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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. Can see Empire State Building-30 miles away- from
Wyanokie High Point. Nice Weis Ecology Center.
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.
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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 |
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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/. |
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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 |
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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
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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. |
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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.
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
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.
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Hike and Walks
