I love to Travel first class because I love their food for some reason. This was last week from…read moreMiami to Washington.

Crystal Park is described as a Nature Retreat and Art Park. Included in this so called Nature…read moreRetreat is a jarringly noisy shooting range and paths used for noisy ATV vehicles and motocross bikes. Sadly, this 'Nature Retreat' is located in a previously quiet, wooded, residential neighborhood.

This is an oasis right in the heart of Carmel, NY. It is about a two hour hike if you're willing to…read morewalk the entire trail. The pond is beautiful and there are picnic tables so bring some lunch. The trail can be very muddy so make sure a week of rain-free weather has elapsed. There are some very steep slopes so avoid icy trails. Parking at the entrance is good for about six cars at most. You might have to park at the high school if the parking area is full. It rarely is though, which means you are likely to be one of few enjoying this wonderful nature preserve. Read about the history of the preserve before you go. It was once a horse racing site and look for the massive stone blocks that held up what was once a railroad bridge. In the winter, with the leaves fallen, you can see the new Putnam County courthouse in the distance, and unfortunately, hear the Route 52 traffic too. You won't be disappointed though. This is worth the the trip.

This is a wonderful addition for the Empire State Trail, with the expansion of the Dutchess Rail…read moreTrail from Hopewell to Brewster with someday connecting with the Putnam and Westchester Trail. The Maybrook Trailway should honestly be given the whole name from this point until New Paltz as it completes the connection. The trail runs aside a train track for which was once used for the Maybrook Line and Beacon Line for you history geeks like me. We started from the Hopewell end and walked for a couple of miles until we tire out. Two other times, we started another point in Stormville and walked west for about 2 miles. I know pretty much the whole line including the scenery along the way, it's quiet, and not a lot of action to be seen around. For those who enjoy peace and quiet, here you go. From what I've seen on the map, there are limited parking spaces for each trail spot at crossings. I'm hoping something would be addressed about that and even with bathrooms. There's more to explore on this trail.

The trail is not accessible for a 3-mile stretch. From Green Haven and then Eastbound is impossible…read moreto pass. Trees have fallen down virtually every 50 yards blocking passage. I carried my bike past about 6 trees and each time I saw another tree blocking the trail. I came across a clean up crew that told me the downed trees went all the way to Green Haven. I was 3 miles east of Green Haven when the mess started. There is also debris along the entire section which I was fortunate not to get a flat tire. The cleaning crew told me they have only 4 people and they will try to hire a contractor to clear the trees. There is no way a crew of 4 people could handle this. It would take them months to clean it up. (July 10, 2026)

Park kinda has it all. Bathrooms are a small hike but the park itself is very nice. Basketball,…read moreswings, baseball field and more

I grew up in Mahopac, the location of this great park. As a kid, went to Day Camp there and quite…read moreoften visited the park with my family. This past summer, the Mahopac High School class of 84 hosted their 40th reunion. Part one of this epic day took place here at Sycamore Park, a simple picnic get together enjoyed by all who attended.

This was a very nice spot for a pleasant hike. We spent 2 hours on the trails. It has some easy and…read moretougher hikes, so something for everyone. The parking lot was fine, small but enough for several cars. The trails were fun, lots of rock hopping, many fallen trees that you have to jump over lol. Please note, I found a tick crawling on me hours later, so yeah be careful, use bug spray here! That was the only bummer, everything else was pretty good.

Wonder Lake State Park offers some good hiking with well-marked trails…read more Parking: small gravel parking lot Trails: Several well-marked trails. Lots of elevation on the trails. So plan accordingly. On the trail map, it appears to be an easy 1.5 miles to the.lake (following the teal trail). But there's a ton of elevation and in the spring lots of mud. The yellow trail was basically so muddy at one point we gave up and double-backed to the teal trail. The mud made sections impassible. Misc: Lots of insects, especially annoying gnats in the spring. Recommend using bug repellant. Also, recommend taking water. Why 3 stars? Lots of road noise from I-84 across much of the park. Doesn't feel like nature with the highway noise in the background. The lake itself is not exactly pretty. Just a mucky lake. The trails were very muddy. And the scenery was overall average, just not exceptional in any way. But it's free and provides a nice place to hike.

Came here for the Putnam Valley Food & Wine festival! A nice escape from the city to see rolling…read moregreen dress and trees.

My boyfriend and I went for a mini vacation in Norwalk, CT and I booked the Sunset Harbor…read moreLighthouse Tour which we went on this past Sunday evening from 6:30-8:30, on 8/10/25. This tour was definitely a highlight of our trip! Captain John and Charlie were great and all the passengers aboard had a great time! We passed three lighthouses-Peck Ledge LH, Sheffield Island LH and Green's Ledge LH. Charlie, co-captain of Captain John, had just toured the inside of Green's Ledge LH the day before which is listed on Airbnb for $6,000! He went around the ship showing everyone the floor plan. It especially exciting to be on the Long Island Sound and to see the red and white towers from Northport, since I live on Long Island!! We were able to see several different viewpoints of the sunset and osprey nests as well. Definitely recommend to residents of Norwalk AND tourists alike!

Like a lot of other dork type middle age dudes I'm a sucker for a good lighthouse. Actually I've…read morebeen to a few clinkers which says that I'm apparently I'm also a sucker for a bad lighthouse as well but there's no need to worry about that at Sheffield because it's all good here. So if you want to come you've got two legal options. 1. Show up via kayak (or I suppose boat then taking a short swim) during hours when they are running tours and you will be met on the shore by a volunteer who will ask you to pay a few dollars for the privilege of taking the lighthouse tour/hanging out on the island. 2. Or, you come via the regularly scheduled boat that runs from the dock on North Water Street in Norwalk from late May until the end of September. There are various public & private decks for parking all around the area so it shouldn't be too hard to find a close space. I don't remember what the price is for option #1 but for option #2 the below currently apply: Adults: $22.00 - Children 12 & Under: $12.00 Senior / NSA Member $20.00 Active Military with ID $10.00 Children 3 & Under: $5.00 Family 4 Pack (2 Adults, 2 Children) $55.00 A few random facts: Boats depart weekends only every year over Memorial Day weekend and eventually go daily from July until Labor Day and then back to weekends only until the end of September. Check seaport.org for the current schedule and for special events such as their clambakes. Once you get to the island you get to take a brief tour of the lighthouse which was built in 1868 (downstairs only for now as the upstairs tower portion is being worked on and hopefully tours will be allowed there in the not to distant future once they get the stairs in better shape along with figuring out a way to dissipate the heat which we were told was well over 100 degrees the day we were there in August) and you can also walk through the nature trail via the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge. If you are going to walk on the nature trail or along the beach that fronts Sheffield Island Harbor just know that things are "wild" and that you will get eaten alive by flies, mosquitoes and I wouldn't be shocked if the trees had lots of ticks. The lighthouse was relit in 2011 for the first time in 91 years. Why Sheffield Island? The island was named after Revolutionary War veteran Captain Robert Sheffield who bought the island in 1804. He married Temperance Doty, a Mayflower descendant and such started the current lineage of the island's name. The 47 acre island is private property that is primarily owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the Norwalk Seaport Association depending upon the website owning only three or four of those acres. You will be reminded a few times of where you can and cannot walk. Speaking of an area you can't walk by it would be the dilapidated house on the right near the dock. That house is still owned by the Stabell family who sold the island to the Norwalk Seaport Association in 1986 for 700K. I forget the exact story we were told but it's something along the lines of the "home" (more of a dilapidated shack) cannot be renovated because of Fish and Wildlife Service rules and if they raze the structure they lose the land so the shack stands as is. The island itself is around a mile and half from the dock in Norwalk and the boat is kept at a country club pace in both directions which equals about 40 minutes to make the trip in each direction. This is fine as one of the crew did a fairly good job or telling everyone about some of the various islands & lighthouses & birds in the area and about the local shellfish industry. Past that it's just sit back and relax on some of their picnic benches and have a picnic or don't do a damn thing except the enjoy the beautiful view. Either way it's awesome.