Walk and Learn this Weekend on the County's Guided Walks

From the Rockland County Department of Health

Fall is a great time of year to be in the great outdoors! County Executive Ed Day and the Rockland County Department of Health encourage residents to put on your walking shoes and join experienced Rockland County Trail Guide Docents on a variety of free local guided walks.

“We hope County residents take advantage of this great chance to explore our beautiful, natural environment and get some exercise at the same time,” said Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, Rockland County Commissioner of Health. Guided park walks are scheduled throughout the year – for more information and the schedule visit www.rocklandsteps.org/calendar.

The October guided park walks highlighted below offer visitors varied terrain, great scenery, interesting discussion points, and different levels of walking (1 sneaker is easy, 2 sneaker is moderate, 3 sneaker is strenuous):

Stateline Lookout: Walk Along Old Route 9W

Sunday, October 5, 2014 from 10 am – 12 pm

• Join Docent Louise Parnell on this 3-mile moderately difficult (2 sneaker) walk with some steep sections, but otherwise level. This is a graded trail with some stone steps.

• Directions: The park is about a mile south of the actual New Jersey-New York state line. It has its own (un-numbered) exit off the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Alpine, New Jersey. From the Palisades Parkway South, stay in the left lane after passing Exit 3. Take the median U-turn (well marked). Use caution, as you will need to get into the right lane immediately to exit for State Line Lookout.

• Walkers should meet in the parking lot.

• From 12 pm – 4 pm, the Nature Program Cooperative will present a free program, “Hawks Over the Hudson” featuring live animals (birds of prey) and exhibits. For more information visit www.natureprogram.org or call 201-768-1360 ext. 108.

• Hiking boots are recommended, and a walking stick is suggested. Bring water. Restrooms are available, no dogs are allowed and this walk is not stroller friendly.

Rockland Lake State Park: Rockland Lake and the Ice Industry of 100 Years Ago

Saturday, October 4, 2014 from 10 am – 12 pm (If rain, a Powerpoint program will be presented instead of the walk)

• Join Docent Louise Parnell with Special Guest Rob Maher on this 3 mile, moderately difficult walk at Rockland Lake State Park. Most of the walk is paved and flat. Rob Maher is President of the Friends of Rockland Lake and Hook Mountain, and the author of “Rockland Lake, Hook Mountain, and Nyack Beach.” Rockland Lake was home to a flourishing ice industry from the 1830s to the 1920s.

Participants will visit the foundations of the ice houses and walk around Old Rockland Village.

• Walkers should meet in front of the North Swimming Pool Building near Parking Lot #1 (no charge).

• Directions: Take the north entrance of Rockland Lake, off Route 9W, directly across from Lake Road in Congers. Follow the entrance road to your left; turn right into the first parking lot. Proceed to the Pavilion (the brick building near a small traffic circle). Walkers will meet by the Pavilion.

• Wear sturdy walking shoes, bring water, and a hat and walking stick are recommended.

• Join Louise Parnell and Rob Maher at a talk about the Rockland Lake and the Ice Industry on Sunday, October 26 at 2 pm at the Haverstraw Brick Museum.

• For more information contact Louise Parnell at parnelljt@optonline.net or 845-290-5287.

High Tor State Park: High Up on High Tor

Sunday, October 5, 2014 from 10 am – 12 pm

• Join docent Carole Greene on this High Up on High Tor Walk. Enjoy autumn in a place that almost disappeared. Walkers can look forward to the vibrant colors of fall and a spectacular view. This 2-3- mile moderate plus walk (2+ sneakers), along cleared, crushed gravel, with easy changes in terrain, will lead participants around High Tor Park in Clarkstown. The reward for the uphill climb is the spectacular view! Be prepared for a moderately steep uphill climb over loose rocks and gravel on the last segment of the walk.

• Walkers should meet at the trailhead on Central Highway. Parking is free and limited along the side of the road.

• Directions: Take Little Tor Road, past the blinking light at South Mountain Road. Little Tor becomes Central Highway there and ascends High Tor (heading toward Haverstraw). At the peak of the hill, pull off the road to the right, this is the trailhead. Going South (from Route 202 in Garnerville) on Central Highway, just past the crest of the hill, the small parking area will be on the left.

• Walkers should wear hiking boots, bring water and protection against ticks including long pants, and if desired, binoculars and a walking stick.

PHOTO: From atop High Tor Mountain, the view NNE, looking out onto the widest part of the Hudson River, toward Westchester County. Credit: Thomas McGuire/Wikimedia Commons