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Top 10 places to hike in Dutchess County

Lauren Kopchik
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

Summer has ended. Leaves are changing. Temperatures are dropping.

But, it’s not yet time to stay indoors. In fact, it’s the perfect time of year to find a hiking trail, and Dutchess County has more than a few good options. Here are the top 10:

Mount Beacon

Length: 2.4-4.4 miles

Rating: Challenging

Features: The historical site of the Incline Railway, fantastic aerial views, and a fire tower.

Location: Park at the intersection of 9D and Howland Avenue in Beacon.

Beacon is for you if you’re looking for something relatively short that provides a destination vantage point as well as a decent workout. Starting at the base of the stairs, it’s about 45 minutes to the summit, approximately a mile walk. You can stop here and still see the city of Beacon below. If you have the time, you can opt to move on toward the fire tower, which is just over another mile.

If you get tired of always doing the same mountain but you enjoy the convenient proximity of this hike, try Beacon’s more threatening cousin, Breakneck. Just know that this hike is incredibly steep and expect rocky terrain.

VIDEO: Hike to Mt. Beacon will revisit 1945 crash and WWII heroes

Fishkill Ridge to Lambs Hill

Length: 4.5 miles

Rating: Challenging

Features: A long, gradual incline with some good viewpoints along the way.

Location: In Beacon, take Washington Avenue to Old Town Road. Take a right onto Sunnyside Road, where the trailhead and parking lot is located on the cul-de-sac.

As another part of the Hudson Highlands, you can actually get to Fishkill Ridge from Mt. Beacon or Breakneck (although you’d be in for a long day). You’ll have much of the same view from all of these areas — a slightly different angle of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge — but each peak is different and the journeys are unique. I’d characterize Lambs Hill as the most misleading of the bunch. It is no hill, nor a lamb. At least with Breakneck, you know what you’re in for.

Terrible names aside, Lambs Hill is a good getaway if you’re craving uninterrupted nature.

Hyde Park Trail System

Length: Hyde Park has about 10 miles of trails. One of my favorites is Farm Lane, which stretches from the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site on Route 9 over to Eleanor Roosevelt’s Val-Kill on 9G (about 3.6 miles round-trip).

Rating: Easy to moderate

Features: Especially on Farm Lane, you can take the smaller footpaths veering off the main stretch to explore different scenery each time.

After I wrote about my hike to Val-Kill, I received an email from a reader with detailed directions to a mysterious spot called The Ledge, where a mailbox stands on a small cliff overlooking a creek. He invited me to look for The Ledge and leave a note.

I returned to Farm Lane a few weeks later. After a slightly dizzying attempt on the wrong trail, I turned back and somehow stumbled upon the bank of the creek. Directly across from me was a wall of rock. Looking up, I saw a flag hanging from a tree at the top. I carefully crossed the stream and found the path up to The Ledge where I left a euphoric message for the reader. A few days later, I received another email, this time with a suggestion for a new spot also located in Dutchess County: a little-known place called Peach Hill.

Peach Hill Park

Length: 3.5 miles of trails throughout the park

Rating: Moderate

Features: The highest point in the Town of Poughkeepsie, and free apples!

Location: Just across from the Dutchess Racquet Club on Salt Point Turnpike (NY Route 115). The Peach Hill website advises to type 32 Edgewood Drive into your GPS, and it got me there just fine.

It was a blazing hot day when a friend and I decided to take a gander around Peach Hill. Although it’s a much easier walk than some of these hikes, going up those rolling hills in the middle of an open orchard definitely made us sweat in the sunlight. Still, we thoroughly enjoyed the 1.4-mile History Trail, marked in red throughout the park with message boards that point out historical sites in the Hudson Valley seen from each viewpoint. The summit is also clearly marked as the highest point in the Town of Poughkeepsie at 485 feet.

Although its namesake fruit is no longer available at the park, there are plenty of apples for your picking pleasure.

Dover Stone Church

Length: Just over a mile round-trip, with an option to explore other trails in the area.

Rating: Easy

Features: An awesome cave.

Location: Route 22 in Dover Plains, across the street from the elementary school.

The park is tucked away on a gravel drive between two houses, but a new sign clearly marks the entrance. Walking down the drive, you’ll find stairs that open up to a beautiful meadow, and you can follow the tree-lined lane into the park. You’ll cross a small bridge over the babbling brook, whose left bank you’ll follow to the cave. The opening to the cave looks like a cathedral window, hence the name. Once inside, adjust your eyes to the dim light and take a look around. Be careful crossing the wet rocks to the waterfall. Even more magnificent than the sight is the sound, the running water amplified by the cavernous walls. While there, wander the new trails throughout the park.

Mt. Stissing

Length: 1.5 miles

Rating: Challenging

Features: A big old fire tower with a big old view.

Location: Take Route 44 to Route 82 north to Pine Plains, and turn left on Lake Road. You’ll come across the Thompson Pond Nature Preserve, with the trail head on your left.

Other than the possibility that I had a minor panic attack on my way up the fire tower (heights aren’t my thing), I have no complaints about Stissing. Though the trail isn’t marked, it’s easy to navigate — basically it’s a straight shot up the mountain. It’s a strenuous climb, but a fairly short one. The steepest part is early on in the hike.

If you’re not ready for the fire tower, skip this hike. There’s no view unless you make that final climb — you’re better off trying Beacon instead.

Buttercup Farm Audubon Sanctuary

Length: 6 miles of trails throughout the sanctuary.

Rating: Easy

Features: The trails on the west side of Route 82 are wheelchair accessible. And, of course, there are plenty of birds.

Location: The sanctuary is on both sides of Route 82 in Stanfordville and marked with Audubon signs.

On our way to Stissing, we noticed the signs for the Audubon sanctuary and were quite surprised that we never even knew it was there. We decided we’d stop and take a look on our way home.

We strolled through the west side of the sanctuary, with its wide lane of mowed, flat land. Some trails branch off this main stretch, so we circled a small pond and a marshy area where Wappinger Creek begins. Despite the sanctuary’s location off a major road, the only sounds I could hear were of various birds, and I spent time watching species of all shapes and sizes flying overhead. It’s a beautifully maintained and peaceful place.

Wilcox Memorial Park

Length: 5.7 miles

Rating: Moderate

Features: A one-stop spot for other recreational activities, including swimming and camping.

Location: Take the Taconic to Route 199 Red Hook/Pine Plains exit. Take 199 East for about a mile to the park entrance on your right.

I was expecting a good woodsy hike out of Wilcox, and got just that, with an added bonus of a small lookout to the Catskills. I also spotted a black vulture, which I hear is a rare find, so I’d also put it at the top of my wildlife encounters list. The trail system is easy to follow and makes a nice loop around the park, at one point emptying out right in front of the lake. Definitely convenient for hiking on a hot summer’s day.

Poet’s Walk

Length: About 2 miles

Rating: Easy to moderate

Features: Beautiful river views, gazebos, romantic setting

Location: Take 9G to River Road in Red Hook. If you’re using a GPS, set it to 776 River Road.

You’ll see families, runners, couples and dogs on these versatile and popular trails. Along the way, you’ll have the option to stop at benches placed at many points on the path, and you’ll want to linger at the large gazebo near the river. A smaller gazebo, called the Summer House, is nestled in the woods beyond a lovely stone bridge. In a word, Poet’s Walk is quaint. It’s an excellent day trip — I’d suggest going on a Sunday and stopping at the farmer’s market in the village of Rhinebeck on the way home.

Ferncliff Forest

Length: About 2 miles if you take the loop

Rating: Easy

Features: A fire tower, pond, and camping allowed with a permit.

Location: Take Route 9 north and bear left onto Montgomery Road in Rhinebeck. Montgomery becomes Mount Rusten Road, and Ferncliff comes on the left.

Ferncliff is for you if you want to go up a fire tower, but you don’t want to hike up a mountain in order to get there. After about 10 minutes of brisk walking on an easy trail, you’ll come to the bottom of the tower. I was glad to have my younger cousins with me, which forced me to pretend I’m not afraid of heights. I held my breath as I charged up the rickety stairs and exhaled at the top. The sun had just started going down, and we stayed for a magnificent view over the Hudson River and the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. We could see the lights of the Dutchess County Fair from the top, but none of us minded missing it for a hike. It was the perfect evening.

Poughkeepsie resident Lauren Kopchik is a freelance writer. Contact her at laurenkopchik@gmail.com.