Beautiful park to see the foliage!…read more Our family visited Berean Park on October 19, 2024. It's a great park to enjoy gorgeous Fall foliage palette! I only wish we had more time to hike big loop trails. We definitely recommend Berean Park for moderate hiking with beautiful foliage views!

4/8/2021 Out of the…read morecenter of Highland, you'll come across Berean Park located off Route 44/55. There is plenty of parking to find, but it expects to be fairly packed during spring/summertime. There is a lake just as you leave along with a playground. Going toward the woods, you'll come across a trail that is marked red. Some of the signatures are not clear as we happened to go off the trail for a bit, but we managed to get back on. Walking further, the lake is still visible until crossing to another trail that is called the white trail. There are a lot of hills on this part, which eventually leads to another trail. I'll have more info about it in my update.

Did the tours of the three historic sites in the Hyde Park area. We were lucky as it was Fee Free…read moreday so we were able to visit the Presidential library as a bonus. The house holds so much history and covers Franklin Roosevelt's life from childhood to his older years. He is buried on the grounds. The Rangers give a detailed history and answer questions concerning the estate.

First time visiting a presidental library and opted to tour the FDR home because we have the…read morelifetime park pass. Yes, sometimes I'm cheap . While we waited for the tour, we walked the grounds which includes a working vegetable garden and rose garden that was being re-done. FDR and his wife are buried there. The house is very cool because it takes you back in time and the guide was very knowledgeable. It's a nice historical stop on a great piece of land. Beautiful in fact! Parking is free, nice visitor center with a cafe and short movie that runs every half hour. Enjoy!

Serene little spot in the Catskills of upstate New York. Perfect place to enjoy nature on the…read moretrails or on their surprisingly large lake. My girlfriend and I spent a few hours here on a Sunday afternoon in May. If you rent a boat you can keep it out as long as you want, and you have access to the whole property for the entire day. We spent awhile in kayaks and had the whole lake to ourselves for the entire time. We then spent some time down at the swimming hole and had that to ourselves as well. Everyone who works there was incredibly friendly and helpful. Beautiful day overall and the perfect end to a perfect weekend getaway.

Oh what a magical experience. My boyfriend Tom and I kayaked the lake that the owner Jim so kindly…read moreadvised us of all the animal population. Birds, turtles, fish, beaver dams. It was so wonderful we came back a second day, and took use of the grounds by the swimming hole. You truly felt like you were on another planet. It was amazing and will revisit!

A fun little excursion. Didn't have time to walk the whole thing, but it offers some nice views…read moreand plenty of room for pedestrians and bikes. Was a popular place when I was there, and some food trucks too, so you can immediately put back all the calories you burned off walking.

Definitely worth a stop for the views and to stretch your legs. We parked in a lot near entrance,…read moresigns said paid parking, but machine was covered? We had no ticket or issues when we returned to vehicle. Restrooms near start of walkway (open & clean), walk was slight incline, but paved. The views were very nice once over the Hudson. There were food trucks & a gift shop, but nothing was open due to Holiday.

We enjoyed the peacefulness of the grounds and the walk to the house from the parking lot. The…read morebirds swooping over the pond in search of bugs was a nice backdrop to all the nature around us. The Rangers were friendly and our tour of the house was amazing. The Ranger was very knowledgeable of Eleanor's life and her contributions to society. She made it so interesting with personal stories, my favorite was her private talk with JFK prior to offering her endorsement. The furniture and photos really took you back in time.

Ranger Deborah was awesome!! Such a welcoming and knowledgeable tour guide that made our tour at…read moreVal Kill, the home of Eleanor Roosevelt, amazing. It was really interesting to learn more about Eleanor, who was truly a fascinating and hard working individual. There are all sorts of personal touches around the house that made it feel very homey and welcoming. There is a memorial to the 75th anniversary of the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an effort which Eleanor led, in the gardens too. The grounds are pretty and welcoming, and the community is allowed to just stop by and play on her tennis court whenever it is open. The home itself requires tour tickets with a ranger, which you can get at the small cottage that serves as a visitor's space, featuring an exhibit, film, and maps/stamps/etc. Restrooms are in a third building on the property and were clean and well-kept.

If you're like us, it would be easy enough to drive accidentally into a unit complex which come…read moreright before the turnoff for the parking lot. The lot is big enough for a good two dozen vehicles, and the entrance and the beginning of the Black Creek trail comes right off the far end of the parking lot. The suspension bridge is pretty and gives a great view of the creek, and leads right into yellow trail, which we didn't pick. Black Creek trail has a mostly gentle slope, fully paved, and is about 0.6 mile long, and it culminates in Cedar Point Outlook with a gazebo and a large open field with several benches where the creek really opens up. There's a restroom next to what looks like a caretaker's cottage. We couldn't figure out how to get to the other outlooks from Cedar Point, so if anyone knows, please share. I appreciate this space being maintained and open for all to enjoy. **You can only enter and exit the parking lot one way, so please watch for the signs.

I absolutely love this preserve! The trails are great and challenging. Perfect place to go alone…read moreor with family or dogs or all of the above! Lots of opportunities for beautiful nature shots. It's a really good spot to hike if you are dealing with anxiety or PTSD. If you want a beautiful setting and some nature time then this is your spot.

Hearing the name and coming to the trail is just a treat every time. I have many starting points on…read moremy visits and my favorite is from Lake Walton to Hopewell Junction, and of course round trip. The rail trail goes from the Walkway Over the Hudson to Hopewell making it a 14.3-mile trail on this certain part. The whole trail is part of the Empire State Trail connecting from NYC to Buffalo or Rouses Point toward the Canada border. Some other trails along the way are being worked on to bring them up to standards in areas. Enjoy the scenery along the trail, offering many straightaways along with some hills, and trees to be covered. Beware of bikers if you're walking or running. It's best to stay on the side at all times if the case. It's a 4.9 on my rating because there are limited bathrooms along the way, so please plan accordingly. With that said, enjoy the beautiful trail!

It's a great place for a stroll or bike ride. If you get bored; just walk off on to one of the…read morestreets that cross it and there's usually a mall nearby. Not far from where it starts in Hopewell Junction there's a rifle range. Do yourself a favor and stay on the paved trail. You'll hear it, if they're open, when you on your peregrination.

The name becomes official (technically) when entering the trail from Berean Park, either from the…read morered trail end or the big gate located in the parking lot. Those aren't hard to miss. The red trail trailhead begins inside Berean way past the playground while the parking lot trailhead features an authorized (work) roadway which is shared with pedestrians (open to the public). The trails are mainly steep which contain a lot of rocks and stomps, so do take caution. Some parts of the trail, especially the white is pretty narrow right toward the edge of a drop and doesn't have a fence or guardrail. I think putting something there would be a great benefit especially those with physical issues. Signature along the way is well marked, while the trail is pretty obvious due to the shape of the gravel. One highlight of the hike is a fire pit and benches on the red trail, looking the lake and Berean Park. With a big property, there's a lot to explore.

This is a beautiful park with lots of clearly marked trails. The lake views are wonderful and the…read moretrails we chose to take with our pup were a good level for her. There was lots of wildlife- deer tracks everywhere, a few raccoon prints and we even saw a woodpecker! There isn't too much parking so I suggest showing up early :). All in all highly highly recommend. If we come back we may even consider ice fishing!

This is an awesome park with all levels of hiking trails. A few trails top out with amazing lookout…read morepoints with views of the hudson river. Another less challenging hike goes around a nice pond and the most challenging has an offshoot to a waterfall. The trails are well kept and well signed and there is a nice map in the parking area. Plenty of parking at both upper and lower lot. Lots of wildlife and dog friendly. So lucky to have this nearby!