Popular NJ park that overlooks NYC skyline closed following rockslide

A popular trail at a New Jersey park has been closed after a rockslide tossed chunks of debris from a cliff, offering scenic views of the Hudson River and New York City.

According to Palisades Interstate Park officials, a rockslide was triggered along the park’s “Giant Stairs” around 8:15 a.m. on Friday.

The rockslide impacted about 50 yards, closing the Shore Trail, famed for its panoramic views overlooking the Hudson River from the steep Palisades Cliffs.

Hikers have been urged to avoid the area, as park staff continues to assess the situation.

Rockslides are abrupt movements of masses of geologic material, including rocks or boulders, which become detached from slopes or cliffs and, like from the Palisades Cliffs, dangerously fall to the ground below.

Due to the unpredictability, rockslides can be very dangerous. Thankfully, no hikers were harmed in the fall, officials said.

Separation occurs along discontinuities such as fractures, joints and bedding planes, and movement occurs by free-fall, bouncing and rolling, according to the U.S. Geological Service.

Falls are strongly influenced by gravity, mechanical weathering and the presence of interstitial water.

The popular park with 2,500 acres of forested land within 12 miles of the Hudson Riverfront and clifftops just outside New York City, has a history of notable rockslides.

Evan London was across the Hudson River in Yonkers, New York, when he heard what he thought were military jets.

“I heard it and thought it was one of the military jets that fly the Hudson routinely and went to look, and recorded the aftermath of the slide,” London said, adding that this is the second rockslide that has occurred in that spot in the last 15 years.

According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, a worker was crushed to death by a rockslide in the park in November 1936 while working on a road project.

In December 2005, a rockslide above the Alpine Boat Basin in the park caused an estimated $100,000 in damage after destroying a large portion of the alpine area and a cinderblock shed.

Officials plan to provide updates on the most recent rockslide as they become available.