Highlands Region geography

The Hudson Highlands are the mountains on both sides				The Wilkinson Trail can also be followed from its
of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York,				southern terminus at Route 9D south of the city, or its
between Newburgh Bay and Haverstraw Bay. They				northern end near US 9 in Putnam County. Both routes
are generally accepted as starting in the south at				require more time and distance, however.
Dunderberg Mountain on the west side of the river				Breakneck Ridge is a mountain along the Hudson River
near Stony Point and ending to the north at Sour				between Beacon and Cold Spring, New York, along
Mountain near Fishkill. They have played important				the boundary between Dutchess and Putnam counties.
parts in America's military, cultural and environmental				Its distinctive rocky cliffs are visible for a long distance
history.				when approached from the south, and together with
Formed when glaciers cut through the Appalachian				Storm King Mountain on the opposite bank of the river
Mountains here, the Highlands are among the lowest				forms Wey-Gat, or Wind Gate, the picturesque
summits in that range (indeed, the Appalachian Trail				northern gateway to the Hudson Highlands.
reaches its lowest elevation in the Trailside Zoo				It has several summits, the highest, some distance
between Bear Mountain State Park and Bear				inland, reaching approximately 1,260 feet (384 m)
Mountain Bridge.				above sea level. The southern face of the peak is
Conversely, the river becomes narrower and deeper				remarkable for its striking cliffs, the result of quarrying
through the Highlands, reaching its deepest point of 216				in past years.
feet (66 m), near Garrison. Many stretches are				Lying within Hudson Highlands State Park, it offers
challenging to navigate, earning nicknames like "World's				many stunning views of the river and region and is
End." History Henry Hudson and his crew on the Half				quite popular with hikers, to the point that a rail
Moon were the first Europeans to see the Highlands				whistlestop has been established on the Metro North
when they explored the river in 1609.				line which runs right by the base of the ridge along
The mountains became strategically important during				New York State Route 9D.
the American Revolutionary War, when it was				According to legend, Breakneck gets its name from
important for the Continental Army to hold the river				the same wild bull as neighboring Bull Hill (also known
valley and prevent the British from cutting New				as Mount Taurus), as the place where the bull finally fell
England off from the rest of the colonies. The Hudson				to its death.
River Chain was cast from nearby iron mines and				Until at least the early 20th century, the mountain was
stretched across the river from the fort at West Point				also known as St.
to prevent British ships from going upriver. The fort is				Anthony's Face or Turkâ€™s Face, after a
today the site of the United States Military Academy.				facelike stone formation on the southern cliffs that
Several decades after independence, some painters in				was destroyed by quarrymen in 1901.
the new country showed interest in depicting its wild				Bull Hill, also unofficially known as Mount Taurus, is a
and rugged landscapes, especially, at first, the				mountain north of the village of Cold Spring on the
Highlands with the stark contrasts and shadows they				Hudson River in Putnam County in the U.S. state of
offered, in a way that suggested raw nature, a world				New York. It is part of the river-straddling range known
reborn. A critic derisively referred to them as the				as the Hudson Highlands.
Hudson River School; the name stuck and became the				While not as well known as neighboring Breakneck
new nation's first homegrown artistic movement.				Ridge or Storm King Mountain across the river, it too is
In the early 20th century, local conservationists began				part of Hudson Highlands State Park and has an
to press for public ownership of the woods and				extensive trail system and offers hikers sweeping
mountains of the Highlands as development pressures				views of the river and neighboring peaks.
loomed. Their efforts paid off in the first of several				A former quarry is visible on its south ridge.
state parks that now blanket the chain.				The mountain supposedly gets its name from an
Later that century, an ambitious power-generating plan				errant bull chased through it by local farmers, the same
that would have dug into Storm King Mountain led to a				bull whose end in a fall also gave Breakneck Ridge its
landmark lawsuit by environmental groups that made				name.
history when the judge ruled that aesthetic impacts of				Anthony's Nose, a peak along the Hudson River at the
such large projects could be considered.				north end of Westchester County, New York, forms
Beacon Mountain, sometimes Mount Beacon, is the				with Dunderberg Mountain the South Gate of the
highest peak of the Hudson Highlands, is just east of				Hudson Highlands. It forms a ridge running northeast
Beacon, New York, in the Town of Fishkill. Its two				and southwest, being separated from Canada Hill to
summits rise above the Hudson River behind the city				the northeast by Copper Mine Brook and the "South
of Beacon and can easily be seen from Newburgh				Mountain Pass", and being bordered on the southwest
across the river and many other places in the region.				by the Hudson. The Hudson makes a turn around the
The more accessible northern peak, at 1,531 feet (467				southwestern tip, so that the northwestern side also
m) above sea level, has a complex of radio antennas				slopes down to salt marshes along the river. On the
on its summit; the 1,610-foot (491 m) southern summit				southeastern side are Mine Mountain and, across
has a lookout tower.				Broccy Creek, Manitou Mountain. Most of this land is
Between the two peaks is located one of the city's				part of Camp Smith, a New York National Guard
main reservoirs. Since much of the land on the				reservation.
mountains and up to the county line on neighboring				U.S. Route 202/6 crosses the Hudson on the Bear
Scofield Ridge is owned by the city to protect the				Mountain Bridge to the western tip of the mountain,
watershed, an extensive system of roads and trails				where it meets New York State Route 9D. 9D runs
makes it a popular hike. Both summits afford extensive				northeast along the northwestern flank of the mountain
views of the mid-Hudson region.				to Garrison, New York, while 202 /6 runs southwest,
In the past, North Beacon was home to a ski area, and				hugging the cliffs, towards Peekskill. The main line of
the scars from the three ski trails can still be seen				the New York Central Railroad, now the Metro-North
from the north. There was also once an incline railway,				Hudson Line, runs along the mountain and passes
which stopped running in 1978.				under the western tip and the Bear Mountain Bridge by
Its track can still be seen going up the mountain and				a tunnel.
can be used to climb it, albeit steeply. At various other				History The peak has been known as Anthony's Nose
times in the past this summit housed a restaurant, a				since at least 1697, when the name appears on a
casino and a hotel.				grant patent. The eponymous Anthony has been
The mountains provided a key vantage point over the				suggested to be one Captain Anthony Hogans, who
region and nearby river, lending it historic roles in the				sailed past it "some years previous to the Revolution"
American Revolution. Signal fires on the mountain gave				(if "some years" may include over three-quarters of a
both it and the nearby city their name.				century), or perhaps Saint Anthony, as a rock
Approach The easiest way up the mountain is a dirt				formation called "Saint Anthony's Face" existed on
road used by city employees doing maintenance work				Breakneck Ridge nearby before its destruction by
or inspections of the reservoir. It is, however, closed to				quarrying. Washington Irving's History of New-York
public vehicular use.				satirically attributes the name to one Anthony van
The white-blazed Fishkill Ridge Trail leaves from the				Corlear.
end of Pocket Road on the west side of Beacon. It				One of the Hudson River Chains was stretched from
can be followed for a mile up misnamed Dry Brook to				Fort Montgomery to the foot of the mountain. The
the reservoir road. At the reservoir good roads				Bear Mountain Bridge was later constructed along
continue up to the north summit, and at one corner the				approximately that alignment. An airway beacon was
yellow-blazed Wilkinson Memorial Trail offers access				once located atop the summit.
to the south summit.

Highland History

Highlands Region geography