Popolopen is the name of several related landmarks mainly within the Hudson Highlands of Orange County, New York. These include a mountain, Popolopen Torne—or simply "The Torne", and a short and steep-sided nearby valley officially called Hell Hole, but often Popolopen Gorge. Popolopen Creek runs through this valley. The Popolopen Bridge spans its mouth at the Hudson River and is crossed by Route 9W. Popolopen Lake feeds the headwaters of its namesake creek. Despite local usage, the United States Board on Geographical Names recognizes only the lake, creek and bridge as bearing the name "Popolopen."
Popolopen Torne
Popolopen Torne (officially called "The Torne") is a small mountain with a relatively sharp and bald peak, part of the Hudson Highlands, with a summit above sea level. The blue-blazed, horseshoe-shaped Timp Torne trail makes a loop from Mine Torne Road to the summit and back again. Its short and steep ascent offers hikers 360° views of the Hudson River, West Point, Bear Mountain, and Harriman State Park. U.S. Route 6 passes through the valley formed between Popolopen Torne and Bear Mountain just before it reaches the Bear Mountain Bridge.
Lake Popolopen
Lake Popolopen is a lake northwest of the mountain, on the West Point Military Reservation near New York State Route 293. Camp Buckner and Camp Natural Bridge are located at the lake, which is frequently used for training and recreation. The lake comprises the largest body of water at West Point, and is used for aquatic training such as scuba diving and amphibious assault.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, cadets from West Point traditionally had a three-day war game dubbed "the Battle of Popolopen" each August. The lake was originally the site of a summer camp. Its waters were drawn to supply nearby mining operations.
During World War II, the Army purchased the land for exclusive military use. It adapted the remains of the summer retreat as Camp Popolopen, a POW camp for German prisoners. After the war, the name was changed to Camp Buckner.
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation began stocking tiger muskies in Lake Popolopen in 2011. 400 fish measuring 10.5" were stocked in 2011, and 800 fish measuring 10.5" were stocked in 2012.
Popolopen Creek
Popolopen Creek—also called Popolopen Brook—is an approximately stream, fed mainly by Lake Popolopen, Mine Lake, Stillwell Lake, and Weyant's Pond, eventually draining into the Hudson River. The creek's watershed, or drainage basin, covers about 30 square miles (77 km²) It runs mainly through lands occupied by the US Military Academy, to a gorge between Bear Mountain and Popolopen Torne, and drains to the Hudson River at Fort Clinton, New York.
"Hell Hole" Local usage applies "Hell Hole" to a series of small plunge pools within this gorge, although the usage contradicts the U.S. Geological Survey maps and other widely used sources.
The geologist K.E. Lowe wrote that the gorge known as Hell Hole is the result of a fault within a regional intrusion of crystalline rock called Storm King granite. He said, "Despite painstaking investigation, the writer found only one outcrop revealing direct evidence of faulting. A badly weathered, unhealed zone of crushed Storm King granite is exposed in the south wall of upper Hell Hole. Its continuation is unfortunately lost under debris from the construction of [highway] US 6 which mantles most of the Bear Mountain side of the valley."
For most of its length through the gorge, the creek is narrow and extremely rocky, with fast moving rapids and several waterfalls. It can only be reached on foot and is not generally navigable by boat.
The red-blazed Popolopen Gorge Trail runs along the south side of the creek to a foot bridge just south of Popolopen Torne. Here, it joins the blue-blazed Timp-Torne, 1777 West and 1779 trails. These run along the north side of the creek from Hell Hole to the bridge, with the Timp-Torne detouring over the summit of Popolopen Torne. They cross the footbridge and join the Popolopen Gorge Trail to detour around West Point property, and the combined trails turn southwest and follow the valley of Queensboro Brook.