Alpine's Fall on the Palisades Runs Through Huyler's Landing While the Giant Stairs Stay Closed

"The Giant Stairs is one of the most beloved trails within the Palisades Interstate Park." The Palisades Interstate Park Commission wrote that line in a public statement dated June 4, 2026. The same statement gave no reopening date.

Nearly four months later, the commission's park advisories page still lists the Giant Stairs as closed to all use, from Peanut Leap Cascade to Forest View, until further notice. If your idea of fall in Alpine is the river-level boulder scramble below State Line Lookout, that walk is off the table for the season. The rest of the park in town is open, though, and this year's fall calendar is built around two ends that the Huyler's Landing loop connects.

What Came Down on January 9

According to the New York–New Jersey Trail Conference's trail alert, a major rockfall and landslide hit on the morning of January 9, 2026, and the whole Giant Stairs section of the Shore Trail near State Line Lookout was closed. News 12's Lauren Del Valle reported that the slide happened around 9 a.m. She reported that no one was hurt and that the park was looking into the cause, and she described freeze-thaw cycles and brittle, porous rock as general conditions on the cliffs. NJ.com described the closed stretch as a mile-long boulder scramble, unsafe because more rock could still fall.

In January, park superintendent Steve Shallop told Patch the trail might stay closed until spring. That was an early estimate, and it was wrong. By June the commission was working with geologists and rockfall mitigation specialists. The review covers how stable the fallen debris is and how likely more rockfalls are, and it includes both short-term and long-term management plans.

This matters for fall planning because the northern part of the Shore Trail runs straight through the Giant Stairs. The classic loop that drops from State Line Lookout to the river and climbs back is broken. One end of the park in Alpine sits on the cliff top and the other sits at the water.

The Two Ends That Stayed Open

State Line Lookout is the cliff-top end. Kearney House, at the Alpine Picnic Area by the river, is the other. Between them they carry almost all of the Alpine-side programming on the park's October and November 2026 calendar.

On the cliff top, the State Line Hawk Watch depends on volunteers and weather, so it may not run every day. The park welcomes visitors and suggests bringing binoculars. The commission also points to a new Interpretive Ranger Station at the lookout, where you can talk with a ranger, make a family craft, or sit with a book after a hike. It hasn't posted hours for the station yet. The café timing has a wrinkle, too. The static State Line page says the café is generally open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the current advisory says the kitchen closes at 4:30. The advisory also warns that staffing can delay or prevent opening and gives 201-750-0465 for anyone who wants to confirm.

At the river, the tavern evenings at Kearney House recreate the mid-1800s, when Mrs. Kearney ran a dockside tavern in the house. "Tales of the Macabre" is a night of Edgar Allan Poe readings with hot cider and donuts, at $13 in advance or $20 at the door. "Punch & Pie" brings music by Thaddeus MacGregor, plus pies, punch and storytelling, at $22 in advance or $30 at the door. Door sales are cash only, only if spots remain, and the park says these programs fill quickly. Reservations go through Eventbrite.

November 7 is the one date when both ends are busy. The Beaver Moon Fest runs at State Line Lookout until 3 p.m., and Punch & Pie starts at Kearney House at 8 p.m. The Beaver Moon Fest has vendors, exhibitors and food, and parking at State Line is metered.

Huyler's Landing Is the Route Between Them

The Giant Stairs used to be the dramatic link between the cliff top and the river. With it closed, the park's own Huyler's Landing History Hike works as a connector that never touches the closed section. It starts and ends at the Alpine Picnic Area, runs about 5 miles, and takes around three and a half hours.

The park's handout lays out the route:

1. From the Alpine Picnic Area, head south on the Shore Trail to Huyler's Landing.
2. Climb the red-marked Huyler's Landing Trail up to the Long Path.
3. Follow the Long Path north along the cliff top.
4. Come down the orange-marked Closter Dock Trail.
5. Take the Shore Trail south back to the start.

The handout is marked "Revised Winter 2021," even though the park's current trails page links to it. Before heading out, check it against the live advisories.

Neither the closure advisory nor the June statement suggests a specific detour. For a shorter outing from the same parking area, the park also lists the Cape Fly Away Loop at about 3 miles. The Hallowe'en Hike on November 1, led by "Eeric" Nelsen and Mrs. Kearney's crew, also leaves from Kearney House at 4 p.m. and covers about 3 miles over roughly two hours at a moderate pace.

The Landing Site Historians Moved

Huyler's Landing is where the history of this stretch of river happened. The commission's Fort Lee history says that on November 20, 1776, Cornwallis was ordered to take 5,000 men across the Hudson several miles north of Fort Lee, which set off Washington's retreat.

For a long time, local tradition put that crossing at Upper Closter Landing by Kearney House. A park history piece concludes that the evidence points to Lower Closter Landing, the spot later called Huyler's Landing or New Dock, and notes that local historians kept debating it for years. A 2017 park article identifies Huyler's Landing as the "New Dock" landing site. It says the troops climbed a farm road that is now a hiking trail.

The park's Kearney House page also says the long-told story of Cornwallis using the house as his headquarters is wrong. So the red-blazed climb in step two of the loop is very likely the route the British took up the Palisades 250 years ago this November, not a stand-in.

Retreat Weekend Puts the Climb Back on the Calendar

The Brigade of the American Revolution is organizing the 250th Anniversary Retreat from Fort Lee to New Bridge Landing with the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Bergen County Parks, Historic New Bridge Landing and the towns along the route. Alpine's role in the plan is specific. On Friday, November 20, British reenactors are scheduled to camp at Kearney House. On Saturday, November 21, willing British participants plan to march up the Palisades at Huyler's Landing before joining the day's events at Fort Lee.

On Sunday, November 22, the British column is scheduled to march from Huyler's Landing to the site of the Englewood Liberty Pole and then on to New Bridge Landing. There it meets the American rearguard, which marches from Fort Lee along the historic Retreat Route, and the two sides stage tactical demonstrations across the grounds. The organizer says the public is welcome to stay into Saturday evening at Fort Lee to hear stories from both sides and walk through the camps by firelight.

The posted dates don't fully agree. The park's October and November calendar lists the 250th commemoration for Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21, with programs at both Fort Lee Historic Park and Kearney House. The Brigade and the RevNJ listing put the public events on Saturday and Sunday, November 21 and 22, with participant camping starting Friday. The park's own Retreat page still says to stay tuned for 2026 updates. Keep the whole weekend of November 20 to 22 open and check the park's page closer to the date. The Huyler's Landing march is for reenactors. No source describes it as a guided public hike.

One more seasonal detail affects the drive down. Henry Hudson Drive is open to cars and bikes from May through November. The segment from Dyckman Hill Road to the Alpine Approach Road closes to cars from December through April. The Dyckman Hill Road entrance and the yellow-marked Dyckman Hill Trail are still closed while repairs are planned in phases. The park also closed Henry Hudson Drive from Englewood Circle to Alpine HQ on September 26 and 27 because of severe weather, so it's worth a quick look at the advisories before any trip down to the river. Kearney House's season closes with "Thanksgiving Time" on November 28 and 29, from 1 to 4 p.m., with hot cider and music by Thaddeus MacGregor.

I keep track of what changes in Alpine, whether it's a trail closure or a 250-year-old landing site, because that's the kind of detail neighbors ask me about. If you're weighing a move near the Palisades or thinking about what your Alpine home is worth, Chris Crawford is glad to talk it through. Request your free market consultation.