Hikes and Walks

Destination: Bear Mountain
Phone number: 845-786-2701 (State Park office) 
Distance from Midtown: ~50 miles ~1 hour
Reservations required: No
Type of outing: Hike
Age recommended for: Middle School, High School
Level: 3
Recommended Season: any
Helpful Information: From the Bear Mountain Inn, take the Major Welch Trail to the top of the mountain and the Appalachian Trail back down. There is a nice museum/lookout tower at the top. In the winter, you can go ice skating here; call for details and schedule. There is also a nice Trailside Museum with a zoo of animals that are native to the area. 
Driving Directions: Palisades Pkwy north to 9W and get off at the Bear Mountain Inn.

Destination: Breakneck Ridge (Hudson Highlands State Park) 
Distance from Midtown: ~90 miles/2 hours
Reservations Required: No
Type of Outing: Hiking/Rock Climbing
Age recommended for: High School
Level (1-5): 5 
Recommended Season: Summer/Fall (but not in wet weather) 
Helpful Information: Very steep; do this once before bringing a group. Spectacular views. Cool ghost town near Little Lake Surprise.
Directions: 2 Metro North trains leave Grand Central Terminal early Sat/Sun and stop at Breakneck. 2 trains stop at Breakneck in the afternoons. Check current time table. To drive, take Taconic Pkwy north to Route 301 (in Fahnestock State Park). Take 301 west to Cold Spring, then Route 9D north about 4 miles. Park on the left just north of the tunnel.

Destination: Wyanokie High Point, Wanaque, NJ (Norvin Green State Forest) 
Phone number: 973-835-2160 (Weis Ecology Center) 
Distance from Midtown: ~40 miles/1 hr 
Reservations Required: No
Type of Outing: Hiking/Educational
Age recommended for: Middle School, High School 
Level (1-5): 3
Recommended Season: Summer/Fall
Helpful Information: Excellent side trip to Roomy Mine. (Alas, the Roomy Mine has been closed and will remain closed in the foreseeable future to help preserve the bats who live there and have become infected with white nose fungus.) You can see Empire State Building-30 miles away- from Wyanokie High Point. Nice Weis Ecology Center. Call in advance to see if the complete loop, which crosses private property, is open.
Directions: Take I-287 to exit 55, then Route 511 (Ringwood Ave.) north to West Brook Road to Snake Den Road.

Destination: Palisades Park, NJ
Directions: This is a cheapie. Take NYC subway to GW Bridge, walk across Bridge, trails off to the right along the cliffs overlooking Hudson River. Alternately you can take PA Bus across the bridge.

Destination: Manhattan Parks, Fort Tryon Park/The Cloisters/Inwood Park
Helpful Information: Decent rock scrambling opportunities and views of Hudson River
Directions: "A" train to 190th St; Inwood Park, "A" Train to 207th

Destination: Mianus River Gorge, Stamford, CT
Phone number: 914-234-3455
Reservations required: Yes 
Recommended Season: Spring-Fall (closed Dec. 1-March 31)
Helpful Information: Somehow the loggers missed a grove of virgin Hemlock trees in this sanctuary maintained by the Nature Conservancy. The trail also opens up into a gorge for great rock scrambling. No picnicking allowed. 
Directions: Take Merritt Pkwy to Long Ridge Road exit. Left 7.2 miles; left onto Millers Mill Rd, park on left. Visit web site at http://www.mianus.org/.

Destination: Pine Meadow Lake, Harriman State Park
Phone number: 845-786-2701 (State Park office) 
Distance from Midtown: ~50 miles ~1 hour
Reservations required: No
Type of outing: Hike
Age recommended for: Middle School, High School
Level: 2 
Recommended Season: any
Helpful Information: Spend a hot summer day hiking in the woods of Harriman and soak your feet in the cool waters of this popular natural getaway. (Note: Swimming is not allowed.) 
Directions: Buses get you to Tuxedo, NY, but driving is most convenient. Take NY route 17 to Seven Lakes Drive (just past Sloatsburg) to Reeve Meadow Visitor Center

Destination: Appalachian Trail, Beacon NY.
Helpful Information: This would be an overnight.
Directions: MetroNorth drops you off

Destination: Hook Mountain
Phone number: 845-268-3020 (Rockland Lake State Park office) 
Distance from Midtown: ~30 miles ~0.75 hours
Reservations required: No
Type of outing: Hike
Age recommended for: Middle School, High School
Level: 2
Recommended Season: any
Helpful Information: We took the Long Path (turquoise) north, crossing Hook Mountain and continuing north until it was time to turn around and come back. This trip has spectacular views with very little climbing.
Driving Directions: Cross the Tappan Zee Bridge and take the Nyack exit. Continue north on route 9W past the town until you see the turquoise blazes on the right.

Destination: Doodletown
Phone number: 845-786-2701 (Bear Mountain State Park office) 
Distance from Midtown: ~50 miles ~1 hour
Reservations required: No
Type of outing: Hike
Age recommended for: Middle School, High School
Level: 2
Recommended Season: any
Helpful Information: From the Bear Mountain Inn, take the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail (yellow) south to the 1777W Trail (red) east to the 1777E Trail (red) to the Cornell Trail(blue) back to the Bear Mountain Inn. On this trail you can look for signs of Doodletown, a town that existed before the Revolutionary War but exists no more, except for a graveyard and a few remains. This is a good hike for a lousy day, because it's fairly short and fairly easy, and you can warm up and dry off in the Bear Mountain Inn.
Driving Directions: Palisades Pkwy north to 9W and get off at the Bear Mountain Inn.

Destination: Storm King State Park
Phone number: 845-786-2701 (Bear Mountain State Park office) 
Distance from Midtown: ~80 miles ~1.5 hours
Reservations required: No
Type of outing: Hike
Age recommended for: Middle School, High School
Level: 3
Recommended Season: any
Helpful Information: From Stillman Spring, we took the Howell Trail (blue) south and west, then north, and returned by the Stillman Spring Trail (white). There are lots of great overlooks in the early part of this hike, and a nice walk beside a streamin the middle part.
Driving Directions: Palisades Pkwy north to 9W to route 218. Park across the street from StillmanSpring.

Destination: Lemon Squeezer, Harriman State Park
Phone number: 845-786-2701 (Bear Mountain State Park office) 
Distance from Midtown: ~50 miles ~1 hour 
Reservations required: No
Type of outing: Hike
Age recommended for: Middle School, High School
Level: 2
Recommended Season: any
Helpful Information: Follow the Appalachian Trail

Destination: Almost Vertical Trail, Harriman State Park
Phone number: 845-786-2701 (Bear Mountain State Park office) 
Distance from Midtown: ~50 miles ~1 hour
Reservations required: No
Type of outing: Hike
Age recommended for: Middle School, High School
Level: 4
Recommended Season: any
Helpful Information: From the Tuxedo Park train station, follow the Tuxedo-Mt Ivy trail (red) across I-87, then turn south on the Kakiat trail (white). Turn north on the Blue Disc trail (blue) and return by the Tuxedo-Mt Ivy trail. For a slightly longer hike, continue north on the Blue Disc trail and take the Ramapo-Dunderberg trail home (also red).
Driving Directions: Take Interstate 87 to Exit 15A. Take Route 17 north. Park at the Tuxedo Park train station. Alternatively, park at the end of Johnsontown Road and go to Claudius Smith Den and back via the Blue Disc Trail.

Destination: Schunemunk Mountain
Distance from Midtown: ~65 miles ~1.5 hours
Reservations required: No 
Type of outing: Hike
Age recommended for: Middle School, High School
Level: 4
Recommended Season: any, but the rock is slippery when wet 
Helpful Information: Take the Sweet Clover Trail (white), then turn north on the Jessup Trail (yellow) to make a loop of about 5 miles. Alternatively, go left (south) on the Jessup Trail and return by the Dark Hollow Trail (black). A detour to see the Megaliths is well worth while.
Driving Directions: I-87 north to Exit 16 (Route 6 west), then exit immediately to Route 32 north. After about 7 miles, turn left at the Black Rock Fish and Game Club, then left on Taylor Rd and park on the right near the end of the road.

Destination: Sterling Forest State Park
Phone number: 845-351-5907
Distance from Midtown: ~50 miles/1 hour
Reservations Required: No 
Type of Outing: Hiking
Age recommended for: Middle School, High School
Level (1-5): 2-4, depending on trail taken 
Recommended Season: Spring-Fall.  There is active hunting season in much of the area November-March so if you are hiking in this time period CALL IN ADVANCE to learn which areas of the park are non-hunting.
Helpful Information: Here is a map of the Forest. Here is another map of the area right around Sterling Lake. If you ask at the park office, you can get a map showing remains of the iron works along the west shore of Sterling Lake. It takes about 2.5 hours to do the Sterling Lake Loop or to go to the Fire Tower and back.
Directions: Route 17 north to 72 west to 84 north to the park office.