Skip to content

Dover Stone Church

Dover (Dutchess County)

Why we love it

What starts as a quiet and delightful half-mile amble through a meadow and along a woodland stream ends with a CRASH — literally — at a cavern with a waterfall gushing from its roof. Walk in (carefully) and turn around: The name comes from the entrance, shaped like a church’s Gothic window. In the 17th century, Native American warriors reputedly used this as a hideout; in the 1800s, tourists flocked here. When it came up for sale in 2002, the Dutchess Land Conservancy, Town of Dover and others partnered to protect what ranks — without question — as one of the Hudson Valley’s top-10 natural attractions.

More to explore

Fifteen minutes up Route 22 in Wassaic is the southern terminus of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. Hop on your bike and pedal 10 flat miles through pastoral scenery to Millerton for a bite to eat.

Highlights

  • Spectacular natural feature
  • Pleasant meadow-woodland walk to reach it

Directions, hours, etc.: https://townofdoverny.us/Stone_Church.cfm