Castle Craig

Scenery:
Difficulty: 5 out of 10 (steady climb with one quite steep, rocky section)
Highlights: honking trucks (if you do it right), incredible views, stone tower
Distance: 3.6 miles, Up-and-Back
Approximate roundtrip time: 2 Hours
Total ascent: 802 ft
Max elevation: 951 ft above sea level
This hike is for you if: You want to storm a castle to plunder some of the best views in the area.

Bear Mountain State Park

Scenery:
Difficulty: 8 out of 10 (rugged climb with some steep rock-clambering)
Fees: Cheapskate alert! The parking fee here is $10 per vehicle. Money well spent.
Highlights: awesome views, cool trails, stone tower, vending machines
Distance: 4.5 miles, Loop
Approximate roundtrip time: 3.5 Hours
Total ascent: 1,208 ft
Max elevation: 1,319 ft above sea level
This hike is for you if: You want to tackle a beautiful, steep climb to one of the most wide-open panoramic views in the Hudson Valley. Also, you can ignore the fact that you could have just driven to the top.

Mohonk Mountain House: Labyrinth and Lemon Squeeze

Scenery:
Difficulty: 9 out of 10 (squishing yourself between rocks, ladder climbing, rock scrambling, plus a two-mile-each-way stroll between parking lot and Labryinth)
Fees: 5-alarm cheapskate alert! As of 2022, this hike costs $35 PER HIKER ($30 for kids 4-12 years old)
Highlights: crazy rock labyrinth, great views, rock scrambling, stone tower
Distance: 5.5 miles, Loop
Approximate roundtrip time: 4 Hours
Total ascent: 973 ft
Max elevation: 1,617 ft above sea level
This hike is for you if: You want to see some of the coolest sights in the Hudson Valley and you’re not afraid to crawl under (and around, and through, and over) some rocks to see ‘em.