than a century’s reforestation, and damaged dams that had supplied energy to function equipment. After the business died out, the deforested areas, having served their goal, had been sometimes offered or left to revert to woodland. Some had been transformed to agriculture and cleared once more leading to miles of stone partitions.
In 1900, Main Clarence Fahnestock (1873-1918), a Manhattan physician, started buying deserted farms to create a gentleman’s farm and taking pictures protect. Fahnestock, an avid hunter, used the land for searching and fishing functions and to share the game along with his metropolis mates.
Dr. Fahnestock a Main with the 301st Infantry within the U.S. Military, serving in France, succumbed to pneumonia whereas treating sufferers with the illness. On the time of his demise, Dr. Fahnestock was the biggest actual property holder in Putnam County, proudly owning roughly 6,000 acres, largely former iron mining properties. This space was often known as the “Huge Woods.”
In 1929 his brother Dr. Ernest Fahnestock donated 2,400 acres to the state to create a park in honor of his brother. He donated an extra 105 acres for the creation of Canopus Lake. It was stipulated that the park needs to be named in honor of his late brother. At the moment, we all know this space because the Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps, (CCC) a part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal,” was liable for a lot of the park’s early growth within the 1930’s.
Over time, New York State put 6,000 acres off limits to builders and the Open House Institute has been instrumental in securing further tracts of land for the park. By buy or reward, the park has grown considerably over the a long time to its present measurement of over 14,300 acres.
Trails Overview:
With roughly 77 miles of blazed trails, lots of them quiet and uncrowded, they are often mixed to create loop hikes. The white-blazed Appalachian Path runs by way of the park.
This hike incorporates sections of 4 effectively marked trails.
- College Mountain Highway (white- 1.4 miles ) – is a comparatively stage, multi-use woods highway that connects the parking space with a number of different trails.
- Fahnestock Path (blue – 1.85 miles) – is the principle east-west path north of NY 301. This path covers all kinds of terrain, together with a really steep climb to the highest of Spherical Hill offering west-facing views.
- Spherical Hill Bypass Path (inexperienced – 0.8 mile) – begins out as a woods highway on the junction with the Fahnestock Path, it narrows to a footpath because it progressively descends, crossing a number of intermittent streams and stone partitions on the best way down.
- Hubbard Loop Path (yellow – 0.90 mile) – roughly parallels the College Mountain Highway Path for nearly a mile because it climbs progressively on a woods highway bordered by stone partitions.
Please word: In 2020, as a part of the Open House Institute (OSI) multi-year Fahnestock Enchancment Plan, parts of some trails have been rerouted and improved to appropriate longstanding erosion and water issues. It’s advisable that you simply carry the freshest path map that’s out there.
Trailhead is situated on Campbell Highway at a brown signal for the “Hubbard Lodge.” Bear left on the fork, proceed previous a home on the left, and park alongside the the highway.
Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park
Hike Overview:
Because the summer time mountain climbing season will get underway, it turns into harder to search out areas to hike that aren’t overcrowded. A few of the extra fashionable spots can get overwhelmed on the weekends. This hike doesn’t have probably the most spectacular views or the best factors of curiosity, nevertheless it has just a little little bit of many alternative issues that make it gratifying. Essentially the most gratifying side, is that it has kind of a deep woods really feel though you’re by no means that removed from two main thoroughfares. One other ingredient is that you simply received’t run into many individuals on the paths.
We hiked this lollipop loop counterclockwise, attacking the steep part of Spherical Hill proper at first. After that it was a largely downhill affair by way of the extraordinarily quiet woods. The quite a few stream crossings are made potential by wood footbridges constructed by West Level Cadets.
Spherical Hill Loop – Fahnestock State Park
As you’ll be able to see by the elevation profile, it’s a steep climb between the primary and second mile, a acquire in elevation of about 580 ft.
elevation profile – Spherical Hill Loop
The Hike:
Stroll again alongside the paved highway to a junction with a gravel highway on the left. Flip left onto the grassy highway at a gate. A triple-white blaze on the gate marks the beginning of the white-blazed College Mountain Highway, and a triple-blue blaze marks the beginning of the blue-blazed Fahnestock Path. Proceed forward on the highway, which quickly crosses two streams on wood bridges constructed by civil engineering cadets of the West Level Navy Academy.
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway Bridge – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway Bridge – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway Bridge – Fahnestock State Park
In about half a mile, you’ll discover two stone pillars on the left. The highway previously crossed the stream right here on a steel-plate bridge, however the bridge was washed out by Hurricane Irene in August 2011. Flip proper, descend stone steps, and cross the stream on two metal I-beams.
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
stone pillars – College Mountain Highway
cross the stream on two metal I-beams
cross the stream on two metal I-beams
Simply past, the blue-blazed Fahnestock Path turns sharply proper, leaving College Mountain Highway. Proceed alongside the blue-blazed path, which parallels the stream, following an previous woods highway which has narrowed in locations to a footpath. In 0.2 mile, the woods highway leaves the stream, and about half a mile from College Mountain Highway, the Fahnestock Path turns left, leaving the woods highway, and begins a reasonably steep climb of Spherical Hill on switchbacks.
flip proper on Fahnestock Path
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
On the prime of the steep climb, the path reaches a restricted west-facing viewpoint amid purple cedars, with Bull Hill (Mt. Taurus) within the distance. The path continues up the cedar-studded ridge of Spherical Hill, climbing progressively.
west-facing viewpoint – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
After following the ridge for about half a mile, the path bears proper, descends barely right into a shallow ravine, then climbs extra steeply on a winding path. It ranges off and shortly reaches a southwest-facing viewpoint from a rock ledge to the appropriate of the path, just under the summit of Spherical Hill. It is a great place for a break.
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
southwest-facing viewpoint – Spherical Hill
southwest-facing viewpoint – Spherical Hill
The Mount Beacon Fireplace Tower may be seen off within the distance.
Mount Beacon Fireplace Tower as considered from Spherical Hill
After climbing just a little extra to achieve a restricted east-facing viewpoint over the hills of Fahnestock State Park, with a communications tower on the appropriate, the path descends reasonably steeply to a woods highway in a valley.
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
restricted east-facing viewpoint – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Fahnestock Path – Spherical Hill
Flip left onto the woods highway, the route of the green-blazed Spherical Hill Bypass Path. Observe this path because it narrows to a footpath and continues a gradual descent, crossing a number of intermittent streams and stone partitions on the best way down.
Spherical Hill Bypass Path – Fahnestock State Park
Spherical Hill Bypass Path – Fahnestock State Park
Spherical Hill Bypass Path – Fahnestock State Park
Spherical Hill Bypass Path – Fahnestock State Park
In three-quarters of a mile, the path reaches the bottom of the descent. The path now bears proper, climbs just a little, and parallels a scenic stream on the left. Quickly, the Spherical Hill Bypass Path ends at a junction with the white-blazed College Mountain Highway.
Spherical Hill Bypass Path – Fahnestock State Park
Spherical Hill Bypass Path – Fahnestock State Park
Spherical Hill Bypass Path – Fahnestock State Park
terminus of Spherical Hill Bypass Path
Flip left onto College Mountain Highway, which instantly crosses the stream on a wood footbridge. Proceed alongside College Mountain Highway for a couple of quarter mile, passing by way of a nice valley and paralleling a stone wall and a large stream.
flip left on College Mountain Highway
College Mountain Highway Path Bridge – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway Path Bridge – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
After crossing a wood arch bridge over a tributary stream, you’ll attain a junction the place the yellow-blazed Hubbard Loop Path begins on the appropriate. Bear proper and proceed on the Hubbard Loop Path, which climbs progressively on a woods highway bordered on the left by a stone wall, passing deserted farm settlements alongside the best way.
College Mountain Highway Path Bridge – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway Path Bridge – Fahnestock State Park
flip proper on Hubbard Loop Path
flip proper on Hubbard Loop Path
Hubbard Loop Path – Fahnestock State Park
Hubbard Loop Path – Fahnestock State Park
Hubbard Loop Path – Fahnestock State Park
Simply past the crest of the rise, the path bears left, leaving the woods highway, then rejoins the highway simply forward. The highway is now bordered by stone partitions on each side.
Hubbard Loop Path – Fahnestock State Park
After curving to the left, the Hubbard Loop Path passes between two stone pillars and ends at College Mountain Highway, reverse the metal I-beams that you simply used to cross the stream earlier within the hike. Flip proper onto the white-blazed College Mountain Highway (additionally the route of the blue-blazed Fahnestock Path), retracing your steps again to the start line of the hike.
terminus of Hubbard Loop Path
terminus of Hubbard Loop Path
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
College Mountain Highway – Fahnestock State Park
Evaluation:
A very nice hike to get away from the plenty. We solely encountered a handful of individuals they usually had been all getting in the wrong way. Nearly all the route was closely shaded, which is a plus on a heat day. The paths and junctions are effectively marked and maintained. In case you take pleasure in just a little solitude on the paths, then that is the hike for you.
Professionals:
Properly marked trails, enticing streams with effectively designed wood footbridges, scenic views, evenly trafficked trails, shaded trails.
Cons:
None.
Take a hike!
Spherical Hill Loop – Fahnestock State Park
Sources:
