On March 7, 2026, I decided to begin a section hike of the Long Path, starting with the 14.1 mile Section 1 from Manhattan to the New York-New Jersey State Line.
It was a surprisingly mild and foggy day. Just two weeks after a blizzard dumped over 20 inches of snow on the region, temperatures in the 60s quickly melted the remaining snow, creating a slushy, muddy mess and trails that sometimes looked more like creeks.
The Southern Terminus
Originally beginning in Fort Lee at the George Washington Bridge, the southern terminus was moved in 2015 to the 175th Street subway station in Manhattan.
We left our cars at State Line Lookout and rather than drive into Manhattan, we took an Uber and were dropped off at W 175th Street and Fort Washington Avenue.
We searched for signs or blazes to mark the trailhead at 175th Street. Finding none, we decided to take ceremonial photos by the subway entrance anyway. But which one was the official starting point? Unsure, we took photos at several to cover our bases.
George Washington Bridge
The trail follows the George Washington Bridge (traditionally the Southwalk, but it was closed for construction, so we followed the Northwalk), providing panoramic views across the Hudson River and the basaltic face of the Hudson Palisades on the New Jersey side that lay ahead.
The first blaze we saw was on the Fort Lee side of the GWB walkway, indicating where the trail leaves the bridge and enters the woods.
The route is primarily marked with 2″ x 4″ light blue-green blazes. The blaze color, “Long Path Aqua,” is a trade name of the Trail Conference.
For most of the section, the trail is relatively flat, paralleling the Palisades Interstate Parkway. It’s a surprisingly busy section, passing a gas station, Allison Park, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace property, the High Tom promontory, Rockefeller Lookout, Greenbrook Sanctuary, Alpine Lookout, and the headquarters of the New Jersey section of Palisades Interstate Park, where we stopped for a break and a snack. We saw three deer and also passed multiple old foundations and ruins from past settlements along the cliffs.
The Women’s Federation Monument
The most unique site along the trail is perhaps the Women’s Federation Monument. In the 1890s, quarries were blasting the Palisades cliffs for stone used in railroad beds and concrete. The Englewood Women’s Club championed the cause of protecting the Palisades and enlisted the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs, which in 1897 held its annual convention in North Jersey.
By 1900, the governors of New Jersey and New York had signed legislation creating an Interstate Commission to acquire and manage the Palisades. One of the first properties acquired in Alpine was named “Federation Park,” and in 1929 a castle-like monument was dedicated there to honor the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs, whose advocacy played a critical role in preserving the cliffs.
State Line Lookout
The section soon reaches State Line Lookout, a popular bird-watching spot with sweeping views of the Hudson, where a pair of resident peregrine falcons nest.
While the trail technically continues another mile to the New York–New Jersey border, we left that stretch for another day, since it would have required backtracking to the parking lot. We returned to our cars at the overlook, where earlier that morning we had watched dense fog blanket the river before sunrise.
Section 1 was done. Only 34 sections to go.
