Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: Cheescote Mountain Loop

Cheescote Mountain County Park
Rockland County,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Long Path: Green blaze
Unmarked Trails

Total Time: 1:20 hour
Estimated Distance: 2.5 miles
Level of Difficulty: Moderate to Slightly Difficult
Level of Recommendation: Slightly Recommended
Points Of Interest: Pond and view
Pros: Scenic Pond and Nice view
Cons: Around a built-up area, path around pond recently paved, not enough marked trails, part of this area creepy

Hiking Partner:
Shimmy Rosenberg

Google Map of Parking:

View 2013 Hiking Locations in a larger map

Cheesecote Mountain is an individual mountain jutting out adjacent to the Ramapo Mountain escarpment. It is not part of Harriman State Park, and half the mountain is built up with million-dollar homes, and the other half is preserved as parkland. There are many trails and paths in this park, though the only official marked trail is the Long Path, which enters on one side and comes out the other.

We parked on Call Hollow Road by the Cemetery Access area, and headed up the Long Path from there. In less than five minutes the trail hits a cemetery, and skirts around it. The cemetery looks like some sort of veteran's cemetery. From there the Long Path crosses under the power lines, and starts climbing the mountain. On the right side of the trail there are houses in the distance. We then walked around the pond, which was recently paved all around, taking away from its natural setting. We then took a northern spur trail up to the top of the mountain and a good viewpoint, and then down a little to a bushwack. We bushwacked to a wide trail skirting the northern part of the mountain, which eventually on to Call Hollow Road.