Mianus River Gorge Preserve

Still very green and mossy

An old wall from the early 19th century. The Preserve is mostly old farm land.

I met a kid who told me he was here for crystals. He wasn't kidding. This was the site of an old mica, quartz and feldspar mine. You're not allowed to take, but I'm sure many do not obey.

Steep section of gorge, about 200 feet.

S.J. Bargh Resevoir. Supplies Greenwich CT and some Westchester towns

The path passed some pools

Nice old growth hemlock forest

Some more of the gorge

It's nice to have such a pretty place so close to the city


For over a month now I planned to head to the Mianus River Gorge Preserve in southern Westchester after reading about it. A small preserve with just over 5 miles of trails and located just north of NYC, it contained quite a bit of diversity.

Most of the walk is through an old growth hemlock forest. Although not much of a gorge, it does get quite steep and drops at least 200 feet at its steepest point. It amazed me to see the forest still so green with rocks covered in moss.

The soft trails lead to views of the S.J. Bargh Resevoir, a former mine and Havemeyer Falls. The trails pass many colonial rock walls on what was formerly farm land. The Preserve is close for winter, but I will most certainly make a trip come spring. I will look forward to the swampy areas filled with amphibians.

Here's some video of Havemeyer Falls and some of the walk along the Mianus River.

Pelton Pond

Oh, yes, the CCC!

Pelton Pond

Pelton Pond and Shelter built by the CCC in the 1930s


Pelton Pond in Fahnestock State Park makes for a great picnic spot. Located near the Taconic Parkway off Route 301 (which takes you to Cold Spring) its easily accessible. There is a shelter, picnic tables and grills to make for a nice outing. As I did today, you can take a nice 1.5 mile stroll around the pond.

Rhinebeck Hikes

Classic view from the top of the tower.

The view of burger Hill from tower

Another view of bridge and Catskills

Burger Hill from the parking lot

Walking up Burger reminded me of the balds in Tennessee.

Not even the McMansions can blight this view.

Burger Hill is a good spot to toss the football around.

Pretty sunset.

What's the greatest Hudson River town? I always like to argue with a friend that Rhinebeck is. He would argue Cold Spring. Although Rhinebeck does not have the network of trails that Cold Spring has (walks to Taurus, Sugarloaf and Beacon are easily accessible from the village) Rhinebeck has a couple nice little walks with very little effort that provide the walker with superb views of the Catskills and surrounding hills (and of course, the Hudson River).

After work, Pat and I walked to the fire tower in Ferncliff Forest and Burger Hill. Black Friday traffic did not just head for the shopping malls, they hit the trails also. I parked along the road at Ferncliff Forest.

Formerly a site for high school parties (I think 1990 was the last one), Ferncliff Forest is a legitimate outdoor destination. A short half mile hike leads to the tower. If mountain biking is your preferred method of transport, there are numerous trails for that also. Views could be had of much of the Catskills. The central Catskills (including Slide) are in sight directly west. Overlook and Kaaterskill High Peak are in the background of the view of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Also in view would be our next destination, Burger Hill.

The Black Friday traffic were present here too. From the lot, I could make out walkers heading up the hill against the backdrop of a setting sun. We made our way up the green patch of a hill, wondering what the domed building below could be. The views here of the Catskills are pretty imposing. They rise from the Hudson Valley far more impressively than they really are.

Inspiration Point

Still some snow left

An engravement at the top of Kaaterskill Falls

The upper Falls as viewed from the top

The view from the top of Kaaterskill Falls.


Inspiration Point

Looking west toward Haines Falls

Looking east from Inspiration Point

The view of the Hudson River Valley

The view towards the Palenville Overlook

I haven't spent much time around North Lake. For such a beautiful area, this really deserved further exploration.

Today I mostly walked along the Escarpment trail, starting from Schutt Road. On my way out I bushwacked a bit to get to the top of Kaaterskill Falls. The views of the Falls are far superior from below. But from the top there are wonderful views into the clove below. From this vantage point you really get to appreciate how high this waterfall is. You walk to the edge with caution. Considering there was ice near the edge, on this day I never braved bringing myself all the way over. Surprisingly, there were still some nice fall colors.

Still hurting from Thursday's run (my first of the year) I walked rather slow for much of the day. There were great views from Layman Monument and just beyond. Beautiful Fall colors and a bird's eye view of Kaaterskill Clove. I could make out Haines Falls. A waterfall of over one hundred feet, which is inaccessible due to it being on private land, it was a treat to view it, even if it were from a distance. In its heyday, Haines Falls was popular like Kaaterskill Falls with wooden steps taking you from top to bottom.

My planned final destination was the Palenville Lookout. After following some horse trails which lead to it, I turned around, when a couple too many appeared which were not on my map. It will just give me more reason to come back for further exploration.