Landscape Information
West of the Hudson River from Fort Lee, New Jersey, to Bear Mountain, New York, this 42-mile scenic pleasure drive extends along cliffs, wooded slopes, ravines, and meadows as a relatively level, four-lane route. Curving with the land’s natural topography, the southern portion affords Hudson River views to the east and the Ramapo Mountains to the north, whereas the northern portion affords picturesque views of meadow expanses and Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks.
In 1900, after late-nineteenth century quarrying scarred the Palisade’s rocky escarpment, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission was established to preserve and protect the scenic asset, pursue its development as parkland, and increase regional access. Landscape engineer Charles Leavitt, Jr., was engaged the following year. Between 1901 and 1913 he designed a scenic roadway that laid lightly on the land, leveraging expansive river views throughout the fourteen-mile length of the Palisades Interstate Park (1903). Additional acreage was acquired by the Commission or donated; benefactors included Mary Harriman (1910), who secured agreements to curve the parkway inland and north, and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1933). Following several delays, the parkway was constructed from 1947 to 1961.
Comprising two lanes in each direction divided by a wide, grassy median, the design initially featured rustic wooden guardrails and light poles (no longer extant). Today, lanes are defined by four-inch, concrete curbing flanked by ten-foot grassy shoulders and a dense, vegetative buffer that includes pine and locust trees, woody and herbaceous plants, and wildflowers. Cloverleaf interchanges and granite bridges connect to neighboring towns and across waterways. Three designated lookout points (Alpine, Rockefeller, and State Line) offer picnic areas, a café, and trails (1930s). Four stone gas stations (1950s) also remain.
The Palisades Interstate Parkway was listed in the National Register in 1998. Its southern portion is included in the Palisades Interstate Park National Historic Landmark designation (1965).
