2023-01-10: Jackie Jones Mountain

Rockland County: NY County HP 13/62

Elevation 1278'. 2.8 mi, 40 min round trip. 500' elevation gain.

I had planned to pick a friend up from LaGuardia in NYC on this mild, cloudy Tuesday, and naturally I sought to determine which mountains, if any, I could climb along the trip. I figured it would make the most sense to stay on the west side of the Hudson River, following I-87 for the fastest travel time. Thankfully, this meant travelling through Rockland County, whose highest point I had yet to reach.

Rockland County is home to Harriman State Park, one of the largest parks in New York home to extensive hiking trails, lakes, overlooks, and interesting nature-based attractions. Jackie Jones Mountain is not one of these. With no views and no real points of interest, the peak is notable solely for its position as high point. Harriman was the playground of my parents in their heyday, and it's likely that I hiked Jackie Jones with them at some point in my childhood. Still, it was worth another visit, to hike solo and know for sure that I reached the top of Rockland County.

I took the New York Thruway to the Palisades Parkway and parked off a side road near Lake Welch, right at the entrance to Harriman State Park. Here the trail up Jackie Jones begins with a paved road, leading to a radar tower below the summit. The path turns off another road which quickly deteriorates into gravel and dirt.

Water flows through an old ruined dam along the trail. The area once held underwater has returned to swamp.

A view up the rapidly-deteriorating road-trail towards the mountian.

Shortly after the road turns to path is the ruins of the Orak Mansion, a Gilded Age property left derelict and largely reclaimed by nature. It seemed interesting, and I hoped to have time to stop and investigate more on descent. A little beyond the mansion were some limited views towards the southeast through the trees, probably obscured in the summer.

A doorway in an old stone wall at the Orak Mansion.

High Tor rises above the Hudson River in the most significant view from Jackie Jones Mountain.

The trail up from the mansion took a lot of sharp, seemingly nonsensical turns. These seem to be to avoid the large radar and communications station located near the summit. The terrain in Harriman is incredibly rocky, more so than anywhere else I've been in New York, so there was a fair bit of bouldering involved in this portion of the hike. Just beyond some steep rocky areas, the summit came into view.

Boulders near a hairpin turn in the trail.

Large exposed rocks like these are common, and the trail climbs several of them.

The top of Jackie Jones Mountain is nothing spectacular. There are some very limited views of Lake Welch to the north which probably aren't there in summer. The fire tower is fenced off, and although I probably could have gotten inside relatively easily, I didn't want to risk any mishaps that could lead to missing my friend's flight. I was a little disappointed by the lack of any official survey marker; the forbidden fire tower was the only way to know I was at the top.

A view towards the top of the fire tower. Safety concerns are probably the reason for its closure.

A view through the power lines towards Lake Welch.

Jackie Jones Mountain, elevation 1278'. Rockland County HP. NY County HP 13/63.

A view of the radar station near the summit. The trail comes surprisingly close to it.

On the way out, my friend texted me to tell me her flight would be arriving on time, meaning I would have time to take a short detour through the ruins of the Orak Mansion. There seemed to be two main buildings, one surrounded by a stone wall that was completely overgrown, and one that was concrete and in slightly better shape. I walked around the old property for a few minutes before continuing on my way back down.

A doorway in the stone wall, seen through a field of incredibly dense thorn bushes.

The still-standing concrete wall, marked with some graffiti but mostly just moss.

An old gatehouse on the opposite side of the trail.

I still had a little time left on my way out, so I stopped at the Minisceongo Creek, which runs parallel to the lowest part of the trail. There were some rapids and small waterfalls here near where the creek meets the main road. I took some pictures, then headed the rest of my way to the airport, arriving an hour early with another county highpoint under my belt.

Small waterfalls on the Minisceongo Creek near the bridge on Kanawauke Road.