Granite Mountain Protect

June 5, 2021 – Putnam Valley, NY

Issue: Reasonable – strenuous

Size: Roughly 4 miles

Max elevation: 935 ft.– complete elevation achieve roughly 922 ft.

Route kind: Double Lollipop Loop

Free Net Map: Granite Mountain Protect Path Map 2020

Free Avenza App Map: Granite Mountain Protect Path Map – 2020

Trailhead parking: Peekskill Hole Rd, Putnam Valley, NY 10579

No loos on website

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Protect Overview:

Granite Mountain Protect is a 400-acre protect that lies throughout the boundaries of the East Hudson Highlands in Putnam Valley, NY. Nestled between Oscawana Lake Street and Peekskill Hole Street, it’s simply north of the Westchester County border in Putnam County and west of the Taconic State Parkway. Granite Mountain Protect is owned and managed by Hudson Highlands Land Belief.

Granite Mountain is situated throughout the Peekskill Hole Brook watershed, a part of each the Metropolis of Peekskill and City of Cortlandt ingesting water methods. Granite Mountain Protect incorporates two peaks that rise greater than 900 toes and is dominated by a northern hardwood forest that features crimson and chestnut oak, hickory, tulip and sugar maple together with marshy wetlands and streams. The property additionally gives a wonderful chicken habitat and is understood for its species-rich assortment of flora.

The protect features a community of properly marked woodland mountain climbing trails, a brand new parking space and kiosk, making it a publicly accessible open house providing quite a few non-motorized leisure alternatives. Granite Mountain Protect is open from daybreak to nightfall, seven days every week.

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Historical past:

The earliest inhabitants of the realm have been members of the Canopus group of the Nochpeem band of the “Wappinger Indian Confederacy.” As a part of the Mohican nation, they spoke the Algonkian language.

The footpaths made by the Native People often adopted the stream valleys. The primary settlers adopted these footpaths and in the middle of time, they turned the roads we all know as we speak as Peekskill Hole, Canopus Hole and Oscawana Lake roads.

Dutch and English farmers moved into the realm towards the top of the seventeenth Century. In 1697, the Highland Patent was granted to Adolph Philipse. The primary settlers arrived round 1740. Underneath the Philipse Patent, the earliest European settlers within the space have been the tenant farmers who leased tracts of land from the Philipse household through the first half of the eighteenth century and set in regards to the enterprise of clearing the rugged land for farming.

Regardless of such bodily situations as rocky soil and steep slopes which made farming a tough occupation in Putnam Valley, its settlers have been an industrious lot who cleared a lot of the land which has now been reforested. They raised corn, buckwheat, rye, oats, potatoes and turnips, together with plenty of lesser crops.

The entire Protect, like your entire area, was harvested for lumber, firewood and charcoal at numerous instances all through the 18th and nineteenth centuries. Many of the Protect, presumably, was deforested all through the 1800’s for agriculture and timber harvesting, and stonewalls have been constructed largely in affiliation with farming. The biggest timber rising within the Protect now are roughly 100 toes tall. The bulk are possible no older than 100 years although some “wolf timber” might date to over a century.

In 2017, the Hudson Highlands Land Belief (HHLT) acquired three land parcels on Granite Mountain to create the Granite Mountain Protect and completely preserve 358 acres. In late 2018, they introduced the growth of the Protect to 400 acres with the addition of an adjoining parcel.

The property included a community of casual trails, which have since been improved to raised shield the property’s pure sources and improve the customer expertise. Enhancements embrace: the development of latest sustainable trails, together with stone steps and rerouting some preexisting trails. Among the work was carried out by Tahawus Trails LLC, a full-service path design, development, and consulting firm based mostly in New York State.

A brand new welcome signal close to the primary gate on Peekskill Hole Street was put in and a brand new parking/entry space simply previous the primary gate was accomplished on the finish of 2018. Joshua Uchetel, a scout from Putnam Valley Boy Scouts of America Troop 41, designed and constructed a brand new informational kiosk beside the parking zone, which can provide useful data to assist company plan their go to.

HHLT can also be working with Putnam County on a administration settlement for adjoining land, which can deliver the Protect to greater than 500 acres in complete.

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Trails Overview:

There are roughly 5 miles of maintained, marked trails via wealthy, rocky woodlands, resulting in rugged hilltops with restricted views. The path system consists of a community of woods roads and footpaths which might be divided into three totally different colour closed loops for mountain climbing: a southern inexperienced path loop, a yellow path loop to Lookout Level, and a northern crimson path loop. Connector trails hyperlink the three loops.

The paths are properly maintained and clearly marked with Hudson Highlands Land Belief plastic discs of assorted colours with picket indicators at path junctions.

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Hike Overview:

The principle entrance to the Protect, marked with a “Welcome to Granite Mountain Protect” signal, is situated reverse Jeanne Drive and throughout the road from 500 Peekskill Hole Street in Putnam Valley. Remember to enter “Granite Mountain Protect” into Google Maps as simply “Granite Mountain” will lead you to the fallacious location. The brand new entry space and parking zone is situated inside the primary gate.

There’s room for roughly 8 autos within the small lot. After we arrived at 8 am on a June Saturday morning, there was one automobile already there. After we have been accomplished, simply earlier than 11 am, ours was the one car within the lot.

It’s all the time a good suggestion to print out a map beforehand as there have been none on the kiosk on the day of our go to.

This hike covers the Yellow and Purple Path loops, each accomplished counterclockwise. The Yellow Path was accomplished first, then the Purple Path. Each trails have reasonable elevation beneficial properties, but it surely does add up.

The Purple-Yellow Path, which begins on the parking space, is essentially the most strenuous a part of the hike. It beneficial properties roughly 400 toes of elevation in about 1/2 a mile.

It was a scorching and humid day with temps reaching 90°, we began the hike early and have been accomplished by 11 am. Though we labored up a sweat, the shaded trails all through this hike offered safety from the solar. The parking zone can also be shaded so we didn’t come again to a blazing scorching car.

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The Hike:

From the parking space, head in direction of the kiosk and switch left onto a footpath the place you will note triple crimson and yellow blazes on a tree. That is the beginning of the Purple-Yellow Path which connects the parking space to the inside of the protect. You can be following the Purple-Yellow Path for the primary 1/2-mile of the hike. The path climbs stone steps and shortly turns left. Because the path approaches personal property, it turns proper on a switchback. The path continues to climb, sidehilling the steep slope.

Because the path steepens, there are stone steps constructed into the path that achieve elevation shortly. Quickly the path switchbacks once more and continues its steep climb on a woods street that parallels an intermittent mountain stream. In a few 1/2-mile from the beginning, the Purple-Yellow Path involves a junction with the decrease leg of the Yellow Path.

Proceed straight previous the junction with the decrease leg of the Yellow Path for an additional 500 toes. You’ll arrive at a T-intersection, the place the Purple-Yellow Path turns proper. You’ll come again to this junction later, however for now, flip left on the higher leg of the Yellow Path, heading in direction of Lookout Rock. After crossing an intermittent stream on rocks, you’ll see triple yellow blazes on a tree.

Observe the yellow blazes as they weave their approach via the woods. The path continues to climb, however on a extra reasonable grade. Because the path begins to move north, it passes over a an previous stone wall. On the high of the rise, the path reaches the northernmost part of the protect and turns left, bordering one other stone wall.

Quickly the path begins to move in a southerly route. The path loops round, avoiding the true summit of Granite Mountain and shortly parallels one other stone wall. A brief distance later, the path reaches Lookout Rock.

This keyhole viewpoint from Lookout Rock gives southeast-facing restricted views. Throughout leaf off season the view needs to be a lot better. This makes a great spot to take a break and relaxation from the climb. You’ve got now hiked about 1.3 miles.

When you’re able to proceed, comply with the Yellow Path because it begins to descend, passing Mountain Laurel alongside the facet of the path.

In about 250 yards from Lookout Rock, the Yellow Path involves a junction with the beginning of the Inexperienced-Yellow Path, marked with blazes and picket indicators. Flip left at this junction to stay on the Yellow Path.

Because the path descends alongside the japanese slope of Granite Mountain, the forest turns into extra dense. After a number of slight ups and downs, the path descends to recross the intermittent stream on rocks and the Yellow Path ends on the junction with the Purple-Yellow Path, closing the loop.

Flip left on the Purple-Yellow Path and head uphill for an additional 500 toes. You’ll arrive on the T-intersection that you simply encountered earlier within the hike. This time flip proper in direction of the Purple Loop.

Observe the Purple-Yellow Path for about 140 toes till its terminus at a collapsed stone wall. The Purple Path Loop begins on the opposite facet of the wall. After passing via the stone wall, flip proper on the Purple Path and comply with it uphill because it travels on a woods street.

Quickly the path ranges off because it sidehills the slope, heading in a northeasterly route.

Trying up on the steep slope in direction of the summit, one can see cave-like openings within the granite rock formations.

The path runs alongside the japanese border of the the protect and shortly begins a gradual ascent. The path quickly passes via a grassy space bounded on all sides by stone partitions then veers left and begins to climb some extra. The path passes via a stone wall then over one other stone wall.

Because the path bends to the west, it ranges off and begins a gradual descent. In about 0.8-mile, the Purple Path closes the loop on the collapsed stone wall that you simply handed via earlier.

Flip proper, leaving the Purple Path, crossing via the collapsed stone wall and start retracing your steps on the Purple-Yellow Path. If you attain the junction with the Yellow Path, flip left to stay on the Purple-Yellow Path. Observe the crimson/yellow blazes downhill, now retracing your steps again to the parking space, the place the hike started.

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Assessment:

Though the one view on this hike just isn’t a lot to talk of, this was a extremely good hike. The paths are properly marked and the protect was freed from litter. The panorama is scenic and the elevation achieve will get your coronary heart pumping. We solely encountered two folks whereas we have been there and for essentially the most half, had the place to ourselves. The bonus was that on a scorching and humid day, your entire hike was within the shade.

Execs:

Properly marked trails, litter free, properly maintained protect, Trails are shaded all through.

Cons:

Partial views.

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Take a hike!

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