Fort Hill Park
Peekskill (Westchester County) Why we love it Though directions to it are hard to come by, it’s worth tracking down Fort Hill Park if you love nature and/or history. Trails through this woodland—amazingly, just blocks from Peekskill’s bustling Main Street—pass...
Boscobel House and Gardens
Garrison (Putnam County) Why we love it Boscobel allows you to explore nature tamed and in the rough. Landscaped gardens, an allée of maple trees and an orchard featuring heirloom apple varieties surround one of the nation’s finest examples of...
John Burroughs Nature Sanctuary
West Park (Ulster County) Why we love it The open ridgelines, secluded forests, wetlands and fascinating rock formations that make this a must-visit destination for hikers today also proved indispensable to nature writer John Burroughs (1837-1921), who sought inspiration among...
Overmountain Conservation Area
Ancram (Columbia County) Why we love it Want to experience the Taconic Mountains — along the Hudson Valley’s eastern boundary — without scaling them? Hike this Columbia Land Conservancy gem. Its ridge-top trails afford super views of these peaks (especially...
Fuller Mountain Preserve
Warwick (Orange County) Why we love it The Orange County Land Trust, which protected and maintains this 255-acre preserve, calls it “one of Orange County’s best kept secrets.” Actually, it belongs on any short list of the Hudson Valley’s “hidden”...
Empire State Plaza Skating Rink
Albany (Albany County) Why we love it Each winter, Empire State Plaza turns into Empire Skate Plaza, Albany’s answer to the rink at Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center. Practicing your figure eights upstate will cost you less — in fact, admission is...
Beattie-Powers Place
Catskill (Greene County) Why we love it A great family sledding adventure — one that will please children as well as parents — requires a long hill and something to keep adults occupied while standing around in the cold. The...
Five Locks Walk
High Falls (Ulster County) Why we love it What this mile-long (out-and-back) amble lacks in distance, it more than makes up for in history. It follows the towpath along one of the most impressive portions of the Delaware & Hudson...