Upstate Cold Spring Hike

**Day change from Oct. 17** A hike up in Cold Spring to check out the Fall colors! A great, day long hike up in the Hudson Highlands a little over an hour from the city. It's a great hike - a little strenuous but you are rewarded with great views of the Highlands at the top. We'll take Metro North to Cold Spring, walk through town about 1/2 a mile to the trail head and then hike about 7.5 miles on Mt. Taurus overlooking the Hudson. This would be a full day- returning to the city between 6 and 8 pm. We usually hit a pub in town after the hike for burgers and beer. Prices are pretty reasonable in town - estimate $20 for a burger, beer tax and tip. (post-hike burgers are optional) Meet at 9:15am at Marble Hill Metro North station (it's just west of the 225th St. 1 train stop) to catch a 9:40am train to Cold Spring. Round trip is approximately $17 - you would need to buy your ticket at the station and not on board the train. With transfer, the travel time is about 80 minutes. Return trains run on the hour at 4:08pm, 5:17pm, 6:05pm, 7:02pm, 8:03pm. If you would be traveling by car please email me so we can coordinate meeting in Cold Spring. A description of the hike is listed below. It notes it as 'strenuous' mainly because it is uphill for half of the hike - like slowly walking up 100 flights of stairs - you will burn a couple of calories. I've done the hike more than a few times and enjoy it - great views of the Hudson and the Highlands. Because of the steep ascent at the beginning of the hike the pacing will be slow. It is a tough walk and we will take it slow. Please evaluate your own health and physical fitness for the hike. Again, it will be like slowly walking up 100 flights of stairs. The best thing is that all the uphill work is only for the first part of the hike- make it to the top, have lunch, and everything is downhill from there. Like any day hike in Autumn I'd suggest bringing lunch and at least 2 or 3 liters of water, there is no water on the hill. There are a few places in town that you can stop at to pick up. Bring a hat, sunscreen and dress in layers. It may be cool when we start out but you can build up a good sweat going up the hill. I'd also suggest bringing an extra t-shirt to change into after the hike. The trail is rocky. Wear protective footwear - hiking boots, day hike boots, or even cross trainer sneakers with padded socks should be good. Feel free to drop me an email if you have any questions . As always I'll have duct tape and alligator repellent. $3 fee to cover monthly meetup costs ****bad weather policy - We'll hike even if showers are predicted. I'll reschedule for either Sunday or the following Saturday if heavy rain is probable**** Description from; LocalHikes.com Distance: 7.5 miles round trip Elevation Gain: 1500 ft Hike Time: 4 hours Difficulty: Strenuous Trail Condition: OK, but a few difficult spots HikeType: Loop Starting at the parking area by Little Stony Point, take the white blazed Washburn Trail east. It passes a quarry, then begins a steady climb, with some views from ledges along the way. You'll soon reach the yellow blazed Undercliff Trail. Turn north onto the Undercliff and you'll reach an excellent overlook in about .5 mile . Retrace your steps back to the white trail and continue your climb. Reaching the summit of Mt Taurus, you'll find another excellent overlook with views of the Hudson Valley, Bear Mtn, Harriman State Park and the town of Cold Spring. The trail begins to descend, bear left onto the blue blazed Notch Trail and you'll cross some old carriage roads on your way down. Eventually, you'll reach the ruins of the Cornish estate, where you can see whats left of the barn and other outbuildings. Turn south on the red blazed trail for a short distance then left on the blue blazed Cornish Trail, past the ruins of the Cornish mansion and back to the parking area.