Anthony’s Nose Hike

Anthony’s nose is a very beautiful and popular hike. This hike can be done in 3 ways with 3 different trailheads. I will only talk about two popular ways to do this hike. The hiking trails are not beginner friendly. I have seen a lot of beginners have problems getting to Anthony’s nose view point even on the very short trail. The elevation gain is pretty high but the views are worth it and amazingly beautiful.

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Anthony’s Nose Important Information

Trail Map: Trail Map 1
Difficulty: Moderate To Strenuous
Distance: 2.5 Miles or 6.2 Miles
Elevation Gained: 1,800 ft

Trail Breakdown
Camp Smith Trail To 2nd Trail Head – ~2 miles
Camp Smith Trail  To Anthony’s Nose – 1.2 miles
Camp Smith Trail To 2nd Trail Head – 1.2 miles
2nd Trail Head To Parking Lot – ~2 miles

Link: https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/1452406913

Note: The information is just an approximation.

Parking
Long Trail
41.301257, -73.951167
Short Trail
41.312202, -73.964913

 

Start Of The Hike

Different adventures start, different adventures end, all in different times in NY. I stepped onto the gravel filled parking lot where my group members were waiting, near us were freshly trimmed grass, skeletal trees sprouting tiny leaves, and a footpath disappearing deep into the woods. The scent of life penetrated deep into our souls, it was fresh, vividly green, it was as if I was eating vegetables just by inhaling the air around us. Spring had come for us, with it came the call for exploration, with bells signalling the hiking season ringing in our ears.

 

Blue Trail

It was a footpath filled with dead leaves and dry soil, narrowed by a multitude of tiny tree trunks with tiny leaves, taking us left and right, up and down over and over, out of which red metallic signs plastered all over the trail that read “Danger Military Live Firing Range” could be seen. It was not the most friendliest of trails and I tremble at the thought of stray bullets hitting my group members. ‘Tremble’ might not be the correct word because in my mind, I may laugh a little, just kidding.

 

First View Point

To the left, a few feet away from the trail, was a viewpoint overlooking the Hudson river. Today was bright, crisp and blue, that to go hiking in the mountains, and see the river, clouds, and forest from high above, was extremely enjoyable to the senses. My group members seemed to be in a joyous mood as they happily took pictures of the landscape, selfies, and various poses of themselves. While the view point was not the most beautiful nor was it perfect, it was enough to get my members pumped up and excited for the rest of the scenery to come.

 

Path After First View

We took the spiral all the way down to hell and took the stairs up towards heaven, at least that is what this footpath felt like. The grueling continuous ascent and descent brought so much pressure on the knees and toes. I looked back towards my group members, and saw two beginners struggling to keep up, their bodies covered in sweat, their backs hunched while trying to take a step, and their breathing rather erratic and heavy. They dropped their whole bodies on the ground, puking water at the side of the trail, unable to continue, as they decided to just stay and head back to the parking lot once they got enough rest.

 

Second View Point

The view point was somewhat covered in trees and leaves but it was still a delightful sight to see for my weary group members as they needed a well deserved rest. They hurled their backpacks to the ground and took off their jackets, hoping to dissipate the sweat that accumulated on their bodies. A gentle cool breeze passed by, it felt good on our tired bodies allowing us to relax and recuperate. There was calm and peace in the air and for a few brief seconds, everyone became silent, just staring at the trees and mountains across us, enjoying the cool wind that comes and goes.

 

Ascent

More ups and downs greeted us in the narrow footpath of the hike. I took a step forward, leading my group to the top, unperceived to my eye sight, there was an invisible spider web on the trail. I flailed my arms around as the spider web hit my face, got stuck on the tip of my nose, cheeks and hair, as I frantically tried to get rid of all the web as fast as possible. It is funny if I think about it whenever I walk into a spider web, I mean I destroyed and pillage its home, ransacked and threw away its food and yet I still feel like the one that got victimized. It is all good though as I seem to have suddenly mastered Karate in such a short period of time.

 

Third View

Looking towards the infinite blue sky, there lay across us were mountains, hills, trees, and a vast wide brownish river, as we sat on the comfortable rocks on the view point. We all took a few minutes to just enjoy the view, shoot a few pictures and rest our bodies before moving again. The silence became longer and longer, as people seemed to just enjoy each other’s presence and the green trees that surrounded them. They were lost in thought, or lost in the beauty of their environment, I could not tell. Silence is good sometimes, it is devoid of conflict, and distractions unless it is the kind of silence that you get after telling a joke, then that silence is just awkward.

 

Second Trail Head

I stepped on a trail that seemed to be going up as my group members followed me in the ascent. I heard someone yell from the back but just ignored it. I heard it again, “wrong way!” I took out my phone, looked at my GPS, and after careful examination, I realized he was right. I moved in all directions, fumbled through mud, shrubs, and small plants, trying to find the correct trail markers. After a few minutes, we were back on track. Suddenly I remembered how Moses led his people for 40 years. People have a problem asking for directions back then too.

Note: This is very close to the second parking lot. If I want a short hike, I can just start here.

 

Fourth View

The ascent from the second trail head was brutal. It was just an upward incline without any resting or stopping till we hit the view point. I could hear the heavy footsteps of my group members, tired from all the walking that they have done. We took a rest on a big giant rock over looking a valley of greens with the sun hitting our faces while illuminating the murky river, creating glitters and sparks everywhere. A lone hawk  was flying above us, circling and dancing with the wind and I just wanted to compliment it and say that it was doing such an amazing job.

 

Fourth View Path

The path to the next view point was mostly even and flat, and just a few minutes away from the last viewpoint.

 

 

Fifth View

The grass swayed back and forth as the wind gently caressed my skin. I placed my hand on the rough soil covered stone, brushed away some of the dirt aside while trying to see if it was stable enough to hold my body. I sat and stretched out my legs, trying to get as comfortable as I could be. On this moment, I could taste the leafy world, and smell its greenish scent commanding my senses to pay attention to the world surrounding me. These are moments of tranquility in my life where I don’t need to become anyone, don’t need prove myself, and I don’t need to be good at anything at all. I can just stay here for a few moments, live in peace, without conflict, and just enjoy the moment.

I took out my new pair of hiking gloves, and told my members to get ready to leave. The gloves were nice, and got a few compliments out of it. It came from this popular Internet site. Unfortunately, the store owner most likely made a mistake as both of them were ‘lefts’, in which case I thought, it feels great on one hand, but on the other, it just does not feel right.

 

Rock Before View Point

The footpath towards Anthony’s nose was very difficult as the incline was steep and long. My group members became separated with the fast and fit people way ahead in front, while the beginners trying their hardest to catch up. I slowed my pace and waited for the slow ones as I was afraid something might happen to them. There was fatigue written all over their bodies, with sweat dripping out of their foreheads, yet they force themselves to keep moving. I walked side by side with the last person, she was short in height, and her strides were small but I knew she will keep moving.

I asked her a few questions, typical questions you ask people when you first meet them. What is your name, where do you work, and stuff like that. She said she works as one of the “Guardians Of The Galaxies.” I was surprised and don’t know how to react. “Is this girl crazy or just roleplaying?” I thought to myself. After a few moments of pondering it, I realized what she meant. I replied “cool, one of those security guards or personnel in a T-mobile store.” She looked at me dumbfounded and was confused at how I knew.

 

Anthony’s Nose

The cold fierce mountain wind blew hard, flapping the flag as it moved in multiple directions. The wind was strong yet welcomed as the wind breathed life back to my body. I gazed upon the long and sturdy bear mountain bridge from the top of this mountain, the small cars that looked like toys moving from one end to another, and the hot white sun showering its heavy rays down towards us.

 

The top was littered with rocks of various sizes, allowing us to sit on them, and be able to relax. I placed my hand on one of the big rocks on the top, it was hard, slightly slanted and coarse to the touch, the worst possible chair ever but to me, they were luxury chairs that allowed my legs to rest, and gave me a place to enjoy the view.

 

I stood on the left corner of the view point, my eyes swept through the valley of green trees, bright grassy lawns, blue skies, glistening river, and tall rocks from where I stood. In here, I could hear  the sound of nature with lots of birds chirping, insects buzzing, and even frogs belching. At first I was fascinated and in awe at the beautiful sounds of nature surrounding me, until I realized that all of these creatures were just working hard to try to get themselves laid.

 

Anthony’s Nose Lookout

The afternoon light shed its fiery light upon the cheerful grassland, dulling the colors of the rich forest covering the hill tops, and illuminating the murky river of the Hudson valley. I sat on top of the cliff side, appreciating the view from this vantage point. The cliff side was windy yet safe, with a few ledges at the bottom. There, at the river, a tiny boat sped through at an alarming speed, it made a wave at the surface of the water, that got bigger and bigger as it moved along.

 

There is something nice about hiking that I cannot fully explain, it allows me to become a little bit more like me and a lot less like most people. It is like I discover and find little pieces of myself the more I hike.

Note: Don’t try the photos in this website or you may end up discovering and finding little pieces of yourself on the bottom of the cliff.

 

The bright light of the sun turned yellow, a sign that dusk was about to come, bringing in moonlight and darkness all over the hiking path. I looked at the view point one final time before I told my group members we were leaving. Anthony’s nose was a great hike, tough, yet rewarding. I learned so much about the people that I hiked with and I will learn more as I hiked with them again in the future. We packed our bags, readied ourselves, and off to the parking lot we went.

 

End Of The Hike

The path going back towards the parking lot was the hardest and my group members were scattered everywhere, as each one was hiking as fast as they could. No one dared to take a rest, take pictures nor appreciate the scenery anymore as we were all worried about the setting sun. I tried to wait for the slow ones, and made sure they know where they were going but the continuous incline and decline made it very hard for them to keep going. Some stayed at the second trail head. They have decided they were just going to wait for the few fast paced hikers to get to the main parking lot and pick them up again.

I picked up my pace, and walked a little bit faster but on my way, I found this cute little turtle slowly trying to cross the road. I dropped down and asked the turtle where he is going. After a lengthy talk, he told me his whole story. Guess why the turtle crossed the road on this trail? There was a ‘Shell’ gas station at the other side. Well, all joking aside, I thought I did a good job taking his photograph, let’s just say I took a good ‘shell-fie’. Hahaha! Well if my joke was not funny, it is okay since I thought they were shell-arious!! Hahaha!

It was a great hike and a great adventure that I would love to do again in the future. I hoped that everyone had a great time, made friends and took a lot of pictures to remember the day.

 

 

For More Hikes

For more hikes similar to this one, you can go to my Best New York City Hikes Or Best New Jersey Hikes.