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Photo Cred: Hike the Hudson Valley and Compass + Twine
Numerous wold-class hiking trails lie within a 2hr radius of NYC – all you have to do, is get up and go! The Hudson Valley is renowned for its abundance of trails, breathtaking views and diverse terrain. We’ll highlight our 2 favorite to get you started:
The Lemon Squeeze
One of many great trails surrounding the renowned Mohonk Mountain House outside the town of New Paltz, the Lemon Squeeze offers everything from fun rock maneuvering to incredible valley views. You can choose to undertake different sections of the trail depending on your desired hike intensity, but the full Lemon Squeeze trail takes about 4 hours. The shorter version of Lemon Squeeze is really more of a rock scramble, with a mixture of easy and adventurous terrain. The one hour long trail consists of several cool (and semi-scary!) ladder climbs requiring you to shimmy up and through the crevice between ginormous boulders. As you ascend to the the peak of the climb, insane views of the Hudson Valley unfold around you. Hopefully you packed enough snacks because you’re going to want to sit there and soak it all in for as long as possible.
To make a weekend trip out of it, the Mohonk Mountain house is the ideal place to stay. Situated on a gorgeous lake, the iconic hotel offers offers a range of outdoor activities as well as a nice spa facility. If you’re interested in more affordable and quaint accommodations, let us know and we’ll throw some recommendations your way.
Sam’s Point
This hike stands out for its spectacular views, ice caves, pygmy pine forest, and the famous Verkeerder Kill waterfall. Yep, all that in one. Sam’s Point is located West of Poughkeepsie in the Minnewaska State Park / Shawangunk Ridge area. With numerous trails of varied lengths, you can capture all the main highlights in just around 3 hours. The ice caves are and pygmy forrest are fascinating and completely unique. At the pinnacle of the hike, you’ll encounter the Verkeerder waterfall and dramatic views. As our friends at Hike the Hudson put it, this hike is for you if “you want to visit what very well might be the coolest natural place in the Hudson Valley”.
