- Jude De Alday on Kaaterskill Falls II (upper trailhead): You are my official trail guide! I appreciate all the info you are providing, making my hikes safer and anxiety free. My goal is to finish most if not all the trails you've been to. Keep posting!
- Dan O'Brien on Breakneck Ridge: The trail is opening again! https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/2019/05/16/breakneck-ridge-trailhead-reopen/3698684002/
- Mook on Breakneck Ridge: So what’s the best way to do breakneck and get the most of the rock scramble part?
- Brittany on North-South Lake: North Point: I did this hike today (5/16) and was disappointed to find that the gate at the first parking lot by the lake was locked! We parked there and it was about a .8 mile walk to the actual trailhead. I’m guessing that once the campground opens (maybe Memorial Day?), this…
- Lisca on Bear Mountain State Park: I know this was the wrong link, but I enjoyed it immensely and it was like I was walking the trail with you. I will now look up on the map where this place is, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get there. (We live in Spain).…
- Isaac on Snakes on a trail: Very informative! Great public service!
- Hudson Valley, NY on Giant Ledge and Panther Mountain: […] The Catskills immediately come to mind. Some of my favorite trails are Overlook, Hunter Mountain, Giant Ledge, and Kaaterskill Falls. I have to say, though, as this area increases in popularity, I’ve noticed […]
- Lizzie on Breakneck Ridge: The main trailhead above the tunnel is still closed as of 5/11.
- Karla on Hunter Mountain: Thanks for all the work you put in to this site. It is so helpful and useful and really well done. I appreciate the organization, the photos and the humor. Did this hike yesterday. It was a great uphill climb as you and the others have pointed out. But well…
- Jane Haslam on Great Swamp: Look forward to it
- Mike on Huckleberry Point: Thank you so much for the update, Liz! Really glad to hear that the road was open and all went well. Sounds like you picked a perfect day for it!
- Mike on Great Swamp: What a wonderful picture, Jane - thanks for sharing it here! And thanks so much for the kind invitation - hope to catch up with you over some coffee in Pawling!
- Liz on Huckleberry Point: Today was lovely for this hike! Thanks for the clear instructions. The road was indeed open, even though some signs indicated it was still closed. I didn’t encounter anyone on my path, but did cross paths with a deer.
- Jane Haslam on Great Swamp: Hey Mike thank you so much for the mention and shout out ..... I’ve used your hiking guides for a while now and they are a tremendous resource ...... Next time you are in the Pawling area why don’t you let us know we can grab a coffee and add…
- Mike on Alander Mountain: Katie, thank you so much for the update! So sorry to hear that the trail appears to be actually, officially closed now. I've added a warning to the top of this page. Really appreciate you helping other hikers not to run into the same nasty surprise -- THANK YOU!!!
- Mike on Great Swamp: Wow! That is quite a hike! Thanks for sharing that suggestion. Here's the link that you mentioned, for anyone crazy-Swamp-Monstery enough to go past Cat Rocks all the way to Nuclear Lake: https://www.nynjtc.org/hike/appalachian-trail-dutchess-county-ny#dialog-hike-description. Might as well just go to Georgia at that point :-)
- Mike on Great Swamp: Thank you so much for all the nice feedback, Susan! Very much appreciated!
- Mike on Huckleberry Point: Mystery solved! Looks like the road opened later than usual in 2019, due to construction: http://townofhuntergov.com/platte-clove-mountain-road/. According to that link, the road has opened as of May 1. Looks like it should be back on its normal (Nov 1 - April 15) closure schedule going forward.
- Morgan on Huckleberry Point: Not sure, it’s an hour and 20 min from me so I don’t want to drive all the way down again to be disappointed.
- Alexander on Huckleberry Point: Do you know if you still can’t get to it? :-( my fave hike in the spring with the flowers
- Shadow on Breakneck Ridge: Breakneck from beginning to end is my all-time favorite route. I've only been up twice this season and I didn't feel there was any safety issues, but HB's account is a bit alarming. Thanks again, Dan.
- Dan O'Brien on Breakneck Ridge: My own opinion is that even the closed area is safe enough to hike. I've been hiking almost everyday prior to the event and since the event and after the "closure". The hike is actually no more dangerous than it has been for several years now.
- MICHAEL a MOOK on Breakneck Ridge: so i am now a little confused. Is the trail totally open from the normal entry point?
- Shadow on Breakneck Ridge: Thank you, Dan! I was hoping to find more information myself. The comments here have been far more helpful than any of the news sources. Good to know we can still hit Breakneck from Washburn and Undercliff, although the best parts are closed. Thank you all!
- Dan O'Brien on Breakneck Ridge: I noticed the boulder sometime around the first or second week in April. Apparently HB saw the boulder sliding on April 13th. The trail was not closed until April 26th, so if you went on the 25th it would not have been closed yet. Nothing changed from the time the…
- Shadow on Breakneck Ridge: This is odd. I hiked Breakneck Ridge on April 25th (getting off the Metro-North at Cold Spring, then walking to Cornish, Brook, then through the tunnel to the beginning of the scramble and finishing the trail in Beacon) and I didn't notice any blockage on the trail, nor did I…
- Katie on Alander Mountain: I did this hike this past weekend and it was an awesome hike, but the Alander Loop Trail detailed in step 16 now has a trail closed sign at both ends. We didn't wanna be those people to disregard some nice new signs, so we just made the hike a…
- Morgan on Huckleberry Point: I saw some chain link fencing, my guess was that the road might have been washed out
- Abby S. on Great Swamp: NYNJTC has an even longer hike including this that will take you around Nuclear Lake and back. Just don't miss the turn for the lake if you do decide to go that way! My @13 mile hike was close to 18miles! Oops!
- Susan Joseph on Great Swamp: Hey, Mike. Thanks for an excellent guided tour of this hike. It was both informative and entertaining. The photos were most helpful for map-and-trail-challenged people like me. Loved the terrain map and Google Earth flyover, too.
- Mike on Great Swamp: Hey, Alejandro! I asked about that when I was there, and Jane Geisler (the volunteer mentioned above) told me that heading the other way goes through the Pawling Nature Reserve. Sounds like a nice stroll through the woods, but a long way to the next money spot. I've never been…
- Alejandro Urrutia on Great Swamp: How is the side going towards Main across the Road?
- Allan Serrano on Loving our trails too much?: Hi Mike Thank you for your great info and address the problem off careless trail users. I am a Student Conservation Association intern working at Minnewaska State Park Preserve and one of my projects is to kick off a volunteer trail steward program. We are starting with recruiting stewards for…
- Mike on Giant Ledge and Panther Mountain: Mike, great work! Thanks for taking the time to help us out. I will be sure to pay it forward in many ways. Heading out there Saturday, will do all the good deeds. Let ye know how it goes.
- Dan O'Brien on Breakneck Ridge: Did you actually see the boulder in the process of falling? Was it raining during that time? Can you explain exactly what you saw? I am amazed that such a big boulder moved and would love to hear more details about it.
- Aljurf on Vanderbilt Mansion: Great post, the right time of year, this can be one of the nicest spots in the Hudson Valley.
- Roberta Kravette on Loving our trails too much?: Hey Mike, I love your site. And yes, it is too bad we don't always have the trail to ourselves, and even more unfortunate that there are people on the trails who refuse to be responsible for themselves and their trash (I wonder what their houses look like YECH!!!) However,…
- Mike on Hunter Mountain: Happy belated birthday, Lee! If you dig hiking, you have chosen a most excellent place to live. Enjoy all the exploring! I'm kinda jealous, you have so many great spots to see for the first time. Really glad this guide was useful to you, and thanks so much for taking…
- Mike on Frequently Asked Questions: Chris, this is one of the most meaningful comments I’ve ever received here, just got a little misty reading over it again. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences, so glad to hear this site has been helpful to you in exploring the area and honoring…
- hava on Bear Mountain State Park: I did this hike today with a friend and it was amazing -- great views and a fun scramble on the way up. The guide was so good I didn't need to check it (except once!) and felt like a champ for knowing where to go and what to expect…
- Chris S. on Millbrook Mountain: Another view of step 13, notice no sign on the tree for Millbrook Mountain trail
- Chris S. on Millbrook Mountain: Quick heads up on step 13, there is no longer a Millbrook Mountain trail sign there. Instead there's a red "lake minnewaska" sign with an arrow. Follow that to Coxley as the directions say and you're all set. (4/27/2019)
- Mike on Breakneck Ridge: Well, I heard something further! The trail is now closed, and the trail guide above is updated accordingly. Looks like the parks department is taking action! Thanks for posting here, HB, and I'll do my best to keep the trail guide updated with the latest.
- Chris S. on Frequently Asked Questions: Hey Mike! I have been using your site for nearly 4 years now and over that time I have seen so much more of NY state than I ever would have otherwise. I have managed to spend so much quality time out in the mountains, enjoying nature and it has…
- Mike on Breakneck Ridge: Sounds like you hit it at the right time, Kelsey! Glad you had a great day out there! And thanks so much for providing payment -- let me express appreciation of behalf of everyone who won't have to look at that litter now. THANK YOU!!! :-)
- Mike on Breakneck Ridge: Yikes! That sounds like a really frightening experience, HB -- thanks for sharing the warning here! I forwarded this comment to a NYS Parks trail coordinator, who sent it to the park managers at the Trail Conference. If I hear anything further, I'll post it here.
- Lee on Hunter Mountain: Thank you so much! New to the area, and have not connected with a new community of hikers yet. So I was left with figuring out how to hike on my day off wednesday ( my bday) on my own. Your guide was AWESOME. I had the best day and…
- Mike on Mt. Beacon: Fergal, my sincere apologies. I still see several places online, including Yelp, where the address is listed as 640 Wolcott (which must be where I got that info initially), but you are correct, and I have updated the address above to 790. Hope you were able to get the cab…
- Kelsey on Breakneck Ridge: Thank you so much for the walk thru. It really was a great experience! We went this morning when it was about 64 degrees with barely any people around. Also, don't worry payment was provided on the trail by a few bottles ;)
- Jane Haslam on Bear Mountain State Park: What a great hike. .... completed it today and can’t wait to do it again. I’d totally underestimated Bear Mountain because of the road to the summit, those “cheaters” totally miss out on the spectacular
- Jessica on Harriman State Park: Lemon Squeezer to Lichen Trail: Did this hike last Sunday 4/21/19. Had perfect weather and ran into a bunch of people and dogs along the way. So many people were walking around a little lost. Your guide was super helpful! Made sure we were able to find the yellow trail right away off the red…
- Fergal on Mt. Beacon: Heads up, Bob’s Corner Store is at 790 Wolcott Ave, not 640. I took a cab from the Metro Notth station to 640 Wolcott, but that’s about a mile from the trailhead.
- Daniel Nagel on Schunemunk Mountain: I just skipped that bit, after I hit the train tracks I just crossed them immediately and walked left for... like 100 feet?
- Mike on Huckleberry Point: Morgan, so sorry (and surprised) to hear that! The road used to re-open on April 15. Was there any indication explaining why the road is closed? I'm wondering if the seasonal closure went later than usual this year, or if something else is going on. Thanks for sounding the alarm…
