Falling Waters Preserve

1.  From the parking area (see “Directions to the trailhead” below), stroll over to the well-marked kiosk behind the fence to read up on the place you’re about to visit.  Might as well learn something while we’re here.

2.  We’ll begin by walking past the kiosk on the gravel road for just a moment, following the red blazes of the Upland Trail.  After less than a minute, arrive at the junction with the blue-blazed Father C. Jorn Trail.  Turn right to hop on the Blue Trail, which takes us on a loop and returns us to this spot.

3.  Is that falling water you hear?  Indeed.  In just a moment, arrive at your first falling water of the day.

Feel free to sit for a moment and meditate on the nice bench-and-arbor setup they’ve got going here.  Sure, we’ve only been hiking for two minutes, but it’s important to pace ourselves.  Anybody bring Cheetos?

4.  Keep following the blue blazes downhill to find another nice bench overlooking the Hudson River shoreline.

5.  Once you’re done frolicking in the waves (you’re not really supposed to frolic in the waves), keep following the blue blazes to a spot where the trail splits, at a tree with four blue blazes.  This is the start of a loop.  Let’s choose the path on the right to get closer to the river.

6.  Beautiful bench alert!  Seriously, have you not sat down yet?

7.  Enjoy the river-and-forest views as you stroll along.  Follow the Blue Trail all the way out – you’ll see where the other part of the blue-blazed loop rejoins you, and you can keep going out to this little shack by the river.  Father C. Jorn’s garage?  Actually, it’s an old icehouse, from way back before people realized that they needed to plug in their refrigerators to keep things cold.

You’ll find another nice stretch of shoreline here.

8.  When you’re done checking out the river, return on the right-hand Blue Trail section that stays a little farther inland, just for a change of scenery.  Finish the loop and head back uphill, past the waterfall, to where the Blue Trail began.  It took me about five minutes to get back up there.

9.  Turn right to continue on the Red Trail, which could easily pass for a gravel road if it needed to.

9.  In just a few minutes, you’ll see the white-blazed Riverside Trail splitting off to your right (the white blazes had been ripped off the tree on my visit in late 2012, but I imagine they’re probably fixed by now – Scenic Hudson is on the ball about this kind of thing).

Stay on the Red Trail to keep heading toward the falls, and we’ll come back to this spot via the White Trail later.

10.  From that Red/White junction, it’s about .6 miles to the falls.  Just keep strolling, enjoying the bucolic views to your left.  (Also, has anyone ever used the word “bucolic” in conversation?  It’s one of those words that people only write, like kudos and ilk.)  But are there benches, you ask?  Oh yes.  Have  a seat and continue pacing yourself.

11.  When you arrive at the statue of an important-looking person, where a paved road continues straight out of the preserve, turn right to stay on the Red Trail.  Hear more falling water yet?

12.  As you approach the falls, hop on the little spur trail that takes you down right beside the creek, where there is another nice bench-and-arbor setup.  If you didn’t polish off the Cheetos yet, now would be a good time to bust them out.

13.  After you’re done checking out the falls, the nicest stretch of trail for the day (in my humble opinion) is just ahead.  Hop back onto the trail, following it above and behind the benches.

Keep heading downhill, ignoring the White Trail splitting off to your right (we’ll come back here in just a moment).

The creek drops into the ravine to your left as you walk high above it, heading down to the Hudson River once again.  What a nice spot.

14.  The trail dead-ends on a bank overlooking the spot where the creek runs into the Hudson.  Take in the view for a moment, then head back up to the White Trail junction.

15.  Turn left onto the White Trail.

Follow those blazes as you roll over some scenic hills, occasionally dropping down to the river’s edge.  And, of course, passing some more scenic benches.

You’ll stroll almost a mile on the White Trail as it rolls along the river’s edge.  Towards the end, it cuts inland again and dead-ends into the Red Trail, closing the loop.

16.  Turn left onto the Red Trail to retrace your steps back to your car.

Aren’t you glad you came here instead of the mall?