It took me three attempts over three days to make it all the way to the waterfall, but it was so…read moreworth it! I took this journey at the start of February, and there was tons of snow on the ground. On the first day, I arrived at the Massachusetts parking lot around 3 PM I figured I had a good two hours before sundown. I turned back after walking a short way down the trail because it was so steep, I thought I was going to tumble into the river. When I got back, I watched a video of someone hiking on the Massachusetts side, and I realized that the trail is normally full of stairs This makes sense because it's very steep and that's why it's so short but because of the snow, the stairs are covered up I would definitely not recommend using the Massachusetts side in the winter On the second day, I got to the New York parking lot around 2 PM. I made it about halfway down the much more gradual and scenic trail before I turned back. I turned back because the sun disappeared behind the mountain, and it was dark and windy On the third day, I got to the New York side at 11 AM. This time I realized that the top of the trail is just always dark and windy because it's in a corridor between two mountain peaks. So I pressed on. It took me about one hour to get to the end of the trail. I walked pretty slowly and stopped to look at nature a lot. If you are not someone who is super confident staying on the path in the forest, these are fairly easy trails because it's just a straight line the whole way there and you are following the river the whole time. I'm so glad I didn't give up because the falls are one of the most beautiful magical things I've ever seen Instead of water flowing down through the ice, it was snow and slush bursting through the sections of the frozen waterfall the water exploding into 1 million tiny snowflakes from the top to the bottom I plan to come back here in the summer with my kids and I think they will really love it.

Bash Bish Falls was just as beautiful as everyone says it is! The hike was worth every step, and…read moreseeing the waterfall in person was amazing. There's just something about being surrounded by nature that fills my cup. I LOVE to hike so this was my happy place. Even better, we got to share the experience with friends we've had for 24 years after meeting on a cruise. Good friends, beautiful scenery, and another memory made together. That's my kind of day. You can go I on the MA side which has lots of stairs but is a shorter walk or do the NY side with a short 3/4 mile hike to the falls.

My first time there the views are gorgeous nice trails. And love it will go back again what A…read moreplace to see It's gorgeous

Great trail maintenance, accurate mapping, crystal clear water - I was impressed. We will return.read more

I made my Gunks debut yesterday and was pretty impressed despite the very meh weather situation…read more This is about 90 minutes from my HQ so probably right at the limit of a convenient day hike, and somehow I've never really been in this area before beyond travelling past it going up and down the NY Thruway. Definitely returning when the sun is actually out. I did the 8.7-mile Castle Point hike (my gut says it wasn't QUITE that long, but I don't want to argue with my book) from the Awosting parking lot down the Mossy Glen Trail (yellow blazes), making a left onto and up Blueberry Run (blue) to Castle Point itself, and then went basically straight down the cliff on the Scenic Trail (lavenderish and formerly light blue), down the Rainbow Falls Trail (orange) and finally making a right on the Lower Awosting Carriageway back to the parking lot. Wasn't crazy about the $10 fee to park - nature shouldn't cost anything - but it is what it is. It's really a shame the weather was crappy because I could tell that viewpoint at Castle Point is legit - it's sprawling and you can see for miles in almost every direction. That's a very cool spot and easily the highlight of the hike. There are some interesting viewpoints throughout the rest of the adventure, but I'd say they're primarily of rock formations and water features, which have their selling points but nothing beats a view at the top. I'm in decent hiking shape right now, and this was just not particularly challenging for me. The only part where I was even a little out of breath (and it was humid, so grain of salt in that regard) was on Blueberry Run, which was a pretty steady incline up, but really not hardcore at all from my perspective. The drop down from Castle Point on the Scenic Trail IS a little tricky and you really want to spend some time there figuring out where your foot is going to go next. Compared to other parks in the tristate area, this one definitely has more hazards, cliffs you could potentially fall down, etc. But same token, it has a ton of these completely flat carriageways as well. It rained while I was on the Rainbow Falls trail and I DID slip/fall on some of the rocks at one point, but that's on me since I willingly came over here knowing what the forecast was. Wasn't impressed by the Rainbow Falls themselves, and neither were the other hikers who were there at the time. Maybe it was just not an ideal situation for them, but it's been rainy the last few days so unclear when you should take advantage of the optics there. The trail blazes were EXCELLENT, easily some of the best I've ever encountered. Each official trail had an accompanying sign that not only gave you the name of the trail, but a map of the nearby area, the grade profile so you can see what types of inclines/declines you'll experience on that trail and tons of basic facts. Really well done stuff. The bathroom situation was pretty good as well, with ample restroom options in the parking lot albeit without plumbing. You get what you get, but I'll take a clean bathroom situation in a heartbeat, regardless. Okay wildlife sightings. The rain I'm sure kept some of the good quality shizzle away, but I got a cool shot of a black vulture and saw an edgy newt. Worth the trek and will return for further investigation shortly.

This is an extremely good walk/hike. "Easy" in terms of difficulty, this trail starts off on an…read moreeasy 1/4-mile walk down a meandering crushed-gravel path to a wooden gazebo, then down some grassy hills to the Hudson River "lookout" point. From there, you can venture into the woods for a 3/4 to a mile "easy hike" surrounded by trees, trickling stream & a few furry animals, like squirrels & chipmunks, collecting acorns. Kid friendly, this is a great walk/hike for the whole family.

Dreamy any walk you choose to start on during any season. Beginner's level. Nice view of the Hudson.read more

This park is worth a visit. There's a great view of the Hudson River and the valley. And there's a…read morenice playground for the kiddies. In the center of the top level you'll find a female statue who looks as if she's watching over the town's residents. Parking's plentiful in the adjacent lot so come check this park out!

The city of Hudson must make tons of money off expired parking meters. From out of town so expired…read moremeter is quite possible especially when man in pouring rain gives tickets to just expired meters and to small businesses right in front of their stores. Ticket was $8 plus $3.50 fee to pay online or phone. There are NO public parking lots. Great way to treat tourists who spend lots of $$$ in that town. Just beware when parking at meters--WHICH ARE EVERYWHERE!!

This park is gorgeous. The previous review is from 2012 and negative because of a $5 entrance fee…read morewhich no longer exists. The Park is super clean, great for families and dogs, swimming in a clean pond during summer, camping, boating, it is gorgeous!!! They even have grill sites for family bbq's! A perfect place for a lovely wake or hike as trails are available. It's a MUST!

Despite the new $5 admission fee for county residents($8 for nonresidents), I was there this…read moreweekend. But there didn't seem to be many(if any) changes that had gone on since I was there last summer. It did get a little dirtier though up on the hill by the benches(I found several cigarette butts as well as several pieces of trash on the ground). The tables area just shortly after the parking lot had some problems: although one light was removed, it was for good reason(a bird had created a birds nest above the light and they didn't want to electrocute the darn bird). However, it was a beautiful day otherwise. Try to plan your trip so you can get here after the worker heads home. They do only have a worker there for a portion of the time.

This was my first hike in NY State. The day was perfect. It was mostly flat with a bit of steep…read moreareas. We stopped to see the falls but there want much "falls". We got to an area that has the natural pool, but the water was freezing. There were loads of families, enjoying their food and of course quality time. I'd definitely do this hike again.

I generally don't find myself deep into the Catskills, until yesterday, but boy was I psyched when…read moreI stopped in for a moment to take a picture or two. Going in, all I could think about was the Catskill Mountains seen in the background and just how high I was. Sitting on top of that mountain (inside my car, that is; I wouldn't be dumb enough to do it any other way), is this mountain range with State land and great photo-op spot. When I saw the deep gorge followed by huge mountain in back of that, all my mind could think about (and I don't advise anyone trying this) is "has anyone ever thrown something intentionally off the ledge into the gorge, just to see how deep it is?" I had noticed a few pieces leading up to the placard explaining the park, but otherwise, no problems exist. Although I never really had a problem with parking, it's only a small park and ride spot over on the side of the road. However, when I got there, I got the best view in the house; I had a nice clear view of the Catskills in front of me, though trying to take a pic, I had to exit my car (due to the nature of my type of picture being iPhone-Panoramic. It's still a great view. I just wouldn't have the guts to head to the placue except for on my iPhone's camera and can read about it online instead. Thanks.

Being in the Kingston area got me stopping here. There's a lot of parking spaces to park in a…read morecouple of sections, and we parked on the big gravel on the south side. Picnic tables are accompanied along here and the other section on the northern side with many more. Grills are provided for a plus near the picnic tables. Boat docks are used in this park for anyone's pleasure, and there's plenty of room for it to be done right. The view of the Hudson River is an incredible closeup, seeing the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge as the highlight and also viewing the east side of northern Dutchess County. In the distance on that side, you'll get a glimpse of the train tracks of Amtrak and occasionally CSX trains passing by. We happen to see an Amtrak heading north as we were leaving. Looking even further, especially if it's a clear day, you'll see the town of Rhinecliff to the south. It's a great place to have a get-together and to take in nature at this location!

There's an almost Zen feel here. It's fairly quiet, almost cozy. The picnic tables are spaced…read moreprobably 25 to 30 feet apart, with grills between some. But you may want to bring your own lawn chairs if you want to sit on something other than a picnic table. There's plenty of parking space. You're right along the river, and there's a deck area where folks lounge and fish. You have quite a view of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. If you're there when the Rhinebeck Aerodrome is open, you'll occasionally see one of their planes fly over the river to about the same latitude as the park, which is evidently their turn-around point. You'll have some very nice views of foliage during leaf-peeping time.

I truly enjoy Whitlock Preserve because it was easy to find, and looked maintained. The map was…read moreprovided at the entrance, in pinpointing where the trails go. Two separate trails (orange and blue, which were in fact signed well) go through various hills, with some muddy spots along the way. A minor improvement would be to add signage (blue) in the clockwise direction. Sadly, no viewpoints at this location. Each of the trails has a turnoff which does a loop and reconnects at the same spot. Beware, I experienced a lot of gnats flying around. Extremely peaceful and enjoyable.