QUIET COVE on the Hudson River n at Poughkeepsie, NY: this park is beautiful sitting directly on…read morethe eastern shore of The Hudson River just a few minutes north of Marist College. Tucked away off of the southbound side of Route 9 also known as Albany Post Road and ( in this area) South Road. There is a big well kept sign at the entrance. FOLLOW THE SIGNS. The road is a one-way loop with bicycle lane. PICKLE BALL:The upper park has 4 well maintained, fenced in Pickle Ball courts. FREE!! PARKING: The upper parking lot has enough parking for players and guests. BATHROOMS: The upper lot has an ACCESSIBLE Porto potty that is LGBTQ friendly. It looks clean from the outside ( but bring a hygiene kit just in case). Follow the well maintained roadway down the hill to reach the river. My dog and I park in the upper lot and walked down. SAFETY: because the roadway is set up as a one-way loop, we felt safe walking. THE RIVERFRONT: Quiet Cove is scenic and serene with spectacular 180' views of the Hudson River. Pack a picnic lunch or your morning tea and take in the views. Worth noting that EVERYTHING IS designed and maintained to the highest standards. SEATING: A variety of viewing and seating means everyone can enjoy multiple views. It is quite- save the cadence of the rowing crews' voices and an occasional bark ( my dog enjoying himself), young and old can find a quiet nook to take in the water view and fresh air. DOG FRIENDLY: on a mandatory 6 foot leash. Two dogs were fetching sticks from the river at a tucked away bit of sandy coastline. They had a blast. Enough trash bins and a dog waste station with reminders to clean up after yourself. This has become my new favorite park in DUTCHESS County because it is so manageable.

Loved the view. Excellent place to watch the sunset. Park closed at sunset. So it might be 6 pm…read morein October or 8 pm in the summer. There are two small parking lots. First is by pickle ball courts. Second is immediately after. If you have a handicap sticker there are a few spots through the one way tunnel.

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.

For anyone who is a park and nature lover, this is a place to stop at. Easily spotted from the main…read moreroad, there is plenty of parking to fill up. There is a sign in the parking lot which leads to the trails, which at the beginning a map is provided. Get ready, the signature is well marked, and it's very easy to not get lost. All of the trails cover less than a mile with a mixture of scenery, not with a lot of views but enough to soak in nature. There is some tripping hazard along the trail with rocks and tree roots, so please take caution. There are also tables, a pavilion, playgrounds, a swimming pool, and also a disc golf course. Summer Day Camp is provided at Hackett with these names mentioned. Hackett has a lot to offer in all areas, don't miss out.

My kids and I have been going to Peach since they were little -we love it ! Great place to walk the…read moredogs ,get a vigorous walk in if you so choose or have a picnic. They have done an amazing job maintaining the trails and creating positive changes throughout the years. We get to see wildlife, birds and flowers and the view at sunset is incredible! Ive never seen trash on the ground or stepped in anything unpleasant-and the people I've encountered are generally friendly. The only thing to take into consideration is the bugs / ticks but hey we do live in the hudson valley . Thanks to those who work tirelessly to keep Peach going for us ,its part of our family history!

Really cute park with lots of easy hiking trails at a former apple orchard…read more The views are really pretty especially for sunset time and it's located at the highest point in Poughkeepsie. I love that throughout the trail you have little signs explaining fun facts about the animals you find there and insects such as frogs and fireflies. Really cool to learn while you walk. Came here in November for some photos but there wasn't too much foliage. Can't imagine how beautiful the park must be during spring with their apple blossoms and being able to Apple pick too! The cool thing is this park is run by a nonprofit, The Friends of Peach Hill and they're always looking for volunteers to help maintain this beautiful place. Porta potties available and beware of ticks. Signs are posted everywhere when you first walk in and I took my very first one home from just walking around and being in low cut grass area. That's the only downfall and main thing I can't evennnnnn deal with in the north east. Other than that, cute park with lots of picnic tables and areas where you can enjoy creation.

Took the Elevator to Upper Landing Park. The ride is gorgeous. With Views of the beautiful walkway…read morearchitecture. Ray a friendly Walkway Staff member managed the elevator for safe and secure rides. The elevator ride is definitely a must, especially for those first timers and sightseers. Signed, The Happy Hour Huntress

Longest pedestrian bridge in the US, former train tracks. The views are beautiful easily accessible…read moreit is free, but must pay for parking on the Highland side. Easy walk or ride back and forth to Poughkeepsie, plenty open walking their pets. It's definitely a must visit when in the area.

3/18/26: The Vanderbilt Mansion is a must see when visiting Hyde Park!…read more You first drive up a winding driveway, till you reach the visitor's center to purchase tickets. Should you have a National Service Park Pass, you'll be able to enter for free. It's best to call at 9 AM just to be sure there's availability. Inside the center, you'll find restrooms and a large display of the Vanderbilt family tree. Our docent Mike first started the tour at the visitor center. Mike was very knowledgeable and had wonderful wit. The visitor center used to be the guest house for Mrs. Vanderbilt's bachelor friends during their stay over. Mike walked us over to the main estate. The outside of the estate is stunning. We then entered the beautiful estate. All the furnishings are absolutely gorgeous. The last part of the tour is walking down the servants stairs. However, the best photo view is probably looking up from the bottom of the staircase. Hope you enjoy the photos. Photos are allowed, but without flash.

Our primary purpose in coming up to Hyde Park was to visit the Roosevelt sites, but we figured we'd…read morestop here at neighboring Vanderbilt Mansion since we were already in the area. It was well worth the stop! Tours are required to enter the mansion and last an hour. It was well worth it - our tour guide was fantastic - engaging, knowledgeable, and fun. This 54 room estate was owned by what our tour guide described as the "Vanderbilt least likely to star in a reality show," his wife Louise was fascinated by France so all of her spaces are heavily French inspired, and despite a very clear upstairs/downstairs division, these Vanderbilts left significant portions of their fortune based on individual years of service to their servants in their will. The story of how this mansion ended up with the National Park Service was also interesting - the home itself was left to Louise's niece, who, while wealthy, was unable to pay the taxes on this additional large property. So she attempted to sell - but it was the Great Depression and there were no buyers. Neighbor Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed a plan: offer to sell the property and home intact to the NPS for $1 as he also made arrangements to transfer his neighboring property to them, as well. The grounds themselves are lovely - the Vanderbilts maintained formal gardens and are free to explore. There is a stunning view - referred to as "a millionaire's view" at the time - of the Hudson River. Tickets can be purchased for house tours in the visitor's center. Note that the home does not have air conditioning so it can get toasty in warm weather.

5/21/21 This hot and…read moremoggy day brought us to this trail, with an endless amount of shade along the way. We started on the 9G end and walked toward Route 9. There are not a lot of views in the distance you'll get along the way but will notice turns and hills with endless views of the woods. The main trail is on a gravel path followed by two additional dirt trails indicating yellow and red. Both of these trails end up back at the gravel trail if you choose to go that way. We had a great experience going round trip enjoying the scenery. The name of the main trail is called the Hyde Park Trail which connects with other trails along the way, which a matter of fact connects with River Front Park (see my other review). Please, I strongly encourage you to bring bug spray because we screwed up. It's very bad along the whole journey. Also, check for ticks.

We really enjoyed our afternoon hike at Roosevelt Farm Lane Trail. This park came to my attention…read morewhen I was doing a search for local parks with carriage roads. Not only are the roads here in good condition, but most of the road has great shade from the trees, so even if it is hot out you are not suffering too much. I am not a tree expert or anything, but I think there are a lot of pine trees in these woods because the smell of pine was strong throughout our hike, which was really nice. Located in a few places on the trial were information plaques with QR Codes, so make sure you have a QR reader app installed on your phone before you visit so you can scan the code and listen to the guided tour on your phone.

I have to say, Hyde Park has a lot of cool parks and trails to check out, but this one stands out…read morethe most in terms of the best signature, decent good views, and peace and quiet. Most of the trails contain gravel along the journey along with some occasional tall grasses, rocks, and tree roots along the way. Speaking of all that, bring bug spray and check for ticks. There are five trails: Red, Green, Orange, Blue, and Yellow with the Red doing a big loop with the other trails having a dead end or connecting with the others (see a photo of the map). There technically are three starting points one at the Red trail end, Terwilliger Road, and also at the Yellow, on Route 9. The signature and location isn't that clear. The green trail comes out at a small road with no parking lot, instead in a neighborhood on Spruce Road. Beware of yellow paintings on tree branches which mean it's private property. All of that mentioned, enjoy the nature at Winnakee.

The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt is part of a larger Roosevelt themed location that you can choose…read moreto do one or all of. There is a shared visitors center, the Henry A. Wallace Visitor Center, where you can purchase tickets accordingly. We stopped in thinking we would purchase the Home tickets and explore the center a bit, but the friendly ranger told us there was room for us on the tour starting in 5 minutes if we wanted to head straight down to the meeting spot. The tour itself was quite informative, and the house is well preserved. This is FDR's childhood and adulthood home, and this is reflected in the house itself, where we were shown the room in which he was born, his childhood room, and the room he stayed in as an adult with its two phones - one a direct line to the White House. The mobility accommodations added after FDR's round with polio are also evident in the house, with an example of a home wheelchair he designed using a standard dining chair on bicycle wheels (so it would match when he was seated at the table), ramps, and a manual elevator he used to move between floors. The nearby grounds are also nice to explore - beautiful gardens, intriguing artwork, and you can pay your respects to the Roosevelts. FDR's Presidential Library is also located on the grounds, though with a separate entry. The Visitor Center has good amenities, including a cafe, the Uncle Sam's Canteen, run by the friendliest staff who were pulling out freshly baked croissants when we initially stopped in; a theatre where they show a film about the Roosevelts, a gift shop, and clean restrooms.

7/9/25: We visited the historic home of FDR. It's a must see for all, no matter your political…read moreaffiliation. All visits are by guided tour. Springwood was Roosevelt's birthplace. In addition, Franklin and Eleanor raised their six children at the family estate. The decor is understated, unlike like the Vanderbilt's. After FDR was stricken with polio, the home was designed for his wheelchair access. During the tour, the female guide spoke at length in a couple of areas. ***Think there should be some type of wall guide hand rail for those who are unable to stand for periods of time listening to the guide. The second floor of the home has a narrow walkway. I think the people that oversee the estate should consider my suggestion for people with mobility issues. This is why I took one star off. On the grounds, you'll see a statue of President Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill, FDR Presidential Library and museum, beautiful gardens and a café. Looking forward to going back to visit the FDR Presidential library and museum. Due to time constraints, we only saw half of it. In the Library and Museum, we did see an excellent exhibition of wonderful letters from famous persons (World Politicians, Scientists, Celebrities) to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Admission fees as follows: Federal Park Pass- Free Standard- $15 A parking lot is available outside the visiting center.

Park your car in the small lot and walk toward the Mid-Hudson Bridge, but don't go too far. To your…read moreleft you'll see a black gate, a bit of signage and a steep downward staircase.. take it. Then head under the stone tunnel and into the forest. The hike starts with a steep incline, that works the glutes! I loved it but recommend preparing yourself and wearing comfortable footwear. The area is marked with plenty of signage to keep you on trail. Lots of beauty to take in, with great views of the river, Mid-Hudson Bridge and Walkway over the Hudson. I imagine it even more magical in the Fall. Signed, The Happy Hour Huntress

A wonderful park indeed, with the highlight of a great view viewing the Hudson River and Mid Hudson…read moreBridge. Parking at the Macks Lane end can be challenging depending on the time of day, with a couple of spots and enough room to park on the side. There's enough room while getting out, and plenty of space to move around while getting to the trail. At the Johnson-Iorio Memorial Park end, there are plenty of spots to park at. Depending on your direction, the trail has an uphill/downhill gradient along the way. It's a workout for sure when going uphill. It's very easy to trip with so many rocks and tree roots on the ground, so please take caution. The trail is well indicated by its color and is shown on the tree barks hung up. Of course, the maps are provided at each trailhead for convenience. UPDATE: The white trail which I recently took is a cool trail, doing a loop that connects with the yellow in a different spot not too far from that starting point. It is steep in this section, which requires small steps along the way. There is also a shortcut to cut over to the other side to make it shorter (don't recommend it). Also, on the way, there are ruins, which were once a big Mansion that was abandoned in 1949, with unknown information on how it got destroyed. Pretty cool history. When in doubt, take a rest, it's needed.