May 16, 2012 · The rocks fell on a shoreline trail called Giant Stairs, a massive boulder field created by several thousand years of accumulated rock slides. Eric Nelsen, an educator at Palisades Interstate Park, said Saturday’s rock fall is the biggest he has seen in his 20 years with the park service. “Looking down on it from the top of Lookout Point it ...

Jun 21, 2012 · The fall, Dr. Menke said, was caused by rainwater that, over millions of years, had seeped into cracks in the Palisades and loosened the bonds that held the rock.

In an interesting 2012 article from Columbia Climate School, “Rock Fall Shakes New Jersey Palisades,” you’ll find this quote: Over millions of years, other rocks surrounding the basalt columns eroded, leaving sheer faces with long vertical cracks that make the Palisades susceptible to rock falls, especially during spring, as ice frozen ...

The namesake Lookout provides must-see views of fall draping over the Hudson from atop the Palisades. Along with the foliage, the scenic viewpoint also makes a great place to watch the fall raptor migration. Heading north, the first segment of the hike follows the Long Path on the ridge of the rock walls, and crosses into New York state.

May 16, 2012 · A 500-foot rock face came crashing down from the Palisades cliffs along the Hudson River in Alpine, N.J. on Saturday night, shaking the ground for more than half a minute and dumping a fresh layer of boulders over a 100-yard strip of parkland below State Line Lookout. The shaking was strong enough to be registered by a seismic station a mile and a half away, at Columbia University’s Lamont ...

The type of rock that forms the Palisades is called diabase. It is an igneous (volcanic) rock similar to basalt. Palisades diabase consists mostly of two minerals, light feldspar and dark augite, which give the rock a distinctive “salt-and-pepper” appearance up close.

Jul 7, 2022 · The Giant Stairs section of Palisades Interstate Park is a popular and difficult trek, with over a mile of rock scrambling that takes you to an incredible view. Of course, not all of the views along the park require difficult and scary scrambling - there are walkways and paths that showcase the beauty of the cliffs, too.

Aug 28, 2014 · Palisade Falls gets its name from the basalt columns that surround the waterfall. “In the Gallatin Range you have the basement rock, which is metamorphic rock,” said Gallatin National Forest ...

Jan 24, 2025 · The Palisades Long Path Loop is well known for its breathtaking scenery and steep rocky descents. The Long Path runs parallel to the cliffs, providing a wide vista across the river. You'll pass more steps made of rock and wood further. Along the way, you'll emerge into an open space covered in vines at the bottom of the fall. These are great places to take a break and take in the view. The ...

Fissures forming in the rock widened over time until chunks — sometimes a boulder or two, occasionally thousands of tons of diabase — separated from the cliff and hurtled toward the Hudson, in some cases causing earthquake-scale shock waves. ... (or palisade) built for defensive purposes. That’s what it’s called on the first map of the ...