Hike Around New York City: Harriman State Park
Last time we went hiking, we went to Bear Mountain and climbed the rather uninspiring paved trail to the top. This time, we got a wee bit smarter and looked at a hiking book, which recommended a trail at Harriman State Park (a close cousin of Bear Mountain). Because of our late arrival, we could only do a three-hour hike, but that hike was everything we wanted our Bear Mountain hike to be, and more. We got to see abandoned iron mines, watch chipmunks hide in hollow logs and see deer munching on grass knolls. We were also notably far enough from civilization to not be reminded of it. The above photo is our the money shot.
After the hike, we drove another half hour to Beacon, where we dined at the town's only Southern barbecue joint, the Piggy Bank. This was our second time at the restaurant located in an old bank, and though the ribs weren't quite as good as we remembered, it's still a pretty great place to go if you're in the area. This time, the fried okra spears and the Carolina pulled pork were the winners, as is the very cheap draft beer ($4). The photo at left is from the Piggy Bank's website. My outdoor photo didn't turn out very well, so I'm deferring to the official shot.
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We're planning a camping trip for Labor Day weekend. This looks like a good choice.
PS: Do you know anyone who has done the ice caves up around New Paltz?
The ice caves are great, as is Minnewaska Lake. There's a great hike that takes you to this rock beach way out on the lake.
This isn't exactly related, but I found this web site yesterday. It might help in planning any fall hiking trips at least. They start the foliage reports in September and keep them up through November. (as you'll see the latest map dates back to last November)
http://www.foliagenetwork.com/reports/northeast_us/
Another place that is also nearby is Breakneck Ridge trails, which are accessible from the MTA North. It is a pretty intense hike that has incredible views (hence the name), and if you play it right you end up in Cold Spring, where the town is charming and has some wonderful restaurants there. On your hike you get to see a 'ghost town' farm with a lake and loads of wildlife. Worth a day trip, especially in the autumn!
Re: the Ice Caves: there are ice caves also at Sam's Point in Cragsmoor, not far from Minnewaska State Park.
I was a vegetarian tag-along to the Piggy Bank, so I don't remember much about the food, though I do recall the really good cornbread arrived at our table several times.
the ice caves at sam's point are pretty cool but i thought the rest of the hiking was kind of bland -most of it was on wide, paved paths, and it was really crowded when I was there. That said, I think it's worth it just to see the caves though. I've also been to Mt. Torus in Cold Spring and the trails are nice (but not paved) and it's not as greuling as Breakneck Ridge.
There's also an awesome trail head in Beacon located behind a residential area (east of the Dia) that leads up to a beautiful waterfall. We had to ask around for it, but finally someone pointed us in the right direction.
You should definitely check out the rock scrambling trails at Mohonk in the Shawganuk mountains (about 30 mins outside New Paltz) Giant's Workshop and the Labyrinth are incredible. The Labyrinth ends up in the awesome "lemon squeeze" leading to a retired firetower with an unbelievable view of the entire Hudson Valley.