Moses' Mountain

Beautiful views

A high point at 73 meters in the middle of Bloodroot Valley, you'd never believe you're in NYC.

The view from the top of this mountain is amazing. Moreover the path up the mountain is a very gentle slope. It's great for bird watching. I saw several hawks and several little hermit thrushes.

This hill was formed in the 1960s as road crews working to build the Staten Island Expressway cleared tons of serpentine from where the road crosses Todt Hill, and all that rock had to go somewhere. They piled it up on high ground in undeveloped parkland.

A few decades later the Parks Department named the pile for master builder Robert Moses, the driving force behind the expressway, the Verrazano Bridge, and many other projects. I suspect the wags at Parks were also thinking of Mt Sinai, but you won't find anything of religious significance on this summit.

Today hardy trees and other plants grow on the man-made serpentine hill, which has a path that winds up it. Easiest access is from a tiny parking area on Rockland Ave and Manor Rd, where there is also a bus stop. There are good views from the top, even out to the ocean particularly when there are no leaves on the trees.

Beautiful view great scenery along the way