# NY steep climb Nyack



## Ken Roberts

I found a short steep hill today that I hadn't heard of before: 
Old Mountain Rd on the south side of Nyack -- also called rt 28 of Rockland county [ map ]. 
I think it's the steepest road within 18 miles of the GWB.

It climbs west up from rt 9W, starting with steepness of 20% or more, and another section around 16-18%. Then rt 28 turns left onto South Boulevard and climbs some more, for a total around 300 vertical feet.The bottom of Old Mountain Rd is fairly close to the normal river ride between Piermont and Nyack -- basically can take Broadway south from Nyack (over the NY Thruway) to its south end, (carefully) cross rt 9W, and there it is.
(After climbing up it, unless you're very experienced with steep descents, it's much less steep to go north down Shadyside onto rt 9W north, soon turn Right and cross over the Thruway, then down Clinton Av back to Broadway or Piermont Av -- or continue southwest on rt 28 into Clausland Mt Rd.)​Ken


----------



## psycleridr

Brutal hill!! Been riding it for years. Start from Piermont and ride straight up to 9W then head North to OMR. Go up then hang the left then up again. Once up there you can do the 6 mile loop up there. I will do this little loop when i feel like killing my legs. Funny thing is i tried to map it on MapMy Ride and it only shows it as around a 6% incline!!


----------



## ping771

I've done it for years. If you want to continue the hurt, make a right onto 9W north at the top, you'll see Toga Bike shop on the left, and there's another long gradual hill followed by a long flat and then another hill before you get to Rockland State Park. Go into the park, do an easy lap or two (I think almost 2 miles each lap), then ride back the same hills. A very good workout.

EDIT: Whoops you're talking about a different Old Mountain Rd, which I think is in South Nyack. I'm talking about Old Mountain Rd, which is north of the Runcible Spoon.


----------



## Bob Ross

ping771 said:


> Whoops you're talking about a different Old Mountain Rd, which I think is in South Nyack. I'm talking about Old Mountain Rd, which is north of the Runcible Spoon.




I _think_ you guys are confusing Old Mountain Road with Mountain Road.

Of course, now that I think about it, maybe I'm confusing both of these Nyack roads with Mountain Road up in Cornwall (near West Point). Now _that_ is a ***** of a climb, makes both of those Nyack roads look like a tiny roller. Seriously.




[edit: Okay, I looked at a map. You're both right: Old Mountain Road is indeed in Nyack north of the Spoon, goes west from North Broadway towards 9W (but becomes Christian Herald Road before it actually meets 9W). But there's also an Old Mountain Road in South Nyack that goes west from 9W towards South Blvd.

And they're _still_ rollers compared to Mountain Road in Cornwall! (heading south from 218 to 9W)


----------



## Bluffplace

Speaking of Nyack and 9W, just take 9W north to Bear Mountain. Then go up Perkins Memorial Drive. Its about 6 a mile up hill ride. Its a nice place to do hill repeats


----------



## psycleridr

Perkins is good for consistent climbing but it is really not that steep. I think it is around 5% and from the lodge to the top is just under 5 miles

Either way gonna have to check out the other OMR. But you all should try the the one in Piermont!


----------



## Ken Roberts

Bob Ross said:


> Mountain Road up in Cornwall (near West Point). Now _that_ is a ***** of a climb


Thanks for letting us know about another good one [ map ]. Some preliminary measurements off some topo software seem to indicate that it's more than twice as big as Old Mt Rd in south Nyack. Overall average grade less than 10%, but it seems to have near its top about 200 vertical feet around 12-14% grade. Hope to get to check it out in the fall.



Bob Ross said:


> Mountain Road in Cornwall ... makes both of those Nyack roads look like a tiny roller. Seriously.


You have no clue.
Seriously.

How about tell us how high a gear you can climb this Old Mountain Rd? [ see on map ].
Just a "roller", so sounds like 52x17 ought to be no problem for you - right?
Maybe you can post here when you're going down to Nyack to show how it's done -- or have somebody get a video with their phone of you climbing just the first half in 52x17.

When you're finished with that, you could head west and try Kain Rd [ map ], (it's about as close to Nyack as Cornwall's Mountain Rd) -- let us know how easy that is compared to Cornwall-on-Hudson.

Ken


----------



## technic05

A nice loop if you want to head into NJ would be, from Piermont take Route 340 heading into NJ, once you're in NJ it turns into Piermont Road. 

Take that all the way down to Alpine and then make a left on Closter Dock Road. Brutal climb that passes many mansions but you'll be too gassed to appreciate them fully. 

Then you make make a left back onto 9W to head back upstate.


----------



## iraform

*9W to Bear Mountain*



Bluffplace said:


> Speaking of Nyack and 9W, just take 9W north to Bear Mountain. Then go up Perkins Memorial Drive. Its about 6 a mile up hill ride. Its a nice place to do hill repeats


Not to hijack this thread about climbs, but is simply taking 9W north to Bear Mountain an okay way to go? I've seen routes from Ken and others that take you different ways, but I thought I might keep it simple for my first time riding there. I've never been north of the Toga bike shop. Is 9W from there to Bear Mountain as nice a ride as 9W from the GWB to Piermont?


----------



## Bluffplace

Piermont Road is a nice flat ride. Closter Dock is a nice climb, but I just feel that the cars pass me really close. Theres a couple of side residential roads that I use. Not as brutal as Closter Dock, but quiet streets that we can ride 2 and 3 across.


----------



## Nielly

As an alternate climb to Closter Dock try Hillside. It starts a little further south of Closter Dock but curves back over and ends up on 9W not too far from Closter Dock. It's a little longer but it's wider most of the way and a lot less busy.


----------



## Mdeth1313

Nielly said:


> As an alternate climb to Closter Dock try Hillside. It starts a little further south of Closter Dock but curves back over and ends up on 9W not too far from Closter Dock. It's a little longer but it's wider most of the way and a lot less busy.



Or, go all the way into Tenafly, the steepest (although not longest) climb up to 9W should be E. Clinton Avenue.

When I worked in Tenafly and lived in Westchester County, I used to drive over to my gym in Blauvelt and do a quick commute to work (13-15 miles) and then on the way home go up to 9W, south to pick up Henry Hudson Drive and then back north- then down closter dock or north on 9W to piermont and then up ash street, over to tweed (another nice climb), continue straight at the end and back over to 303 and back to my gym. That loop provided some nice climbing.


----------



## Nielly

Mdeth1313 said:


> Or, go all the way into Tenafly, the steepest (although not longest) climb up to 9W should be E. Clinton Avenue.
> 
> When I worked in Tenafly and lived in Westchester County, I used to drive over to my gym in Blauvelt and do a quick commute to work (13-15 miles) and then on the way home go up to 9W, south to pick up Henry Hudson Drive and then back north- then down closter dock or north on 9W to piermont and then up ash street, over to tweed (another nice climb), continue straight at the end and back over to 303 and back to my gym. That loop provided some nice climbing.


I've done all three of these (Closter Dock, Hillside and E. Clinton) climbs and although I've only done E. Clinton once it seemed to me to be the most difficult of the three, although it was a hot day and there is not a lot of tree cover so that may explain some of it. If you're looking for a workout definitely give that one try


----------

