Tag: Hiking

Mt. Beacon, Beacon

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If you are looking to get in a good workout and want an instant reward for your efforts, Mt. Beacon is what you have been looking for.  The hardest mile in the Hudson Valley gets you to the summit of Mt. Beacon from where you are rewarded with some of the best views of the Hudson Valley.  For the warm up portion of the hike, you start with climbing about 150 steps.  The main course involves hiking up steadily through a series of switch backs.  Unlike some of the other challenging hikes in the area, Mt. Beacon can be conquered by most reasonably fit people.  It is a steady up hill climb that you can navigate at your own pace with breaks sprinkled in and there isin’t any rock scrambling involved.  There aren’t too many great views til you get up near the summit, but the views from the summit make up for it!

On a clear day you can see all the way upto the Catskills on the northern front and New York City on the southern front.  The Newburgh Beacon bridge, Storm King,  Bannerman Island, Dennings Point, and a lego like view of Beacon are some of the highlights of what you can see from the top.   You can see the remnants of the old casino and what remains of the Beacon Incline Railway.  The Beacon Incline Railway was a major tourist attractions in the early 20th century and burned down in the 1980’s.  The  Mount Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society is working on restoring it.  Hiking another mile will lead you to a recently restored fire tower offering more stunning views.  It should take an average person about 35 – 45 minutes to get to the summit of Mt. Beacon and another 20 – 30 minutes to get back to the parking lot.  Make sure to wander around the summit to take in the views from all the lookout points.  Some of the best views are not from the most obvious lookout spots.  Watch out for loose rock and pebbles on your way down!

DIRECTIONS & PARKING

The trail head starts from a spacious parking lot that is maintained by Scenic Hudson.  The lots fill quickly on nice weekend days though.  So get there early!  To find the parking lot, plugin in 777 Wolcott Ave, Beacon, NY 12508 into your GPS.

USEFUL LINKS

Scenic Hudson’s Mt. Beacon page

Hike the Hudson Valley’s trail guide

Dennings Point, Beacon

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A cool little peninsula in Beacon sticking out in the river offers visitor’s some nice hiking trails, a peaceful cove, awesome bird watching opportunities.  Part of the Hudson Highlands State Park, Dennings Point provides a nice trail loop that highlights the industrial past of Beacon.  There are still remnances of old factory buildings in a few spots around the park.  One of my favorite photography spots in the park is the view of an old abandoned railway track curving towards the soaring Hudson Highlands in the background.  The park is also home to the Beacon Institute, a non profit institution that studies the effects of the waterways.  Finally this park is also one of the best bird watching spots in Beacon.  It is not uncommon to spot Herons and Eagles soaring above.  There are also a beautiful mile long riverside trail that connects Dennings Point with Long Dock Park that I would highly recommend visiting!

DIRECTIONS & PARKING

To find the parking lot, plugin in 140 Dennings Ave, Beacon, NY 12508 into your GPS.  There is plenty of parking available here.  The parking lot is oddly located next to the Beacon Sewage Treatment Plant.  From the parking lot walk towards the train tracks and you will see the entrance for the trail.

USEFUL LINKS

Trail map

History of Dennings Point

Beacon Institute

Indian Brook Falls, Garrison

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Sitting on one of the many blouders surrounding the majestic forty foot Indian Brook Waterfalls in Garrison is one of the most peaceful experiences in the Hudson Valley.  The falls have a bit of an amphitheater feel to with the Indian Brook Falls leading the performance on stage and the visitors having a front row seat.  The falls are part of the Indian Brook as it meanders its way to the Hudson River.  A falls are a  short half a mile walk from the parking lot.  For exact directions, check out the link to the awesome Hike the Hudson Valley trail guide below.  It’s not a nice paved walk but it’s not a very strenuous walk either.  Just involves walking over some rocks.  Once you get to the falls area you can wander around based on how adventurous you feel and what mother nature has planned for it’s visitors.  It is pretty hard to get up to the falls in early spring or after heavy rains.  In the fall the water flow slows down to a trickle but is awesome to visit with brilliant colors all around!  This is another destination that is so different in each season and a place to visit at least 4 times a year.

DIRECTIONS & PARKING

To find the parking lot, plugin in 127 Warren Landing Rd, Garrison, NY 10524 into your GPS.  The parking lot can only hold eight cars and they are very strict about handing out tickets if you are not parked in one of those spots.  Arrive early on weekends.  The parking lot is shared with the Constitution Marsh.

USEFUL LINKS

Hike the Hudson Valley’s trail guide