Scenic Byways in New Jersey

Palisades Scenic Byway

New Jersey Section

The Palisades Interstate Parkway (PIP) provides a scenic 42-mile ride from the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge north to Bear Mountain State Park in New York. The 13-mile New Jersey section was designated a New Jersey Scenic Byway in 2005. Three lookouts offer spectacular views of the Palisades, the Hudson River and the New York City skyline as the road runs north through 2,500 acres of parkland. The Parkway offers breathtaking views of the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline from the 500 foot tall palisades (line of cliffs). At the river level parallel to the PIP, Henry Hudson Drive offers facilities for the public. The completion of the Parkway in 1958 marked the culmination of a progressive conservation project that preserved along the lower west bank of the

Hudson River.The formation of the Palisades Intestate Park Commission (PIPC) in 1900 by New York and New Jersey had been the start of a cooperative effort to acquire and preserve a large tract of the palisades that was threatened by quarrying operations. John D. Rockefeller advanced the PIPC’s development proposal in 1933 when he donated 700 acres of land atop a 13-mile stretch of the New Jersey palisades.

Fast facts:

Length: 10.6 miles along the Palisades Interstate Parkway; 8.5 miles along Henry Hudson Drive (pdf 1.3m)
Route: Starts in Fort Lee, NJ at the George Washington Bridge and ends in Rockleigh, NY.