Breakneck Ridge Trail (White Trail)

The trailhead is located on Route 90D near Cold Springs, NY. Coming from the south, the trailhead is just after the tunnel, continue driving about 300 feet or so and there will be parking spots on the right and about 700 feet further there is an overflow parking lot as well. There is also a very convenient stop right up the street if you are riding on the Metro North train, however, buy a roundtrip ticket because there is no option to buy a return ticket once you reach the base of the mountain. To begin the hike you must walk back towards the tunnel and there will be a small shed adjacent to a map posting that signifies the start of the trail. From the get-go the path ascends at a pretty steep slope as you initiate the white trail. As the trail gets steeper and steeper you reach a small vantage point after about a quarter of a mile and is the perfect place to catch your break and look out over the Hudson. Frequent breaks for water are highly recommended and the mountain itself provides so many vantage points that its rather necessary to stop so often. After scrambling for about 3/4 of a mile you'll reach a vista equipped with a flagpole and a large section of flat rock. Pressing on after a very enjoyable break, you push on to possibly the steepest part of the hike. There are a series of ALT pathways that are extremely difficult and caution is necessary. I took this direction for part of the ways as they are just short pathways that are more difficult but meet back on the main trail after 15 feet or so. After 2 serious 10 foot climbs rather close to the ledge I opted for the normal trail. Now reaching the second vista the flagpole looks just like a distant memory. If you think you're at the peak now then your in for 3 (or 4) more surprises because the mountain is riddled with vistas and you start to descend at some points just to go back up. Once you hit the 3rd vista however, you start to enter a more woodland area and it will turn into a more average hike that you would experience in bear mountain and this will continue for about 2 or so miles. It takes about 2.5 hours to reach the peak and another hour to get back to your car but it is one of the most tiring hikes I have ever been on. A good comparison of the scrambling aspect would be the beehive trail of Acadia National Park. Once you return to your car I highly recommend stopping in the village of Cold Springs and grabbing some food and taking a load off in one of their old school diners.