Mount Taurus (aka Bull Hill)

Cold Spring (Dutchess County)

Why we love it

It’s one of the great hiking destinations in the eastern Hudson Highlands, just behind Breakneck Ridge and Mount Beacon in popularity, so you’ll be sharing its magnificent summit views (including, on clear days, a glimpse of the Manhattan skyline) with lots of compadres. However, this 6-mile loop begins at a less frequented trailhead, meaning you’ll have fewer parking hassles and more “alone time” with nature than if you begin on Route 9D. Most of the ascent/descent is gradual, with just a few challenging spots.

More to explore

Cold Spring’s historic Main Street features an enticing array of shops and restaurants. Nearby, Scenic Hudson’s West Point Foundry Preserve, located in a dramatic ravine, preserves the remains of an ironworks that manufactured cannons during the Civil War and pipes for New York City’s water system. Interpretive features tell the story of the foundry and the land’s remarkable ecological renewal.

Highlights

• Spectacular Hudson Highlands views
• A less-traveled route to the summit

Directions, hours, etc.: https://www.nynjtc.org/hike/east-hudson-highlands-2#dialog-hike-description