Popolopen Torne

**UPDATE October 2023** The hike as outlined below is no longer possible, due to the bridge in Step 13 being washed away and wrapped around a tree downstream.  Yikes!  (Thank you to Dexter for the helpful comment and crazy photo below.)  You can complete a much shorter version of this hike by parking at Step 18 and climbing straight up to the Torne and back down.  According to Fleitan’s comment below, searching on “Popolopen trail head” in Waze will take you right to this small parking area on Mine Road, and you can then follow from Step 18 – I just confirmed that this also works in Google Maps.  And if you’re reading this in the future, and you happen to know that the bridge has been replaced, please let us know!  Or do we all have jet packs in the future and we can just fly across the stream?  Either way, let us know!     

**UPDATE July 2017** Several comments from friendly hikers at the bottom of this page mention construction on the Rt 9 W Popolopen Bridge – that construction is now complete, and won’t hassle you any longer.  I’ve removed about 17 updates from this spot that gave some workarounds that fortunately are no longer necessary.  Happy hiking out there!

1. **UPDATE April 2016** Since the Fort Montgomery folks asked us to start parking in the hiker lot just north of the Fort Montgomery site, you can skip this step and pick up the trail guide on Step 2 — just stroll to the entrance to the Fort Montgomery site and we’ll all be on the same page again.

From the parking area at the Fort Montgomery State Historic Site (see “Directions to the trailhead” below), walk back up the driveway toward Rt 9W, passing the stone staircase and trail blazes for the combined Blue (Timp-Torne)/1777W/1779 Trail (say that five times fast). You’ll be ending your loop today by coming down that staircase with a head full of awesome new memories. For now, keep heading up the road until you get to 9W.

2. Let’s begin our day in nature by walking along a very, very busy highway, just like Thoreau would have done. Have no fear – we’re only on 9W for a short stretch, and that stretch is mostly comprised of a scenic bridge walk with a pedestrian lane.

You want to turn left onto the very busy Rt 9W here — the trail turns into the woods on the far side of the bridge, on the other side of the road. I recommend crossing the street here, before the bridge (if you can do so safely), then turning left to walk toward the bridge, since the road looks a little tougher to cross after the bridge.

When you can safely cross the street, turn left onto Route 9W, then cross over Popolopen Creek, which you’ll be seeing much more of today.

3. After you cross the bridge, just after the guard rail ends, on your right, you’ll see a “NO PARKING ANY TIME” sign, with the three red-and-white blazes of the Popolopen Gorge Trail (henceforth referred to as the Red Trail) just behind it.

Turn right here to hop on the Red Trail (this turn is very easy to miss – keep a sharp eye out!). Adios, Rt. 9W! Thanks for the good times, and don’t let anyone tell you that you’re the poor man’s I-87. I-87 is the poor man’s 9W.

4. You’ll be on the Red Trail for the next 1.6 miles (this 1.6-mile stretch will take us all the way to Step 12 below, since the Red Trail can be a wily one), during which you’ll gain 453 ft and descend 213 ft. Be very careful not to get bucked off onto unmarked trails (there’s one immediately after the hike begins, where you’ll take the right fork to stay on the Red Trail).

In another minute, cross under some power lines and take a gander as they descend down toward Popolopen Creek.

5. Just after the power lines, the trail brings you to a small clearing high above the creek, then takes a sharp left turn to begin your first climb of the day. Here, as with everywhere else on this hike, pay special attention to the Restricted Area signs. West Point’s property adjoins this land, and you don’t want to star inadvertently in any of their drills.

Going up!

6. Keep following the Red Trail as it joins the creek and ambles along beside it. You’ll pass a fire circle just beside the trail (unless it’s been removed since my last visit on 8/9/2014), then enjoy some more quick climbs as you venture away from the creek (and toward Rt 6, a bad trade in my opinion).

7. Five minutes after the fire ring, the trail takes a hard uphill bend to the left, marked with two blazes and a small cairn (fancy talk for pile of rocks).  Careful here!  An unmarked trail continues following the creek, which is the way you’d go if you weren’t carefully playing a game of “Find the Next Blaze.”  Keep on the lookout for the two blazes marking that hard bend to the left!   (One hiker reported missing this bend, and also noted that there are multiple fire rings out here. Keep your eyes peeled for the two blazes that mark the turn, and beware the siren call of the unmarked trail!)

8. Toward the top of the next rise, you’ll turn left to continue following the blazes. In another moment, take a right to keep following them, ignoring the siren call of the unmarked trail.

9. Shortly after that right turn, the trail winds past some cool rock formations.

Dare you to stick your hand in there!

Just kidding. Please don’t do that.

10. Along this stretch, you will need to test your Jedi sense-focusing abilities on ignoring the road noise from Route 6, which you can see at times through the trees. Just keep on motoring and ignoring the actual motoring.

About five minutes after the cool rock formations, you’ll arrive at a fork in the trail with no obvious (as of August 2014) blazes to be seen. Take the downhill fork to your right and you’ll start seeing blazes again in just a moment.

11. In another moment, you’ll pass some, uh, concrete things that look like they could serve as a set for the upcoming movie The Ring III: The Rectangle. Samara, are you in there?

12. Just a few minutes after the last concrete doohicky, you’ll come to the Trail Junction of a Million Blazes. Keep an eye out for this junction! It’s very well-marked, but you could easily stroll right past it if you weren’t paying attention.

Here, the Red Trail continues straight ahead, joined by the 1777W and 1779 Trails, and also the Blue (Timp-Torne) Trail. Don’t go that way!

This is where we bid adieu to the Red Trail, and turn right to hop on the 1777W and 1779 Trails, which are also joined by the Blue Trail (though I didn’t notice any blue blazes until a few yards down the trail).

13. Head down the hill to find a very cool bridge crossing Popolopen Creek.

From the NY-NJ Trail Conference guide for this hike: “This prefabricated bridge was installed in 2012 by a volunteer trail crew from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, replacing a similar bridge that was severely damaged in 2011 by Hurricane Irene.”

Thank you, NY-NJ Trail Conference and your volunteers! For everything, really, but in this particular instance, for this awesome bridge.

14. Ready for some climbing? From the bridge, it’s .5 miles and 586 vertical feet to the summit. Follow the markers on the far side of the bridge to climb some stone steps, emerging onto a wide, flat trail.

Turn right onto the 1777W/1779/Blue Trail to continue following the blazes. (And if you happen to notice a stray red blaze out here, you can ignore it. I think it wandered here by accident.)

15. Almost immediately (within one minute), look for the Blue Trail to intersect the many-blazed monster you’re currently walking on, heading uphill to your left and downhill to your right. (“But I’m already on the Blue Trail,” you might be saying. Shhhhhh. Let’s not overthink this.)

Turn left to follow the Blue Trail uphill, leaving the 1777W and 1779 trails (and all their excess syllables) behind.

16. In a couple minutes, cross over a gravel road, following the Blue Trail straight across.

17. The final obstacle before the rock scramble up to the Torne is the guard rail that you have to limbo under to arrive on the paved Mine Road (this road is blocked to traffic on both sides of this spot, so I’d be surprised if you saw any cars here).

First you spread your limbo feet, then you move to the limbo beat. How low can you go?

18. Hop across Mine Road and steel yourself for the climb to come. Just keep following those blue blazes. Going up!

19. Less than ten minutes from Mine Road, you start to get your first hint of a view.

More where that came from! But first, up, up and up.

And then, after about fifteen minutes of strenuous climbing from Mine Road, the hint of a view becomes the real thing.

Stroll along the awesome clifftop vantage point and take it all in. This is not the summit, but it is still a money spot in its own right. Take a break here or keep trekking to the summit. (You still have one more money spot before the summit, too.)

20. A few more minutes uphill and boom! ‘Nother money spot.

Know what’s wrong with this place? Nothing.

21. One more short climb to the actual summit. When you get to the top, you’ll know it.

Popolopen Torne’s summit is marked with two stone benches and a stone monument. You’ll find out more about these memorials on a kiosk you’ll pass on your way down. (Images of the write-ups here and here, in case you’d like to read them now.) From that kiosk: “These rocks were carried from the bottom and stacked here as a tribute to American soldiers now serving on the Frontier of Freedom. To their safe return.”

I’m sure this goes without saying because you are an awesome person, but some less awesome people have apparently taken souvenirs from this monument. Please don’t be one of those people.

The two benches are dedicated to West Point graduates who were killed in action in Afghanistan.

MAJ Thomas “TK” Kennedy: Obituary, Military Times tribute

1LT Daren M. Hidalgo: News story, Military Times tribute

We’ll get back to the trail guide in just a moment, but this is a great opportunity to take a moment to think about, well, whatever you think it’s important to think about right now.

UPDATE: Per this comment on the Facebook announcement of this trail guide going online, here’s some more information about the origin of these benches and some other excellent trail work on this hike: “The new cedar kiosk, trail blazing, 2 new granite benches and QR codes on the benches were part of my son, Grant Thomas’, Eagle Project. It’s a wonderful hike!  … Grant was able to name the trail “The Trail of the Fallen” which is how many of us refer to it. I’m happy to see this article. Below is the link to his fundraising for the Eagle project.”  [The fundraiser is now closed, but follow that link to see more pictures of the project, and to get an idea of how much work went into all of this.]  Wonderful work, Grant! 

22. This is the part where you sit down, eat a granola bar, and say, “Wow” or “Duuuuude” or something to that effect. Don’t forget to check out the view behind you, too.

Also, don’t forget to water your dog (if applicable).

23. When you’re done soaking in the solemn and gorgeous awesomeness of this place, wander around the stone monument (so that it’s between you and the benches) to pick up the Blue Trail again, which heads down a wide-open rock face.  (If you have trouble picking up the blazes, the Blue Trail continues almost straight across the Torne, coming down directly opposite the way you came up, before heading down the right-hand (eastern) side of the hill.  You should be able to pick up the blazes again just on the far side of the monument.)

24. Continue following the blue blazes down through the pitch pines and steep rock faces. Watch your step! Over the next .7 miles, we’re going to descend 550 feet.

When you see KEEP OUT signs around here, you know, keep out.

Also, careful not to get bucked off on any unmarked trails – keep following those blue blazes down, down, down.

It took me twenty minutes to emerge beside a kiosk onto the paved Mine Road. Here, you can stop for a moment to read more about the monuments up on the Torne, and the caring people who put them (and this kiosk) here.

When you’re done reading, turn left (assuming you’re coming down the trail, with your back to the kiosk) to head downhill on the paved road.

25. In just a moment, you’ll arrive at a parking area on your right (you can park here for a much shorter route to climb the Torne, if you’re looking for the Clif’s Notes version of this hike).

Turn right into the parking lot, then follow the gravel road that heads out of the back-right corner of the lot to stay on the Blue Trail. You’ll walk around the gate (notice the blue blaze on it) to proceed.

Just after that gate, the Blue Trail departs the gravel road, descending down the bank to your left. That’s where you want to be. Turn left off the gravel road here to stay on the Blue Trail.  (UPDATE November 2016: Thanks to Tasi for the helpful comment on this section — the sign pictured below has been moved further down the trail, where it makes much more sense.  You should no longer see the sign as it is pictured here – you’ll turn off the gravel road before reaching it.  Thanks, Tasi!)

26. After a short descent, turn left to stay on the Blue Trail when it widens and levels out, rejoined from the right by the 1777W and 1779 Trails. Hello again, Popolopen Creek! Enjoy this flat stretch of easy traveling as you mosey high above the burbling water – it’ll be just under one mile before you need to worry about any more turns.

27. I see you back there, you turkeys! (If you don’t see any turkeys right now, you can skip this step.)

28. About fifteen minutes after the 1777W/1779/Blue Trail junction from Step 26 above, you’ll find a wide unmarked trail crossing your path. Continue straight here to stay on the 1777W/1779/Blue Trail.

29. Is that a house over there? Yup, it’s a house. How did a house get out here in the middle of the wilderness? Answer: It’s not the wilderness. Just a moment after that seemingly out-of-place house, you’ll pop out onto the paved Mine Road once again – this time, the road is open to traffic, so be careful. Hi there, civilization!

It’s not entirely obvious which way to turn onto Mine Road. The correct answer is right – turn right onto Mine Road, and stay on it past Wildwood Ridge, which departs to your right, and Camp Road, which departs to your left. You’ll see the Blue Trail/1777W/1779 markers on the occasional phone pole to let you know that, indeed, you are still hiking, not power walking.

30. This road section takes less than five minutes. Keep an eye out on your left for your entry point back into nature, which is marked on a short pole with the familiar 1777W/1779/Blue Trail blazes. Turn left here to hop back on the trail and get some dirt back under your feet.

31. Follow the trail into the woods, and in just a moment, you’ll start to get a glimpse of Brooks Lake down through the trees.

32. At the bottom of the hill, it’s decision time! You’ll arrive at a many-blazed trail junction where you can go left or straight/right.

If you choose left, you’ll take a 1-mile, flat stroll around Brooks Lake. On the far side, you’ll wander across a town park, complete with ball fields, gazebo and porto-potty (score!).

If you turn straight/right here, you can cut off that extra mile entirely (this hike is 4.7 miles total without the loop, 5.6 miles with).

The loop around the lake is pleasant, but not earth-shattering. (This body of water must have a good publicist – I might have called it a pond.)

I’m glad I went around the loop during my first visit, but if I were to come back, I’d probably skip it.

I’ll give the loop below as an optional step. If you choose to skip it, go right/straight across the little boardwalk here, then meet us down at Step 34 (you’ll hit the next trail junction very soon – within a minute or two. See you there!).

33. Optional step: Stroll around Brooks Lake.

Okay, wild person, let’s do it! Turn left at the junction to hop on the red-on-white-blazed loop around Brooks Lake.

Enjoy nature’s beauty.

And humankind’s contributions.

About two-thirds of the way around the loop, you’ll find some actual very nice contributions from humankind, in the form of a picturesque lakeside park.

Continue hugging the shore of Brooks Lake as you pass a kiosk, hop on a gravel road, and pick up those red-and-white blazes again. Head back into the woods where the gravel road runs between two boulders.

The old concession stand has seen better days, hasn’t it? (Actually, I have no idea what that building used to be, but one thing’s for sure: You’ll have to get your Fun Dip elsewhere.)

Stroll beside some bull rushes and boom! On your right, you’ll see a couple of trees with many blazes. That’s the end of the Brooks Lake loop.

We’re right back to where the lazy people who didn’t go around the lake will meet us. (It’s okay, we can call them lazy – they’re not even reading this part.) Hope you enjoyed your stroll around the lake!

34. Hello again, people who didn’t walk around the lake — we were just talking about you! All good things, all good things.

From this junction, you want to go straight/left if you’re coming from the lake loop, or right if you skipped the loop.

35. In a minute, arrive at another paved road. Turn left and follow the road for a few moments.

36. On your right in a minute or less, turn right to stay on the Blue/1777W/1779 Trail.

37. In a couple of minutes, arrive at a mildly confusing fork. Take the left option here to stay on the trail. The right fork goes somewhere you’re not supposed to be.

38. In another minute, pop out onto another road, with an old park building in front of you. Turn right to walk along this road for just a minute. (When I was here in August 2014, there was some construction machinery parked at this junction. If you’re a five-year-old and those machines are still there, welcome to your favorite spot on this hike.)

39. The trail blazes are posted on phone poles along this stretch. When a driveway joins you from the left, notice the blazes on the phone pole on your left. They’re telling you to turn right, following the trail into the woods. (I missed this turn and had to backtrack. May you be spared the same fate.)

40. Follow the blazes (and Lyme disease warnings) for another couple of minutes before arriving at a fork with a posted sign (Left: West and Round Hill Redoubts; Right: Visitor Center). Choose the right-hand option to return to the Visitor Center.

41. The trail takes you right underneath the Route 9W bridge. Pretty cool, but watch out for bridge trolls!

42. Two minutes or so after the bridge, boom! You’ve closed the loop.

Hello again, Fort Montgomery Historic Site, and thanks for not locking up our car in here!

Hope you enjoyed the Torne! Bonus points for every time you manage to say “I have Popolopen Torne it up” for the rest of the day.