October 21, 2006
I'm enjoying the last of the fall season by spending as much time as possible outdoors. The cooler weather is turning all the trees gorgeous shades of red, orange and yellow. On this sunny Saturday I jumped on a train up to Cold Spring, about an hour north of NYC, to explore Hudson Highlands State Park. The trail is filled with beautiful, dramatic scenery, and after a challenging 2.5 mile trek up to the top of Breakneck Ridge, I found amazing views across the Hudson River. I also made some new friends along the way.
Views along the Hudson River on the train to Cold Spring.
Beautiful colors across the river were just a taste of what you find when hiking these mountains in the fall.
Interesting building just a couple stops before Cold Spring.
Main Street, Cold Spring
Residents in Cold Spring are lucky to live under these autumn colors.
The first part of the trail to Breakneck Ridge leads to an abandoned quarry, with tall red grasses blowing in the wind.
Bright yellow trees frame the quarry.
Views of the quarry with the Hudson River in the background.
This was the first of many breathtaking views we'd find along the very steep Breakneck Ridge Trail.
Brilliant colors were a constant reminder of why the Hudson Valley is a popular hiking destination in the fall.
My 3 new friends, Jacob, Kelly and Dan.
Gorgeous views of the mountains from our next lookout point.
From up here, you can actually see Manhattan in the distance.
A very still pond in the woods.
Trail marker pointing us in the right direction: up.
We made it to the summit, the top of South Beacon Mountain!
View towards the northwest.
Dan, Kelly and Jacob take in the scenery.
We took a different trail down, a little less steep, and found many little treasures along the way, like these yellow ferns.
Trails are marked by paint or these little round signs tacked to trees. At only about 3" in diameter, they're easy to miss.
Beautiful autumn colors
Shrooms and acorns
Yellow was the primary color along this part of the trail.
Little stream runs along the path.
Rickety footbridge to cross the stream.
Stone wall surrounding the remains of an abandoned estate.
View from a window.
This part of the estate looks like a castle!
Jacob surveys the interior.
Inside, it's overgrown with trees.
Tall yellow trees provide a giant canopy of color.
View down the trail.
Magical colors border this lake on the side of the estate..
Tree fungus
Water rushing along down the mountain.
An old well, perhaps?
Frame of another building, maybe a greenhouse.
More tree fungus.
Flat, steep wall, leading up to rocky cliffs.
And more tree fungus.
At the bottom of the trail, we ran into a girl who discovered a decaying skull in the ditch. She collects skulls, so this was a great find. To us, it was disgusting and scream-inducing, especially the skin and hair still clinging to one side of the head!
Heading back in to Cold Spring for well-deserved beers and burgers.
A family of superheroes running around the park.
Darling mini Batman chases little Violet from The Incredibles.
A reminder to pet owners in Cold Spring.