The Long Path descends pleasantly to Gurnee County Park. Although the signs posted on the trees warned me to “Do Not Approach, Ground Unstable” I took a peek and was rewarded with a view of the Rampo Mountains and Harriman State Park. The ascent brings you to the Gurnee County Park with its amazing vistas. The trail here gets more technical and steadily ascends. I crossed Central Highway and continued on the Long Path. I doubled back to the Long Path and continued on the woods road until I reached Central Highway. The view from Little Tor was not as dramatic as High Tor, but well worth the short hike. I followed the woods roads for what seemed to be two miles and found the White Trail which leads to Little Tor. I descended High Tor Mountain and followed the LP to a lovely woods road. There are the remains of an old radio tower and lots and lots of graffiti. During the American Revolution, the troops used High Tor Mountain as a place to signal. The views were amazing, and included the Hudson River and the Village of Haverstraw. Steadily, I climbed until I reached High Tor Mountain. I trudged along, opting to go explore the Vineyards another day. After a long climb, I encountered the Spur Trail, which leads to the historic High Tor Vineyards. The renowned author/playwright Maxwell Anderson, a long time Rockland County resident wrote a play entitled High Tor after the mountain. I followed the Long Path until it reached Old Route 304, then I followed the LP blazes as they turned right off the road and steadily climbed toward High Tor Mountain. I also spotted a few deers in the orchard. The first mile or so is mainly road walking (Scratchup Road), however, the trail is surrounded by beauty on both sides an apple orchard and the amazing rock cut from the Tilcon Quarry. I parked my car on a turnoff on Route 9W and Route 304 and crossed Route 9W to connect with the Long Path. With my irreplaceable hiking partner “Northeast Hiking” diligently earning her degree in Ecology, I am sadly hitting the trails without her. High Tor, Little Tor and South Mountain Park and Gurnee County Park
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