7.2 miles | 820 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★★ I have mixed feelings about the cooler temperatures. On one hand, the crispness is perfect hiking weather. I love being bundled and even more importantly, not sweating. But on the other hand, the muted colors of grey dampen otherwise spectacular views. Not wanting to journey too far last weekend, we decided to explore Hemlock Falls in South Meadow Reservation. The falls were nice, but the discovery of a fairy village made the hike all the more worth it.
waterfall
Hike 46: Letchworth State Park
4.6 miles | 892 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★★★ Letchworth State Park. The Grand Canyon of the east. And apparently USA Today's top state park in the United States. The Genesee River runs straight through the park, with waterfalls as high as 600 feet in some places. It's not prime for challenging hikes, but accessibly and effort bang for your buck, it's way up there.
Hike 45: Taughannock Falls
2.5 miles | 217 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★★★ On our way up to the Finger Lakes for a long weekend, we stopped at Taughannock Falls. At 400 feet in height, Taughannock falls is more than double the height of Niagara Falls, though not nearly as wide. Best of all, the hike is relatively accessible for all skill levels and just 20 minutes north of Ithaca.
Hike 40: Diamond Notch Falls
2.0 miles | 226 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★★ After conquering Twin and Indian Head, we needed a recovery hike. And who can turn down a waterfall. Diamond Notch Falls were a bit of a drive, but I've found (as with the Adirondacks), it's sometimes challenging to find a scenic hike in the Catskills, unless you're willing to put in the work. Many hikes are under .5 miles, a "look at the thing on the side of the road" hike, or "moderate" 1,000 ft climbs. Diamond Notch Falls offered a moderate distance and relatively flat trail.
Hike 32: Iron Mine Pond Loop
3.2 miles | 469 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★ After our trip to the Adirondacks, we took a few weeks off from hiking. Partly to recover, partly to make way for Hurricanes Henri and Ida's wrath. We had a great camping trip planned for Labor Day weekend at Rudd Pond in Taconic State Park. And some big plans, including the highest point in Connecticut and the NY-CT-MA tripoint. Unfortunately the consistent rain on Sunday forced us to pack up a day early. Luckily we still got a quick loop in on Saturday, leaving right from our campsite.
Hike 27: Indian Head
10.5 miles | 1,847 ft gain | Difficulty: Moderate | Rating ★★★★★ Not a high peak, but what I would consider one of the premiere hikes in the high peaks region. Many do this a quick stop on their way up (or down) Blake and Colvin or Dial and Nippletop. We orphaned Blake and have to do that pair again, but we always find ourselves too exhausted for just another half mile or couple hundred feet up. With the Adirondack Mountain Reserve's (AMR) newly created parking reservation system, this felt like a low stakes way to test the system.
Hike 25: Buttermilk Falls
4.25 miles | 250 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★ The plan was to drive over to Buttermilk Falls just before dinner on Saturday night. Google gave us one set of directions, Waze another longer route. We assumed Waze knew something Google didn't about traffic or obstructions (it usually does, regardless of them being the same company) and went with it. 30 minutes later we arrived at a blocked road. So...we drove around to the other side. Also blocked. Apparently the direct road to the falls was blocked with "covid restrictions" according to the Delaware Water Gap's website. We learned later that they were rebuilding the parking lot.
Hike 23: Corbett’s Glen
2.5 miles | 148 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★ We spent the July 4th weekend road tripping upstate for our cousin's covid-delayed graduation party in Rochester. To extend the trip a bit, we stopped by the Finger Lakes for some wine, cider and hiking. Unfortunately, conditioned by the heatwave in the city, we didn't properly prepare for milder temperatures. Our planned hike to Taughannock Falls would have to wait. Luckily, we found a few hours to check out a local spot in Rochester while there.
Hike 22: Hartshorn Woods
6.0 miles | 614 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★★ I'm not a beach person, but somehow being near the beach on a 90 degree day felt like the right hike option. We ventured down to Atlantic Highlands, a mile or so from Sandy Hook. Starting from the Rocky Point entrance, we followed the black diamond trail for most of the hike resulting in a long loop around the park.
Hike 21: Ramapo Valley County Reservation
3.6 miles | 633 ft gain | Difficulty: Moderate | Rating ★★★★ First hike of summer! Well technically the solstice was 12 hours after we completed our hike, but let's go by the day, not the hour. We were in New Jersey for a party, our first since the pandemic, and Father's Day so decided to take advantage of Sunday morning to get in a quick hike. Ramapo Reservation is only a 10 minute drive from where I grew up, so while I know the location well, I never took advantage of the trails in the way I should.
Hike 20: Prospect Park
4.35 miles | 213 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★★ With a Friday off, I planned to attempt my first solo hike. But a couple of things changed my mind. I'm a bit clumsy so the idea of being in the woods, alone, and spraining my ankle or worse didn't really appeal. Plus for the first time in 15 months, I wanted to be with all the people. A wild, yet urban stroll through Prospect Park seemed to fit the bill.
Hike 19: Clarence Fahnestock State Park
7.0 miles | 591 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★★★ Fahnestock is a beautiful, surprisingly quiet park. We had only been there once a few years back. It was a holiday weekend and we didn't see anyone in our 10-mile journey. Up by Cold Spring, New York, the Appalachian trail runs the length of the park. When my boss insisted we had a two week window to see the mountain laurel blooms, we knew we had to go.
Hike 14: Vernooy Falls
3.7 miles | 659 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★★ I have trouble understanding where the Hudson Valley ends and the Catskills begin. Staying in New Paltz for the weekend, we wanted to get in one last waterfall before heading home. We decided to head to Vernooy Falls, a moderately easy hike recommended in one of my hiking groups. Just 15 miles away but apparently we were now in the Catskills.
Hike 12: Rainbow Falls (Minnewaska)
7.2 miles | 858 ft gain | Difficulty: Medium | Rating ★★★★ Spring brings high water and mud. While hiking might be a bit dirtier than other times of the year, it is the perfect time for chasing waterfalls. We took a few days up in the Hudson Valley to do just that. Rainbow Falls in Minnewaska State Park, not to be confused with Rainbow Falls in the High Peaks region, feeds into Peter Kill. While the falls can be dry in the summer, snow melt and saturated land allows for a brilliant cascade.
Hike 11: Dennings Point
5.3 miles | 150 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★ The plan was to hike Mount Beacon, through the casino ruins and up to the fire tower. We got as far as the top of the metal steps and I couldn't shake the growing shin pain in my right leg. Was it from yesterday's run? I'm not sure. But what was clear was that hiking such a steep climb, starting from a place of pain, was probably not a good idea. Beacon will have to wait.
Hike 2: Carris Hill + Wyanokie High Point
7.4 miles | 1,289 ft gain | Difficulty: Moderate | Rating ★★★★★ We took the long path. Intentionally? unintentionally? I'm not entirely sure. It's not unusual for our recorded hike to be slightly longer than AllTrails, but a 20%+ difference is a bit much.
Fifty-Two Hikes 