King’s Chamber Loop – Fahnestock State Park

December 14, 2024 – Kent, NY

Issue: Reasonable

Size: Roughly 3.6 miles

Max elevation: 1020 ft. – complete elevation achieve roughly 600 ft.

Purchase Maps (Paper & Avenza): East Hudson Trails Map 2023

Parking: Waywayanda Lake Boat Launch – 170 Waywayanda Ct, Carmel Hamlet, NY 10512

Filth highway (considerably tough) – No bogs on website

Hours: Open Day by day, 8:00am – Sundown

There aren’t any admission or parking charges at this park.

Please Word: This hike is completed utilizing outdated unmarked woods roads and/or trails which aren’t maintained. The realm itself incorporates a maze of outdated roads that go off in numerous instructions, a few of which aren’t on any maps that I seen. Those that aren’t assured of their route-finding skill may want to select one other hike.

Overview:

Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park, often known as Fahnestock State Park, is a 16,171-acre state park situated in north central Putnam County with parts within the cities of Carmel, Kent, Philipstown and Putnam Valley. The park is traversed by the Taconic State Parkway, US Route 9, NYS Route 301 and several other native roads. Rail stations operated by Metro North Railroad are inside ten miles of the park at Garrison, Chilly Spring and Beacon. The park doesn’t have a single, formal entrance. The park is managed and maintained by the New York State Workplace of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Fahnestock is characterised by parallel ridges and hills that pattern in a southwest to northeast route. Steep slopes are sometimes discovered on the southeast and northwest facets of a few of these ridges. Elevations vary from roughly 400 ft within the lowest space of the park alongside Clove Creek within the neighborhood of U.S. Route 9, to a most of over 1300 ft on a ridge west of Canopus Lake. The vast majority of the park is at elevations better than 600 ft.

Because the peaks of Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park are extra hills than mountains, the mountaineering is mostly much less strenuous than others within the area. This makes the park a preferred vacation spot for informal hikers.

Historical past:

King’s Chamber: The King’s Chamber is as grand as its title suggests. It’s the largest stone chamber in Putnam County, boasting a standing ceremonial stone in entrance of it. Its dimensions are roughly 30 ft. deep, 6 ft. excessive, and 10 ft. large. Hypothesis on their origins, age, and goal are as quite a few as they’re diverse. Folklore surrounds them. The King’s Chamber aligns with the winter solstice dawn and it is usually a lunar standstill chamber. That alignment occurred in 2023.

Camp Collins: The King’s Chamber sits on a tract of land that was as soon as an outdated Boy Scouts camp. Camp Collins was a 99-acre Scout Camp situated within the Moose Hill space, and owned by the Yonkers Council. It opened previous to 1935 and continued in operation till 1952. In April 1953 it was introduced that Camp Collins would shut and the Yonkers Council would start sharing house at Camp Bullowa in Stony Level throughout the Hudson River.

Your complete space round Moose Hill is now a part of Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park and is accessible from varied entry factors.

Hike Overview:

It is a very nice hike with tons to find. The historic facets of the factors of pursuits, make for a worthwhile day hike. At present, there aren’t any blazed trails and there are quite a few woods roads that go off in numerous instructions. A number of the woods roads are on the path map, however others aren’t, and it might get complicated. My recommendation is to make use of the Avenza Maps app and the NY-NJ Path Convention East Hudson Trails Map 2023 (for Avenza).

I’ve fairly good navigational expertise, however I needed to seek advice from the Avenza app quite a few instances to insure that I used to be heading in the right direction. This space doesn’t get a number of foot site visitors and makes for a quiet space to hike. 

This Lollipop Loop hike was finished countercounterclockwise from the Waywayanda Lake boat launch space.

 

It’s largely downhill on the way in which to King’s Chamber and a number of ups and downs on the way in which again.

The Hike:

For the aim of this information, I named the paths/woods roads in order that they are often extra simply adopted. 

From the Waywayanda Lake Boat Launch (aka Pudding Road Pond or Cranberry Swamp on some maps), search for a large path simply to the proper of a non-public driveway. Head south alongside this highway which I name the Connector Path.

 

The Connector Path rises steadily alongside non-public property. Keep on the large woods highway because it passes massive rock formations.

In about 0.3 mile, while you attain the ability strains hall, bear left to start strolling on the Energy Traces Path.

In about one other 475 ft, flip proper, leaving the Energy Traces Path and start strolling on a woods highway. This flip could be simple to overlook in case you are not paying consideration.

You’ll see a number of Orange indicators alongside the way in which letting that you’re in Fahnestock State Park.

This highway which I’ll name the King’s Chamber Path, Climbs steadily and shortly reaches the excessive level of the hike, 1020 ft.

Proceed heading southwest on the King’s Chamber Path, passing stone partitions alongside the way in which.

The outdated highway dips down into the valley very steadily. It’s possible you’ll discover different woods roads that department off from the primary highway, however you must proceed on the King’s Chamber Path Seek the advice of your map (or Avenza Maps app) for verification.

 

 

Quickly, Roaring Brook (a tributary of the Peekskill Hole Creek Watershed) will seem in your proper. Observe the highway because it parallels the brook. In about 3/4 mile from the junction with the Energy Traces Path, the highway comes actually near the brook and turns into much less discernible. Look simply forward to a break in a stone wall. That’s the route of the King’s Chamber Path.

After crossing by means of the break within the stone wall, the highway widens and begins heading southeast.

 

In one other 370 yards from the break within the stone wall, the path reaches the King’s Chamber which is simply to the left of the path.

A historic curiosity in Putnam County are the “corbelled stone chambers.” 

These are constructions with roofs of huge stone slabs, with stone aspect partitions angled barely inward.

The age, the creators, and the unique functions of the chambers are unknown, and proceed to be the topic of a lot hypothesis.

Theories in regards to the creators vary from Native Individuals of the distant previous, Norsemen within the tenth century, Welshmen within the twelfth century, and early European settlers.

There may very well be as many as 200 stone chambers in all of Putnam County. Whereas their origins and ages are in dispute, they’ve actually been utilized by space residents as root cellars for crop and ice storage properly into the twentieth century.

When you find yourself finished testing the King’s Chamber, proceed forward on the King’s Chamber Path which is diagonally to the east of the doorway. In a really quick distance, as you descend a rocky space, you’ll move a standing stone. Look to your left (you might have to stroll just a few ft) and you will note one other a lot smaller stone chamber.

This is called “The Tomb.” It’s a small, barely subterranean chamber with a tomb like look and a quartz shelf within the rear.

 

When you find yourself able to proceed, proceed east a brief distance and you’ll move an outdated picnic shelter.

This picnic shelter was a part of Camp Collins. 

Camp Collins was a 99-acre Scout Camp situated within the Moose Hill space, and owned by the Yonkers Council. It opened previous to 1935 and continued in operation till 1952. In April 1953 it was introduced that Camp Collins would shut and the Yonkers Council would start sharing house at Camp Bullowa in Stony Level throughout the Hudson River.

 

As you proceed east, there are small stone steps to the left of the path that result in a big stone chimney. 

Presumably the positioning of a cabin or one other picnic shelter.

The King’s Chamber Path continues east, however quickly bends to the north. 

A brief distance later, the highway involves a Y-Intersection. Bear left and start heading north.

The King’s Chamber Path quickly passes an outdated park storage shed on the left.

Proceed heading north on the King’s Chamber Path for an additional 280 yards (from the Y-Intersection), and you’ll move by means of an space with remnants of Camp Collins on either side of the path. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The path quickly begins gaining elevation, turning left on the subsequent intersection.

 

 

The path dips down just a little then begins climbing Moose Hill in earnest.

Whenever you attain the following intersection, bear proper. For those who flip left, the path climbs to the close to summit of Moose Hill. On reflection, I’d have taken the left fork to keep away from the rocky part of the Energy Traces Path which is simply forward. Both approach you go, you’ll find yourself on the Energy Traces Path.

 

Flip left on the Energy Traces Path, which is rocky and fairly steep.

On the high of the rise, you will note the “Summit Path” on the left. Proceed alongside on the Energy Traces Path because it descends alongside the jap boundary of Fahnestock State Park.

The Energy Traces Path runs alongside the sting of the woods. The facility line hall is owned by the New York State Electrical & Gasoline Company and abuts a lot of the park’s jap boundary, with NYC Watershed lands and NYS DEC a number of use areas past.

The path navigates a number of smaller hills because it heads north.

 

The Energy Traces Path quickly bears proper, avoiding one other hill, and passes the junction with the beginning of the King’s Chamber Path the place you turned earlier within the hike. 

Quickly the path leaves the ability line hall and also you are actually retracing your steps on the Connector Path. Observe the woods highway north, again to the boat launch space, the place the hike started.

 

 

 

Assessment:

A extremely good hike with tons to see. Though the King’s Chamber was the spotlight of this hike, the scattered ruins of Camp Collins and the quite a few stone partitions, make this a enjoyable discovery hike. The Taconic State Parkway is close by in the course of the first half of this hike, and a few slight highway noise could be heard, nevertheless it’s not a distraction. For nearly the whole thing of the hike, it was quiet apart from an occasional critter rustling by means of the leaves or birds chirping. The one those who we noticed, was a pair strolling their canines as we returned to the trailhead. A very pleasant hike.

Execs:

King’s Chamber, The Tomb, Camp Collins ruins, stone partitions, quiet space, little foot site visitors.

Cons:

No marked trails, some blowdowns.

Take a hike!

Sources: