Sharon, Connecticut

North of New York City by 90 minutes lies the town of Cold Spring in the Hudson Valley. Cold Spring has a hometown quality with a Main Street, a firehouse, and art galleries of local artists. Despite its proximity to NYC, locals maintain a slower pace and enjoy many outdoor activities. Just a sho...

This is a difficult loop hike that has several different starting points.  I chose to start at the Washburn Trail Head, which is the lowest starting point you can select.  Nearly on the Hudson River, the trail ascends immediately along a well maintained road designated by white disc markers.  Aft...

This loop is a great option to avoid crowds on the west side of the Washburn trail.  Start at the same trailhead for the Washburn Trail.  The Cornish Trail is on the left and there is an obvious sign at the trail split a few feet from the parking area.  The Cornish Trail is an old road from about...

Sugarloaf Mountain, is one the 35 highest peaks in New York's Catskills at 3806 ft. There are many ways to approach this peak, and this is an out-and-back hike via Mink Hollow. The parking area is located at the end of Milk Hollow Rd (42.10405386879072, -74.17148500019927). From here, get on the...

This is about as short a walk and as little effort as you can put in for a beautiful waterfall. You can barely call it a hike, but I'll list it as such since you do walk through the woods for 5 minutes. The trail is extremely well built, and is pretty easily accessible through the winter.The trai...

Mt. Taurus (or Bull Hill) is a short, family and dog friendly, hike just outside the town of Cold Spring, easily accessible by car or taking the train into town. It snakes along the edge of an old quarry that is just now being retaken by nature and provides lookouts towards the Hudson, other near...

Begin by parking at the end of Mink Road in Elka Park (GPS:N42 08.593, W74 09.479). It will be a .7 mile hike to camp. Follow the rocky woods road to the junction where there is a SPRING sign. Continuing straight will take you to the water source. If you do not need water, turn left when you see ...

Sleeping Giant State Park is a place very close to my heart. I spent 4 years right across the street at Quinnipiac University and have hiked “The Giant” more times then I can count and at all different hours. There are a few different trails you can explore but my favorite one is up to the cliffs...

Since I was a child, I’ve always enjoyed hiking the Giant. As Connecticut parks go, this terrain is some of the most challenging (and unfortunately, the most dangerous) in the state. The actual ridge is approximately 2.75 miles long by 1.75 miles wide, and offers approximately 24 miles of hiking ...

Sleeping Giant State Park does not just have great hiking, it also has great climbing and bouldering. Pick up the blue trail starting at the backside of the visitor center. This trail climbs pretty steadily but take note that as you hike up the cliff below you is a great spot to checkout for boul...

It would be impossible to see all of Minnewaska’s beautiful spots in one day. Gertrude's Nose is, in my opinion, the best view in the entire park. Round trip, the hike is approximately 5 hours, and is a 7.5 mile trip. To get to the trailhead: Drive to the Minnewaska State Park entrance, pass the...

Lake Minnewaska Loop Trail is a loop trail where you may see beautiful wildflowers located near Kerhonkson, New York.

This great loop hike starts from the upper parking lot of Lake Minnewaska State Park. Walk towards Lake Minnewaska and once on that carriage road, turn left and follow the road to the to the opposite end of the lake. Along the way are great view points of the lake and several picnic areas for day...

The popular route for this hike is to park your car at the base of the trail which is located right before merging onto 91-S in Middlefield, CT. The parking lot does seem to get crowded mid-day, especially if the weather is nice!  The beginning of the hike is mostly flatter land and an incline w...

This loop hike starts at the northern trailhead of the park where the Stillman Trail begins.  The parking area has enough space for only 6 or 7 cars.  Start off on a wide maintained carriage road.  After about a half mile, the Stillman Trail (yellow markers) breaks of to the left.  However, stay ...

This is an easy, yet very rewarding hike with a lot of viewpoints on the way up. Technically you scale up two mountains, Butter Hill and Storm King, but most people just describe it as Storm King Mountain. This is a great hike for families with younger kids, those who don't have much time but wan...