Storm King Highway

Storm King Highway
View of Newburgh Bay and Pollepel Island from highway, 2006
Map of Storm King Highway
Map of Orange County in southeastern New York with Storm King Highway highlighted in red
LocationCornwall and Highlands, NY
Nearest cityNewburgh
Coordinates41°25′03″N 73°58′24″W / 41.41750°N 73.97333°W / 41.41750; -73.97333
Area18 acres (7.3 ha); 3.9 miles (6.4 km) in length[1]
Built1916
ArchitectJohn L. Hayes Construction Company, Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC), builders[1]
MPSHudson Highlands MRA
NRHP reference No.82001229
Added to NRHP1982

The Storm King Highway is a three-mile (4.8 km) segment of New York State Route 218 (NY 218) between Lee Road in the Town of Highlands at the south end and the Cornwall-on-Hudson village line in Orange County, New York, in the United States. It was built in 1916 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 in recognition of its accomplishment in civil engineering.

It is so named because it winds around the steep slopes of Storm King Mountain near its north end of the Hudson Highlands on the west bank of the Hudson River. Here it reaches heights of up to 420 feet (130 m) above the water, with panoramic views of the river and surrounding mountains such as Breakneck Ridge and Bull Hill.

Several small pullouts allow drivers to stop and enjoy the view. When built it took 22 miles (35 km) off the trip [1] between Cornwall and Newburgh to its north with Highland Falls and West Point to its south. It remains in use by commuters, though a bypass, now part of US 9W, was built, further shortening travel times while still offering panoramic views.

Rock face along the Storm King Highway
  1. ^ a b c Barry, Elise (April 22, 1982). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Storm King Highway". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved September 27, 2008.