New Jersey Palisades
For other uses, see Palisades (disambiguation).The Palisades, also called the
New Jersey Palisades or the
Hudson Palisades, are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower
Hudson River in northeast
New Jersey and southern
New York in the
United States. The cliffs stretch north from
Jersey City approximately 20 mi (32 km) to near
Nyack, New York. They rise nearly vertically from near the edge of the river, ranging in height between 350 ft (107 m) and 550 ft (168 m). The cliffs are among the most dramatic
geologic features in the vicinity of
New York City, forming a
canyon of the Hudson north of
Fort Lee, as well as providing a dramatic vista of the New York City skyline from the opposite bank of the Hudson.
 |
Looking south down the Hudson from the Palisades |
The cliffs are the margin of a
diabase sill, formed approximately 200 million years ago at the close of the
Triassic Period by the intrusion of molten
magma upward into
sandstone. The molten material cooled and solidified before reaching the surface. Subsequent water erosion of the softer sandstone left behind the columnar structure of harder rock that exists today. The cliffs are approximately 1000 ft (300 m) thick in sections and were probably originally 1000 ft (300 m) high, approximately twice as high as they are today.
The
Lenape called the cliffs "We-awk-en", meaning "rocks that look like rows of trees" (
Weehawken, New Jersey, which sits at the top of the cliffs across from
Manhattan, takes it name from the Lenape word).
In the 19th century, the cliffs were subject to widespread quarrying for
railroad ballast, leading to local efforts to preserve the cliffs. A section of the cliffs north of Fort Lee were subsequently purchased by
John D. Rockefeller, who donated them to the State for permanent preservation. The land is now a part of
Palisades Interstate Park, a popular destination for
hiking and other outdoor recreational activities, that also includes
Harriman-
Bear Mountain State Park,
Minnewaska State Park Preserve and several other parks and historic sites in the region.
In June of 1983, the Palisades were designated a
National Natural Landmark by the National Parks Service.
The term
cliffhanger was created on the Palisades, when the popular silent movie serial
The Perils of Pauline used locations around Fort Lee, then a major movie capital.
This list runs from south to north. The south end of the Palisades is subjective.
*
Pennsylvania Railroad cut (original alignment, now
Conrail)
*
Pennsylvania Railroad cut (now
Conrail)
*Newark Avenue
*
North Hudson County Railway streetcar line (gone)
*
Erie Railroad cut (
Bergen Arches, now abandoned)
*
Erie Railroad tunnel (now
Conrail)
*
Route 139/Hoboken Avenue
*
Lackawanna Railroad tunnel (now
New Jersey Transit)
*New York Avenue
*
Hoboken Inclined Cable Railway (gone)
*
Hoboken Wagon Elevator (gone)
*Mountain Road
*Franklin Street
*
9th St/Congress St. Elevator on the
HBLR*
Paterson Plank Road*
14th Street Viaduct*
North Hudson County Railway Hillside Line (gone)
*
Weehawken Wagon Elevator (gone)
*
Hackensack Plank Road*Park Avenue
*
JFK Boulevard*
Amtrak North River tubes (formerly
PRR)
*
Route 495 (
Lincoln Tunnel helix/"Bergen Viaduct")
*Pershing Road
*
North Hudson County Railway streetcar line (gone)
*
West Shore Railroad tunnel (now
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail)
*Hillside Road
*Bulls Ferry Road
*Church Hill Road
*Gorge Road
*
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad tunnel (now abandoned)
*Edgewater Road
*
New Jersey and Hudson Railway Hudson River Line (gone)
*
Route 5*River Road (
Route 505)
*
George Washington Bridge*Palisade Avenue
*
Henry Hudson DriveNew Jersey/New York state line*Washington Springs Road
*
Palisades Interstate Parkway*
List of National Natural Landmarks*
Palisades Interstate Park
