|
Over the past couple of years I’ve become “quite the hiking enthusiast” as my Mom says 😊 So many people travel to go hiking in the Hudson Valley and I’m SO lucky to live in the Hudson Valley and have amazing mountains out my back door. Hiking is such a great way to clear my mind and relieve stress. As soon as I get to the top of the mountain, I feel amazing. I’m a big fan of a strenuous hike that gets your heart pumping that has a big view as a payoff. Rock scrambles are my favorite – such an adrenaline rush! I recently got to check out Bonticou Crag, which is an amazing rock scramble hike in Mohonk Preserve in New Paltz. It was one that I had wanted to try for a while and when I had a day off and a couple of my friends were planning a trip – I jumped at the chance. WHAT A HIKE! The rock scramble was short, but awesome. It was tough in certain spots and just awe inspiring when you were at the bottom looking up at all the rock formations – seriously took my breath away. I’m not too bad with heights, but there were a couple of times that made me a bit dizzy! We also checked out the Table Rocks, which is about a 2 mile detour off the trail, but totally worth it too. They were large slanted rock formations with splits down the middle – such a cool thing to see. This one definitely challenged my fear of heights. At one point we jumped over one of the “cracks” (with a serious drop down) and I was fine going one way, but almost couldn’t make it back! The outreached hand of my friend helped me jump over it (thanks, Karen!!)! Highly recommend a trip there if you plan to be in the Hudson Valley and want a to check out one of the best hikes. Here are my top 5 hikes in the Hudson Valley that I’ve done so far: Mount Beacon A quick, steep hike to the ruins of an old casino with gorgeous views of the Hudson River and the quaint city of Beacon with the Catskills in the background. Hike up another mile to the fire tower to get a glimpse of NYC on a clear day. This is definitely one of the best hikes in the Hudson Valley in my opinion!  Mount Beacon Anthony’s Nose Another amazing hike in the Hudson Valley - I love this quick hike with one of my favorite views – looking down on the Bear Mountain Bridge. I usually go up the blue trail, which is up the face of the mountain. It’s a bit of a scramble and then I head down the white trail. This is a really great hike for sunset too – that was the first time I hiked it and it was gorgeous.  Anthony’s Nose Popolopen Torne Another great hike with a gorgeous view – you see Anthony’s Nose across the river and the Bear Mountain Bridge. This one is great for sunrise if you’re a morning person – I’m definitely not, but trying to do more morning hikes – so great to accomplish something to start the day! There's a bit of a rock scramble at the top of this trail too - and it's one of the best in the Hudson Valley in my opinion (probably after Breakneck).  Popolopen Torne Breakneck Ridge Breakneck is one of the most famous hikes in the Hudson Valley – it’s estimated that 100,000 people climb the mountain each year! I like to do this one during the week when there are less crowds. It’s an awesome rock scramble with great views of the Hudson River. It’s a relatively short hike, but strenuous to start – definitely a must if you like rock scrambles!  Breakneck Twin Mountain This was my first Catskills high peak and it’s such a great hike. I did it at night so we could catch the sunset and came down in the dark, which was so much fun. You also get to hike part of Devil’s Path, which is challenging, but awesome. The views from the 2 peaks are outstanding and if you can get a sunset, it’s magical!  Twin Mountain And now I’m adding Bonticou Crag to the list 😊 ! I’m hoping to add to this list as I explore more. What are some of your favorite hikes in the Hudson Valley? Any that I must try??  Tags: Hiking; Hiking the Hudson Valley, Top hikes in the Hudson Valley, Best hikes in the Hudson Valley.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
March 2021
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed