Palisades Giant Stairs Hike

Palisades Giant Stairs is very close to Manhattan, NY so people that live near there can also enjoy this hike without driving too far. A lot of people like this hike because they do not have to drive very far to hike a trail in the weekends. This place is also near to a couple of good restaurants in the area. This hike is not that long or this hike is very short. People often add some more miles if they want a good workout. The Palisades park is pretty long with lots of trails and lots of viewpoints as well.

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Palisades Giant Stairs Important Information

Trail Map: Trail Map 1
Suggested Phone GPS Apps: Alltrails.com, Avenza Maps, Google Maps

Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 4.5 Miles
Elevation Gained: 900 ft
Portable Toilet At Parking: Yes

Trail Breakdown
Parking To Trail Head – 0.2 miles
Trail Head To Women’s Federation Monument – 0.3 miles
Blue And White Trail – 0.3 miles
Shore Trail – 1.8 miles
Long Path To Parking – 1.8 miles

Link: https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/1259838335

Note: The information is just an approximation.

Parking

40.988638, -73.907232

 

Start Of The Hike

It was one of those days when I craved to be with nature, to have a hike even if it would have been a short one. Palisades was a place close to my home, and getting a quick hike for the day was an idea that filled my mind till I could no longer deny it. I got into my car, drove to New Jersey, and ended up at a restaurant with a big parking lot in Palisades. The scent of delicious hamburgers filled the air inside as I went to the bathroom. The staff was nice, friendly and have big smiles on their faces that it occurred to me that they love working there. I thanked them for the bathroom and went on my way.

 

Trail Head

I walked through the concrete road as various cars passed me by. They often slowed down trying not to hit the other hikers near me that was going to the trailhead. At the left of the road were these big rocks that lined up like an obstacle or gate, at the middle of the rocks was the long path trailhead. I could hear sounds of laughter emanating from the other hikers near me. There was just something about hiking that brings people together, allows them to bond and have fun all at the same time.

 

Long Path

The green wooden bridge appeared in front of me. I ran my hands on the surface of the bridge, I felt the coarse and scratchy surface of the wood with a few of the green paint peeling out. Still, the old wooden bridge felt solid and strong. The bridge must have survived countless seasons of summers and winters judging by the way it looked, and yet the bridge felt like it would last for another hundred years or so. At the distance, I could see a structure standing tall behind the various skeletal trees that somewhat blocked my view.

 

Intersection, going downward, and going upward. Upward goes to the monument, downward goes to Giant stairs.

 

From a distance, I could see a distinct and peculiar structure, a castle made out bricks and stones. There was a little excitement in my face as I hurriedly went to the castle that was in front of me. The brown leaves covered the footpath, hiding a few rocks that almost made me fall to my face. I hurried over to the castle, walking as fast as I could, as there was this excitement that just took over me that I did not care about the rocks, nor the dangers. All I cared about was getting to the monument.

 

Women’s Federation Monument

The monument was a castle like structure that somewhat reminded me of this old video game called Super Mario brothers. Strong, dirty, metal bars blocked the entrance to the tower, it was locked, and there was no key in sight. The castle was made out of stones with different colors, and I could never tell whether these stones darkened as time passed by or this was just their natural colors. It was rather small, and not as big as I thought it would be. Still, I felt like a kid, curious to what the castle offered, as I walked around it, trying to see if I could do anything fun while I was there.

 

The top of the castle was some sort of roof made out of concrete with various graffiti all over the place. The tower had this badly drawn laughing face that looked somewhat sinister according to its eyes or perhaps it was just badly drawn as the face looked happy to me in some sort of way. A part of me wanted to climbed all the way to the top of the tower but I hesitated as I may injure myself and there were no other people in the vicinity that will help me if I did. I went down from the castle and just admired the cliff view from the base of it.

 

The view was somewhat mundane and repetitive as I saw a similar view near the parking lot. However, the cool afternoon wind was nice on the skin, rejuvenating my body and somewhat lulling me to sleep. I touched the cold metallic fence, it was stable and secure, as I leaned on it while admiring the view and enjoying the gentle winds that came passing by. The place felt very relaxing with the warm afternoon sun hitting my face, and the mild cold winds caressing my body but I knew I had to leave as I only have a few hours before darkness sets in.

 

Blue And White Trail

The trail was a spiral descent downwards with man-made stones layered together in order to create steps for hikers to use. An ocean of brown leaves covered most of the path, making the trail very slippery, and dangerous for people who do not pay any attention. A fierce wind would come every now and again, blowing the leaves, making them roll and spin as they glide through the man-made floors. I took my time slowly, walking ever more carefully with each step that I made, trying my best not to injure myself.

 

Shore Trail Intersection

At the bottom was a footpath with brown and yellow leaves scattered everywhere as far as my eyes could see. The trees would sway a little, and the sound of leaves rustling could be heard whenever the wind blew in. A few would fall from the top and dance their way down as I walked the shore line footpath. To my right, I could see glimpses of the river. To the front, more barren trees that seemed to be devoid of life could be seen.

 

Shore Trail

Big boulders and stones appeared in front of me, blocking my way. It seemed rather daunting at first but the white markers pointed the way to an easier path that will allow me to circumvent the big stones and boulders. I followed the white markers but I soon realized I was going the wrong way. Someone spilled their graffiti paint all over the stones, and I ended up climbing upwards instead of just going through. An easy mistake that I was able correct but I ended up wasting valuable time, time I needed so that I won’t end up hiking in the dark.

 

At the end of the big boulders were a pile of small rocks on the ground but to my left, was this vertical rock formation towering high above me. It was huge, a lot taller than the trees surrounding me. I was in awe as I saw a few people climbing the huge vertical cliff. They were almost at the top and seemed to be in a hurry as well since the light of the sun was fading and becoming duller with each second passing by. I wanted to go near them and say ‘hello’ but I was also in a hurry. I cannot be in the trail at night time as I didn’t have any headlamps with me. I only have my phone which was already low in battery.

 

Giant Stairs

Coarse and rough, the big piles of stones scattered all over the land making the path dangerous and tricky. While this would have been easy if I took my time, I just did not have that luxury. Down on all fours, I grabbed one stone and pushed myself with my legs, moving from one big rock to another in a blazing speed, trying to move as fast as I could. The sun was sinking a lot faster than I anticipated and I was not even at the halfway point of the hike yet.

 

Giant Stairs Waterfall

I was certain that in the winter, this could be called a waterfall since waterfalls in NY tend to be dry during that season. But in this moment, it looked like someone just opened a faucet and forgot to close it. Water trickled down the side of the mountain, barely making a sound. It looked terrible and hideous to the eyes but I was too tired to care. I had been hiking with a heavy backpack and I barely got any rest. I sat on a cold stone near the waterfall, and enjoyed the waves from the river that kissed the shoreline over and over again.

 

Long Path Start

At the middle of the hike was the long path, with giant wooden boardwalks showing me the way. They were a big help as they were very stable and easy to walk onto. I looked at the sky, barely any light left and I knew that the sun had already set. I moved through the trail, almost running, trying to move as fast as I could. There was no more time to sight see or enjoy the scenery, the only thing I could think of was getting back to my car safely.

 

Long Path Going Back

I could hear myself breathing heavily with my body showing fatigue as I ascended higher and higher through the trail. I wanted to rest and enjoy the scenery for five minutes but the sky just did not agree with me. I dragged my body and forced my feet to move, inching closer and closer to the parking lot. Fresh and rejuvenating, the cool wind passed by a couple of times, cooling my body and giving me back some of my energy. It felt like nature was giving me a hand and I felt extremely grateful to the wind as I started running towards the parking lot.

 

End Of The Hike

There was gladness and relief in my heart when I saw the restaurant. The bright yellow lights shining from the windows were very beautiful to my eyes. I made it! I still had a few minutes to spare. I sat at the viewpoint near the parking lot, and just enjoyed a few moments before heading to my car. The cool and gentle winds came in, allowing me to relax while cooling my body. I could see the moon and a few stars from a distance, and I felt extremely grateful that I did not have to hike in the dark.

I got in my car, feeling happy and safe, while being somewhat excited for the next adventures and hikes that I was already planning on doing.

 

For More Hikes

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