4.9 miles | 173.9 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★★

Contrary to popular belief, hiking trails do exist in New York City. The first time I walked Central Park, top to bottom, I was fascinated to discover what seemed like a rainforest area. Only about 20 feet long, just south of the park, but for a few moments there was a notable climate and flora change.

With the impending storm last weekend, we wanted to stay close by, and even still managed to get home just as the snowflakes really started to cling to the roads and trees. We opted for Van Cortland Park. We had been there a few years ago during the warmer months, to check out the Van Cortlandt House and explore wilderness stretching too and beyond the Sawmill Parkway. This time, our plan was to explore the revamped Old Putnam Rail Trail, part of the newly established Empire State Trail that stretches from New York City to Buffalo.

The hike was more of a stroll. The entire Putnam Rail Trail was paved, but the history and artifacts along the way were worth slowing things down for. After going under the bridge, we saw remnants of the original 1904 station. I was shocked to see part of the platform shelter still intact.

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A bit further down the path, we saw the testing grounds for Grand Central Station. Railroad baron Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt wanted to see what stone was most impervious to weathering so erected 13 slabs side-by-side. It was interesting to see 100-year-old pieces, some slightly decaying, some practically brand new.

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We continued down the trail, through the park, taking in the lake, waterways and golf course, finally crossing the Westchester border. Rather than the out-and-back trail, we walked a few blocks east to design our own loop.

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A short walk through Yonkers, we reconnected with the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. The Aqueduct Trail runs 42 miles from The New Croton Dam to Manhattan. The path varies, with stretches of paved or dirt carriage roads, to walk through the woods, to backyard walkways.

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In November 2019, we completed the most common section – 26 miles from the dam down to Yonkers. While we were only a few miles from our Yonkers “finish point, and tempted to walk up to bridge any gaps in our trail, chilly 20 degree weather persuaded us to trek back to our starting point as quickly as possible. Next time…

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I’m excited to explore the rest of the southern part of the Aqueduct trail in warmer weather. There were a number of spurs here and there through the woods, a totally wild space seemingly lost between suburban and urban life.