Enjoy a ‘Flower Moon’ Beach Fire on the Hudson

A full moon beach fire gets underway at the beach in front of Alpine Pavilion. | Photo by Lindsey Foschini.

ALPINE, N.J.—On Saturday evening, May 18, the staff of the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey will invite the public to join them at a riverside fire on one of the park’s old bathing beaches on the Hudson. 

The fire will take place in front of Alpine Pavilion at Alpine Picnic Area and Boat Basin from 7 to 10 p.m. All are welcome to come to the informal program, and to bring a chair or blanket on which to sit—and some refreshments to enjoy (the fire will be too large and hot for cooking marshmallows, but a second, smaller fire will be set up for that purpose). Guitars or other instruments are also welcome.

Algonquin Indians and American colonists called May’s full moon the “Flower Moon” because of the profusion of wildflowers that bloom around the time of its appearance.

The area is accessible from the park’s Alpine entrance at Alpine Approach Road, off U.S. Route 9W about half a mile north of Closter Dock Road, or from the Palisades Interstate Parkway at Exit 2. A flashlight is recommended for the walk from the parking area to the beach and back (about 200 yards each way). Restrooms are available near the site of the fire. For additional information about the program, or to confirm if weather seems questionable, visitors can call (201) 768-1360 ext. 108.