Trail Guide
Located in Greene County New York in the Catskill Mountains, Hunter Mountain is the second tallest mountain peak in the Catskills at 4,040ft. Although heavily associated with the Hunter Mountain Ski Resort located on the northern side of the mountain and well below the summit, the trails, summit, and terrain offer a spectacular journey through the natural forest of the Hunter-West Kill Wilderness.
Trail Guide
This hike has a number of options that can be added or not to make it suitable for a variety of skill levels. There are a number of water falls along the trail and this is where it gets it's name. It is also part of the longer Franconia Ridge Loop Trail, although this beautiful trail and summit of Little Haystack Mountain is a great day hike all on it's own. This is roughly a 3 mile climb to the summit of Little Haystack with an approximate elevation gain of 3,000ft. The first half of this trail has a number of water falls including the 80ft high Cloudland Falls which is about 1.2 miles from the trailhead. Cloudland Falls may be the turn around point for a family day hike as the difficulty increases from this point forward to the summit.
Located near the town of Cold Spring New York, this widely popular loop hike offers a difficult but rewarding day hike with beautiful views of the Hudson River Valley. The loop is just over 3 miles and nearly 1,300ft of elevation gain. This is also one of the easiest trailheads to travel to with a Metro North rail stop a short walk north of the trailhead. Do not expect solitude on this hike. On weekends expect big crowds.
Located near the village of Cornwall-On-Hudson and within New York's Storm King State Park is the equally named Storm King Mountain. This moderate difficult hike is about a 2.5 mile loop hike with around 650ft of elevation gain. There are numerous stunning vistas all along the loop offering views of the Catskills to the north, Breakneck Ridge across the Hudson River to the east, and the Hudson River Valley to the south and west. The trailhead is easily accessible and located on U.S. Route 9W about a 1 hour drive north from midtown Manhattan.
Located near the town of Keene in New York's Adirondack Mountains is this spectacular and difficult loop hike that offers stunning views of the High Peaks region. This is a difficult but rewarding loop hike that will pass by the popular Rainbow Falls waterfall. You'll pass over Pyramid Peak on the way up to Gothics and continue on the loop while passing numerous breathtaking vistas.
Beginning in Vermont's Underhill State Park this 8 mile loop hike offers a moderately difficult day hike that features a ridge above tree line, stunning views, Vermont's tallest peak, and camping. Starting off at the Underhill Parking Lot Trailhead you'll continue in the forest just over half of a mile to the trail junction and continue right towards the Maple Ridge Trail. Ascend the Maple Ridge Trail until you connect with Vermont's famous Long Trail and continue north along the alpine ridge towards the highest point, "The Chin" at 4,395ft.
About 10 miles west of the village of Conway on the Kancamagus Highway is the trailhead for the Champney Falls Trail. This trail will be most of the ascent to the summit of Mount Chocorua at 3.2 miles with the Piper Trail being the last 0.6 mile. Although just below 3,500ft of elevation, Mount Chocorua has a rugged bald summit and offers spectacular views of the White Mountains. The summit's rocky outcrop is akin to much higher mountains and has rock scrambles similar to higher peaks.
This moderately difficult family friendly hike in Franconia Notch State Park offers a nice variety of outdoor activities and a stop at one of the nicest mountain huts in the White Mountains. Once reaching the lake at just over 1 mile, hikers can decide to turn left and go directly to the Lonesome Lake Hut or to turn right and take a longer tour around the lake also ending at the hut.
One of the most photographed vistas in the White Mountains is the view from Mount Willard overlooking Crawford Notch. The trailhead is adjacent to the Crawford Notch Station which the Conway Scenic Railroad runs through. This is an easy to moderate hike that can be completed in less than half of your day if you are looking for short hikes. It is a family friendly hike and expect it to be busy with many other hikers.
Indian Head and the various ledges, lookouts, and waterfalls, are part of a very popular trail system that runs through the Adirondack Mountain Reserve Conservation Easement Tract. Offering some of the best views and nature treks in the Adirondak Mountains. Rainbow Falls is generally included in this trek making it a loop hike. This hike is ecompassed by the 7,000 Adirondak Mountain Reserve and reservations are required to enter this reserve.