About the Hike: We'll be meeting at 9 AM at the
Rocky Point entrance on the Eastern side of the park. If you
have a donut preference let us know in your Will Attend log. The
event will last 30 minutes, rain or shine, and no hiking is
required to log the event. After "breakfast" we will be following
the Rocky Point trail which is about 3 miles long with about a 600
foot elevation change. There are plenty of sights along the way and
a great payoff vista three quarters of the way around. For those
who are interested you can continue for as much as 15 miles along
the incredible Hartshorne trail system. There are stroller-friendly
trails, a short-cut to the rocky-point lookout and plenty to see
for everyone. Geo-pooches are welcome but leashes along the trail
are highly recommended as there are steep drop-offs not far from
the path.
If you would rather meet-and-greet and then head out elsewhere
or if the weather doesn't cooperate, the Twin Lights of the
Navisink lighthouse is less than a mile away and Sandy Hook, with a
lighthouse of its own as well as a handful of caches, is just over
the hill. For an easy stroll, the Eastern terminus of the Henry
Hudson Trail is also nearby.
About the Park: A hilly, forested 787-acre site
overlooking the Navesink River, Hartshorne is among the highest
elevations along the Atlantic Coast and features prominently in
area history as a former coastal defense site. Known for its
challenging trail system, scenic views, towering groves of
old-growth trees and 15 cache placements, Hartshorne Woods is a
popular park for area hikers, bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts.
It's the perfect place to escape the sounds of suburbia.
History: This park is named after Richard
Hartshorne an English Quaker from London who settled here in 1669
and acquired more than 2,300 acres of land. By the early 1880s,
some of the land was sold to private individuals and the U.S.
government, but large portions remained in Hartshorne family
ownership. The Park System acquired the first 660 acres of this
park in 1974. Additional land was conveyed from the government in
1984, and subsequent purchases – including the 44-acre Clayton
Creek section in 2005- brought the park to its current size.
Military Installations at Rocky Point: The
Hartshorne property was a desirable defense site because of its
high elevation. Through the years, it hosted a number of different
land and air-based military installations to defend New York Harbor
and surrounding areas.During the WWII era, batteries for heavy
artillery were built on this site to modernize coastal defense
efforts. These concrete and earth encasements or bunkers –
considered “bomb-proof” at the time – protected personnel and
equipment. These structures can still be viewed today. With the
rise of strategic air power and nuclear weapons, the reliance on
artillery guns for coastal defense ended. During the Cold War Era,
from the 1950s-1970s, the site served as a missile defense site and
command center with radar, computers and electronic plotting
devices.
Hartshorne Trail Map
