Sparta, New Jersey

This loop hike can be started from several different places.  I chose to start from Allison Park which overlooks the Hudson River in Englewood Cliffs, NJ.  From the parking area, walk out to the entrance road and travel south to Saint Peter's College.  The Long Path Trail, which you join from All...

The easiest way to access this loop hike is by parking at the Palisades State Park Headquarters.  This is just off exit 2 from the Palisades Interstate Parkway.  Parking here is free and it is a short walk down a road to the Closter Dock Trail.  The Closter Dock Trail is more of a wide fire road ...

Starting at about 520 feet, the White path takes you along the Stateline Lookout which is a small stone building overlooking the Hudson River. The initial descent is your average hike through the woods and across a couple of wooden bridges until you reach the Giant Steps. The Giant Steps take you...

Popolopen Torne is a hidden gem in the Hudson Valley, a surprisingly unknown trail with a beautiful payoff and a far deeper meaning. A short hike to the top puts you at the foot of a memorial to those who have served their country, a pile of painted rocks carried up by those who want to pay their...

Only a short drive from the major Pennsylvania cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton lies Jacobsburg State Park and environmental center. The main feature of the park is most certainly the Henry's Woods loop. Although just under two miles, this trail encompasses a variety of terrain and ol...

Schunnemunk Mountain State Park is one of my favorite parks.  It offers many trails and possibilities for different loops.  The attraction of Schunnemunk Mountain is the long double ridges running parallel to each other and amazing views in all directions.This hike starts at the Taylor Road parki...

The Met Cloisters is an art museum owned by the Met that boasts religious (mostly Catholic) art from a range of time periods as the building used to function as a cloister for monks. The inside of the Cloisters museum is a castle-like building that can be visited for a small ticket fee (suggested...

Built on a historic freight rail line and perched above the streets of Manhattan’s West Side, the High Line is a public park that features a green-lined walkway. Park hours depend on the season, although it never opens before 7am, so best to go for sunset. Although you may have some company on wa...

From your starting point at the Bear Mountain Inn, go left along the Cornell Mine Trail. (This part can be a bit confusing, but go past the carousel to a shaded picnic area; that is where the trail starts.) You will go under a bridge and follow the trail until it takes a sharp left and descends t...

Join the thousands of people who cross the GWB each day, but do it by foot! This is an easy walk with beautiful views of the New York City skyline. You will begin seeing signs for the bridge bike path at Ft. Washington St. & E. 177th St., which you follow for a few blocks until you begin asce...

There aren't any mountain peaks to summit in New York City, but the view from the top of the Rockefeller Building is the next best thing. You'll have to pay a few bucks ($29 to be exact) and deal with some tourists but you won't regret your decision once you're looking out over one of the most ic...

Parking for the trail runs along both sides of 9D right up until the Bear Mountain Bridge. It can be busy on the weekends so just make sure you're as far off the road as you can and be especially careful unloading kids and dogs. The trailhead is located at approximately 41.322571, -73.975949 and ...

The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry that runs between the boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island. From the deck of the ferry, you will have a perfect view of The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You'll see the skyscrapers and bridges of Lower Manhattan receding as you pull away and c...

This approximately 3-hour hike borders the Hudson River, and is one of the best in Westchester County. Start off at the parking area at the Bear Mountain Tollhouse, or at a small parking area farther up Bear Mountain Road, if you want a slightly shorter hike. The trail is fairly steep in places, ...

Get a feel for what New York was like in the 19th century at the Seaport! The Seaport boasts some of the oldest buildings and architecture in Manhattan, and the area continues to bustle today. The Seaport borders the Financial District and the East River - so there are lots of wonderful sights to...

The white trail offers one of the two more ambitious hikes, passing through Egbertville Ravine, Heyerdahl Hill and Buck’s Hollow parks on Staten Island, offering an up-close view of the forest and marshland that once covered the island. About midway, the trail also passes the Greenbelt Nature Cen...