I visited Hudson Highlands State Park for the first time to hike the Blue Trail, also known as the…read moreCornish Trail. It was only my third time hiking, and that's when I realized how much I love hiking. I definitely plan to hike more often. The Blue Trail is considered beginner-friendly, I found parts of it a bit challenging because of the incline. Still, the effort was worth it, the view of South Beacon Mountain was absolutely beautiful. The hike itself was a great experience, especially with friends. Near the train station, there are small shops where you can grab food, drinks, or any last-minute supplies. There are also restrooms by the station and portable toilet near the trail areas. I would definitely come back to hike there again, maybe do the red trail.

One of the best hikes that I have gone on this year! Initially, we were going to do the Bull Hill…read moreFull Loop which is an estimated 3-4 hours. This is definitely a moderate trail. If you go in the winter, take caution with the ice when climbing to the top. After about an hour into the trail, you will see a sign to continue on the Full Loop or the Short Loop. When we reached that point, we switched to the Bull Hill Short Loop. It took around 3 hours to complete. The trails have beautiful views! You will see other hikers, but everyone keeps a safe distance. Take time to stop and enjoy the surrounding. There are portable toilets at the beginning of the trail with hand sanitizers if you need to use a bathroom.

As far as hiking trails go in the immediate NYC-metro region, this is one of the best in terms of…read moreviews and a good choice for moderate aerobic exercise. From the hilltop peaks your sightline on a clear day follows the winding path of the Hudson River and then extends for miles along the east and west horizons. Arrival to the trail is by car or train. There's no parking lot at the main two trailhead entrance/exit points so cars park alongside the road next to these markers for about half a mile each way. Arrival by metro-north train drops you off at Breakneck Ridge station, though worthwhile to double check whether it stops here on off-peak weekdays and winter months. There are a few main options for trail difficulty and length. The short loop takes 1 hour though doesn't ascend the main peaks, the long loop takes 3 hours and involves a pretty arduous (steep rock scramble for hiking novices) climb up to reach 2 main peaks, the Break Neck to Cold Spring route includes the rock scramble portion of the long loop and the takes 4 hours. There are other combinations of trails you can take, and park services has done a good job of posting trail markers so you don't get lost. My friend and I took the long trail and on a clear fall Saturday morning tons of other hikers had the same idea. The rock scramble was about 30 minutes of continuous steep ascent, some parts of which you need to push or pull yourself over boulders so a decent level of physical fitness, a good sense of balance and shoes/boots with good traction are a must. This part of the trail is one-way meaning for ascent only--descending would be rather dangerous if other people were trying to climb up at the same time--and especially bc on certain parts there's only 1-2 routes uphill with a clear path and good grip (at least for inexperienced rock climbers like me). There are signs warning not to take this route if you have a fear of heights. The second peak along the long loop requires similar rock scaling though there's an option to go up via a side route which was still steep but involved less scrambling. The rest of the loop is mild and mostly downhill though you do need to be careful of dusty (or muddy) patches and loose rocks and pebbles causing slippery slopes. Make sure to bring enough water if you're doing the longer trails, and ideally a snack to replenish some energy part way. No rest stops or bathrooms on the trail (it is after all a hiking trail in the woods) so plan accordingly! Dogs are allowed and I saw some on and off leash.

So the novice in me (and I use that term very loosely) decided to embark on this journey without…read moreeven knowing that a scramble was. The views at every point, the nice breeze amidst the summer heat, and the friendly folks along the way made this a highlight of the summer. Oh, and hiking snacks came in clutch

We have been here many time to hike with our dogs over the last few years. Great views of the…read moreHudson River and surrounding area from the North Point/ Pitching Point Loop Trail. We always get there early (7 AM) because the lot for North Point/ Pitching Point Loop is super small. Great hike with great views !

Are these views to die for? Highly debatable. We came after a day where it rained the night before…read morein the late fall. There's some really cool views of what appears to be a lake, but it could also be the Hudson River. I am not sure because I had no signal at this park. When I said are the views to die for, I mean some of our hiking crew probably would have died if we weren't paying attention. There's a lot of trails that are especially narrow, on a cliff's edge, and the leaves are super slippery. Should be warning signs like die at your own risk or something. There are certain paths with wooden bridges and guard rails, but they are not frequent. If you are planning to have a picnic here, I'd suggest going to a local park instead. The only benches are at the parking lot, and there are no bathrooms... Unless you count mother nature as a bathroom.

The Appalachian Trail is one of the longest trails in the US, covering the area from Maine to…read moreGeorgia. This review will focus on the Pawling Nature Reserve and beyond north of it. The AT covers 2.8 miles inside the park, which I traveled most of the time, from the red trail intersection until the AT meets with the yellow (traveling north). Some fallen trees are located along the way. It overlaps the Yellow and Red Trail further north until the Red and AT branches off from the Yellow to the left. At this point, the AT and RED overlap. There are decent views along the way looking east towards Connecticut. Eventually, the red branches to the right and the AT continues straight, exiting PNR. The views are still visible. This section covers many hills, thankfully not too steep. I still found trees knocked over. The furthest I made it was past Leather Hill Road, and I turned around. I enjoyed this section, and there's a lot more to explore. It would be nice to see some maintenance done.

Amazing hidden gem right in the town of Pawling!…read more Can't believe this place even exists. So much hiking, connects with other states. You can hike and hike and hike for days. Sadly, not being much of a hiker myself, I only lasted like 20 minutes because it decided to snowstorm in the middle of May. Yep, pure craziness! Also, I got distracted with the milk cows that just hang out. I mean, I see an animal and I MUST approach animal. She wanted to social distance but I refused! She said "mooooov-it" and I ended up having to go before I upset this cute friendly cow. Awesome trail that you can go either for an easy walk or get more deep in there. Can't wait to actually explore more and enjoy these views. It's even a great spot for photos on your phone or camera. Just a great spot in general to come to for a little walk. You can climb over the electric fences with the little stairs they have, just be careful. Oh, and if you're scared of cows, don't worry, they won't bother you if you don't bother them. Parking situation: you can pull over on the side carefully and park there!

This was a very quiet and accessible hiking point with a few options for trails with some views. We…read morewalked around and got lost for a bit while trying to go to the top of the rock but it was really nice along the way. We walked by at least two huge reservoir areas. The only thing about the trails are that they deviate from the paved path and you have to look out for the colored markers which takes you "off" the paved path but is the right way to go. We ran into some locals on the way and they were all so so helpful in giving us advice on navigating the area. I personally loved that this area wasn't too packed with people. If you park in the official lot, it's $5 and the people in the front were very nice. There's multiple points to park not so legally too if you want to risk that.

I'm an avid hiker and Black Rock has got to be my least favorite hike despite the mountain having a…read morevast amount of trails to hike. I hiked the entire outskirts of this mountain grabbing all the view points which aren't many but the few that it has were pretty darn nice but in my opinion not worth going out of your way to hike. The trails are well maintained but for some reason I'm just not a huge fan of these trails. I do however frequent Storm King mountain across the road which I visit very frequently so why not stop by here more often, I just can't pin point why I don't really like these trails. Maybe it's not super hard that's why I'm not a fan. I always recommend checking it out for yourself because maybe you'll love this place.

I have grown up in Goshen my entire life and never knew this place was so close by! It was a great…read moreafternoon adventure for those that are avid hikers or those looking to try something new. We parked at the lot off of Clover Rd. I warn you it's super small and people seem to get a little creative with parking spots as the day goes on. I would recommend a morning hike or later in the afternoon in order to find a spot. You can't park anywhere on Clover or will risk getting a ticket! The white trail is located just down the road from the parking lot. There is a sign with the trail map so I recommend snapping a picture is printing a copy from home, there weren't any available when we arrived. The trails are moderately well marked. When in doubt you can usually tell you are going the right way from the walked on path, there is a lot of brush around you that will make it clear if you've gone off the path. We walked up the white and started part of the orange trail to get to the top views and ended up back down the same way given the time. It was about 6 miles and 3 hours. Keep in mind there is no restrooms or information center so be prepared! Happy hiking!

Ok as a city person finding the trail opening and feeling certain it was the accurate path was…read morecomplicated lol but you park on the side of the road (a mini lot) and then the brush across the street turns into a flatter bush path that leads to a forest hike. Slightly rocky areas but our dog loved this! Definitely wear long pants because there's lots of tall grass. A pretty chill hike with lots of flowers and nature.

Came here to watch the sunset on the river and it was amazing. The park is clean and spacious…read more Great place to relax and listen to the waves, occasionally you'll get sounds from the train as it's near the station, but it's not egregious.

Great little park with large covered picnic tables. Beautiful clean area to eat your lunch or just…read morehang out with a large group.

This park is a wonderful choice in Pawling, considering there's quite a bit to do here. There is a…read moreroad/pathway that's called Holiday Hills Ln, only accessed by authorized vehicles, which follows alongside Green Mountain Lake, and additional trails along it. There are even abandoned barns and buildings along the way, highlighting that. Towards the main parking lot, there is a bathroom house, a mini beach, a tennis court, and even a playground as an alternative. Definitely a must-stop while in Pawling.

Even in the middle of a pandemic and extremely brisk temperatures in Nov, this was the perfect spot…read morefor me to elope! I got married by the sand overlooking the water on a Sunday afternoon, with 5 of our closest friends, and its was spectacular!! This park is beautiful, great place to just go for a walk, or have a wedding