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All the United States New Jersey Alpine Cliff Dale Manor Ruins

Cliff Dale Manor Ruins

Along the Palisades skyline are the ruins of a large mansion built in 1911 and demolished in the 1930s.

Alpine, New Jersey

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Kathleen Butler
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View from Bottom - Cliff Dale Manor   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
Looking out - Cliff Dale Manor   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
Cliff Dale Manor Bottom Portion   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
Cliff Dale   Public Domain
“Cliff Dale” as shown in the 1876 Walker Atlas.   Public Domain
Inside Cliff Dale Manor Bottom Portion   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
1911   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
Garden?   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
A portion of the Garden Area   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
From bottom   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
03.08,2020 canon dslr w/ neptune art lens.   MandrewPatinkin / Atlas Obscura User
03.08,2020   MandrewPatinkin / Atlas Obscura User
03.08,2020   MandrewPatinkin / Atlas Obscura User
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03.08,2020   MandrewPatinkin / Atlas Obscura User
03.08,2020   MandrewPatinkin / Atlas Obscura User
03.08,2020   MandrewPatinkin / Atlas Obscura User
Staircase to Garden   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
03.08,2020   MandrewPatinkin / Atlas Obscura User
Inside Cliff Dale Manor Bottom Portion   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
Another Staircase   57butler / Atlas Obscura User
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Along the Palisades skyline in Alpine, New Jersey, are the ruins of a once opulent mansion built in 1911 on a 25-acre cliffside property overlooking the Hudson River.

The Cliff Dale Manor was built as a summer home by a wealthy businessman named George Zabriskie. The property was then purchased in 1930 by J.D. Rockefeller, Jr., who donated the property two years later after the Palisades commission decided to return the skyline to its natural terrain.

Plans for the demolition of the two-story stone mansion were set forth, but the demolition didn't go as planned. The top part of the structure was demolished, but the large bottom portion still stands today, looking much like the remains of an old castle. Today the large ruin, including parts of the garden and a few stairways leading nowhere, can be seen on a nice hike in Palisades Park.

Check out this video for more exploration of Cliff Dale Manor. 

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Parks Ruins Mansions

Know Before You Go

The ruins are on park property and is legal to visit. There is a trail opening towards the left of the parking lot. Follow that trail for about a mile and you will eventually be led to the ruin. Be careful the GPS doesn't lead you over the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey; you don't want to accidentally pay that that $15 toll.

Utilizing the alternate parking area at the following address not only puts you directly on the trail that the ruins connect to, but also saves you money as the parking lot is free. Enter the trail by going underneath the two overhead highway bridges and then make a right onto the dark green marked Long Trail. 

14 Old Dock Rd, Alpine, NJ 07620

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Added By

57butler

Edited By

MagnumPI, Longarms McGee, Meg, MandrewPatinkin

  • MagnumPI
  • Longarms McGee
  • Meg
  • MandrewPatinkin

Published

February 9, 2017

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  • http://www.njpalisades.org/cliffdalePartII.html
Cliff Dale Manor Ruins
14 Old Dock Rd
Alpine, New Jersey, 07620
United States
40.948206, -73.924105
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Nearby Places

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Alpine

Alpine

New Jersey

Places 2

Nearby Places

The Devil’s Tower

Alpine, New Jersey

miles away

The Science Barge

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miles away

Saw Mill River Daylighting

Yonkers, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Alpine

Alpine

New Jersey

Places 2

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