Hike Date: November 5, 2011
Hike Location: Vicinity of Cold Spring, NY
Hike Rating: A
Hike Difficulty: Moderate
Hike Description: Just two weeks after my Breakneck Ridge hike, I found myself in the Cold Spring area again to enjoy another hike on another beautiful Fall day.
We took the Metro North Hudson Line to Cold Spring. From the south end of the platform (for the north-bound trains), we followed an unmarked trail that traverses the periphery of the marshes for a while and then turned left onto a blue-blazed trail. This trail supposedly passes through the ruins of an old foundry but we did not really see any ruins. We did see a lot of signs of storm damage throughout in the form of downed trees. The blue-blazed trail ended abruptly after a while at a road; turning right on this we followed it up to Main Street, where we turned right and headed eastward, and then turned left on Pearl Street and arrived at the trailhead for the yellow-blazed Undercliff/Nelsonville trail. After a few minutes, the Undercliff seems to split to the left, but the detour leads to a dead-end at a woods road beyond which the area seems to be private property. Backtracking to the fork, we headed on ahead, crossing a stream along the way, till we finally found the "correct" left turn for the yellow-blazed Undercliff. The Undercliff soon begins a steep ascent up the slopes of Mt. Taurus, reaching a viewpoint with a south-facing view after a while. Going ahead, it gains more elevation till it reaches another viewpoint at around 1000ft (as per my trail map) almost at the intersection with the white-blazed Washburn. Here there are sweeping views of the Hudson and surrounding areas to be had. In particular, the winding course of the Hudson can be seen to far downstream. West Point is clearly visible, and one can also make out Anthony's Nose, Bear Mountain and Dunderberg further south. This view was familiar to me, having traversed this stretch of the Washburn in an upward direction last year, but the Fall colors added a novelty to it. After enjoying the view, we switched to the Washburn and headed down, stopping at some other viewpoints, as well as the "quarry-hole" along the way. Upon reaching the trailhead, we crossed over the other side of Route 9D for a little trip to the rocky ledge at Little Stony Point before heading back to Cold Spring, where we saw some Halloween celebrations about to start before we made our way back to the station. Overall, this was a nicely moderate hike with great views and a fair amount of variety. A beautiful way to spend a beautiful autumn day!
Relevant Map: NY-NJTC Trail Map 102
Hike Location: Vicinity of Cold Spring, NY
Hike Rating: A
Hike Difficulty: Moderate
Hike Description: Just two weeks after my Breakneck Ridge hike, I found myself in the Cold Spring area again to enjoy another hike on another beautiful Fall day.
We took the Metro North Hudson Line to Cold Spring. From the south end of the platform (for the north-bound trains), we followed an unmarked trail that traverses the periphery of the marshes for a while and then turned left onto a blue-blazed trail. This trail supposedly passes through the ruins of an old foundry but we did not really see any ruins. We did see a lot of signs of storm damage throughout in the form of downed trees. The blue-blazed trail ended abruptly after a while at a road; turning right on this we followed it up to Main Street, where we turned right and headed eastward, and then turned left on Pearl Street and arrived at the trailhead for the yellow-blazed Undercliff/Nelsonville trail. After a few minutes, the Undercliff seems to split to the left, but the detour leads to a dead-end at a woods road beyond which the area seems to be private property. Backtracking to the fork, we headed on ahead, crossing a stream along the way, till we finally found the "correct" left turn for the yellow-blazed Undercliff. The Undercliff soon begins a steep ascent up the slopes of Mt. Taurus, reaching a viewpoint with a south-facing view after a while. Going ahead, it gains more elevation till it reaches another viewpoint at around 1000ft (as per my trail map) almost at the intersection with the white-blazed Washburn. Here there are sweeping views of the Hudson and surrounding areas to be had. In particular, the winding course of the Hudson can be seen to far downstream. West Point is clearly visible, and one can also make out Anthony's Nose, Bear Mountain and Dunderberg further south. This view was familiar to me, having traversed this stretch of the Washburn in an upward direction last year, but the Fall colors added a novelty to it. After enjoying the view, we switched to the Washburn and headed down, stopping at some other viewpoints, as well as the "quarry-hole" along the way. Upon reaching the trailhead, we crossed over the other side of Route 9D for a little trip to the rocky ledge at Little Stony Point before heading back to Cold Spring, where we saw some Halloween celebrations about to start before we made our way back to the station. Overall, this was a nicely moderate hike with great views and a fair amount of variety. A beautiful way to spend a beautiful autumn day!
Relevant Map: NY-NJTC Trail Map 102
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| Spotted an interesting looking bird from afar in the Constitution Marsh area! |
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| Constitution Marsh from a viewpoint on Undercliff Trail |
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| Winding course of the Hudson downstream (from a viewpoint on the Undercliff Trail) |
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| Fall colors and the Hudson |
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| Fall colors punctuate this view of Cold Spring/Nelsonville (from a viewpoint on the Washburn Trail) |
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| A Metro North train makes its way (from a viewpoint on the Washburn Trail) |
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| A bare tree against the backdrop of Mt. Taurus' "quarry-hole" makes for a strikingly austere sight |
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| The setting sun casts its glow over Breakneck Ridge; Storm King and Bannerman Island are also visible (from Little Stony Point) |
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| Late Halloween celebrations were on in Cold Spring as we headed back towards the station |
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