Rockleigh Woods/Lamont Reserve

Dogs Off-leash

Features Fall Colors

This run traverses two preserved tracts on the western slope of the Palisades: the Rockleigh Woods Sanctuary and the Lamont Reserve.

This is a free access park

From the parking lot, cross a playground to reach three blue blazes on a tree marking the start of the Hutcheon Trail. Follow this bleu trail for about 300 feet, and you'll reach three yellow blazes marking the start of the Snaden-Haring-Lamont trail.

Bear left on the blue trail for another 400 feet and you'll reach another marker of the yellow trail on your left. Bear right on that mark to keep following the blue trail. Upon crossing the second stream, bear left an keep following the blue trail. You'll now be crossing from the Rockleigh Sanctuary to the Lamont Reserve. Keep following the blue trail until it merges with a white-marked trail coming from the left side, the Lamont Rock Trail.

You'll now start an ascent that follows the white trail. The grade is on average 14%, with the steepest section around 24%, but for a very short length. Keep following the white trail, passing by two old cisterns, and follow the route until the Lamont Rock, a relatively small boulder, marking the highest point of the trail (484 feet). From there, you can have a limited view of the Hudson River.

The descent is easy and never have a grade greater than 15%. Keep following the white trail until you cross with the yellow trail. You should continue on the white trail (almost straight across at the intersection point with yellow), and continue your descent until reaching three orange blazes marking the starting of the Brookside trail, which runs parallel to the Roaring Brook (the brook will be at your right side).

Follow the orange trail until you are back to the blue trail, and after crossing the Roaring Brook (the same crossing we came in), take the yellow trail to your left. This trail will bring you back to the parking lot, after passing by a small pond, the Sneden Ice Pond.