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

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.

I was tricked. I walked all the way to the top, walked down the other side...no burgers…read more That said, this is a gorgeous spot for a short, steep walk. The trail heads straight up a large hill, but it was still doable for my young kids, and my old, out of shape friends as well. And a puppy. There's a parking lot right off the road to leave your car, and whenever you head over there, it's going to be a good time...but golden hour into sunset makes for a nice evening. You can see for miles around from the top, and it's just pretty. I bet it's beautiful in all seasons; we've only hit it in fall so far, but I imagine it could be great for an epic sled run as well. Once again though, there are no burgers on this hill. If you need a good one, Del's Roadside is only a couple minutes away. And you earned it by walking up a hill.

What a great spot to go for a walk. Many trails available with all kinds of incline. The top of the…read morehill provides a gorgeous 360° view. Lots of parking available. The park is nice and clean, and has a few benches to stop and savor the area. Even though it is pretty close to the road, you do not really hear traffic sounds. You really feel like you're away from it all.

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.

Woah what an experience. The trees were dead and the field was stunning . The water was super cool…read moreand totally worth the trip. I attached some photos of my experience.

Woah, a big open field with very few woods, this is it. The other noteworthy thing that sticks out…read moreis a bench viewing Wappingers Creek. There are four trails while two run the perimeter and one in the middle in the midst of the tall grass (see photos), with also a connector trail. It is well maintained, looking clean and spotless all around, even though there are a number of bugs found. Not too big of a park making the journey go by quickly. This is great for a quick experience along with the paths being easy, in terms of difficulty. With that in mind, enjoy the scenery all around!

Easy trails. Well circulated with other people. Relaxing views. A great place to paint outdoors,…read morehave lunch under the pavilion or/and explore.

Doing some research online, I came across this park. It's nice to see what the Hudson Valley offers…read morefor its park! Parking can be limited at times, so the best time to go is early in the day. There are multiple paths that anyone can take, but for our convenience, we did the red and yellow path (those are the main ones). Other paths are found along the trails. Some of the markings can be unclear along the way, so keep an eye out on that. It's best to follow the dirt path at all times. Be aware, most of it is windy. The fire tower wasn't what we expected. As we approached near the top, there were a lot of bees on the railing. The view is excellent from where we stopped, but not enough to fulfill a hiker. Another thing is to watch out for is bugs. There is a lot of shady spots on each path, therefore, I strongly recommend bringing bug spy. Something I learned too. As long as you look at the map, there won't be any problems.

Falling waters is a good, easy going trail for novices and walkers. Located off 9W, it's pretty…read moreeasy to get to. As the name would suggest, there's a few small waterfalls along both ends of the trail which are pretty and good for kids. Rainfall has been be decent for them to really be going, and even at their heaviest they're not too crazy (this is not Kaaterskill). It's also right on the Hudson River, so you get good views too. If you want just a quick walk or you have a stroller, the way down to the water is the way to go (yes, you still get the obligatory waterfall). If you take the longer path, you get the bigger waterfall, sweeping views of the Hudson, and also steep up/down hills along the water. Either way this should take terribly long and isn't far from civilization, so it's a good option for families.

Beautiful peaceful place to hike. I love the scenery, it's history. Convenient location.read more

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 boyfriend and I were in Kaaterskill Falls for our annual hike at the Rail Trail, when we…read morediscovered Saugerties Lighthouse. I don't even know how to be honest. But we like to drive around getting lost a lot, which is how we discover most places. The entrance is a little hidden, small parking lot. The trail is full of greenery. There is a mixture of bridges and dirt paths. Also we noticed little figurines hidden along the way. They are very cute! The views on the way to the lighthouse were as stunning as of the lighthouse alone. At some point you have to walk over the water - so it is wise to look at the tide schedule so you don't get wet or trapped. The lighthouse is dipped in history that you can read on their website (saugertieslighthouse.com). It is truly an incredible little place. I read there are tour and you can even stay there overnight! We definitely want to do either one or both in the near future. It was definitely an amazing find, which we will incorporate into our annual visits. Breathtaking location. The volunteers are doing a great job maintaining it. Definitely made for a memorable visit.

This place is really cool! There aren't any other lighthouses that I know of in the immediate area…read moreof the Hudson Valley that is accessible on foot (without a boat). During the week the lighthouse deck is open so you can walk to the back deck to enjoy this place up close but on the weekends the deck is closed to guests that might be staying the night. You can actually lodge at the lighthouse which is even cooler than just visiting the outside. The walk to the base of the lighthouse is an easy walk but don't arrive too late because the tide could be really high making the walk likely very muddy or very wet to pass. Parking area is super small so arrive early to ensure parking or you'll have to wait in your car for a spot to open up. I wouldn't advise parking on the grass of the adjacent coast guard property since there are signs that say come back if there is no parking likely implying "If you park here you will be towed" but signs don't explicitly say that so beware if you park outside lot.

Beautiful landscape, beautiful flowers, beautiful vibe. The arboretum is such a glorious place to…read morevisit.

It's still a little early in the season to see an abundance of flowers and nature. This place once…read moreeverything is in full bloom is amazing. Nice place to come and be with nature. Not a lot of crowds, plenty of places to have a picnic if that's your thing. The flowering trees are already dropping their leaves and turning green. Tulips are starting to sprout up everywhere. I like coming here to take take photos and hang out. I'm teaching my kids how to photograph and working on their posing skills.