A sensational hike filled with natural beauty, history, ruins, and a fire tower! The 4.4 mile round trip Mount Beacon [640 Wolcott Ave Beacon, NY] should be at the top of your Hudson Valley hiking list this summer.
Start your way down the gravel path, pass by the old railway ruins, and make it to the staircase where the real fun begins.
Completing the stairs doesn’t mean relief, it just means you’re about to hit a series of switchbacks, and a steep rocky path ahead. Keep on the red trail and eventually you will reach a brick structure and some neat rusty railroad mechanisms.
Keep going and you’ll hit a platform which once housed a casino and now is home to a first class view out into the Hudson Valley.
Have a lunch break and get ready for the second part of your hike, towards the fire tower. Staying on the red trail you’ll gain some more elevation. When you’re in the homestretch you will find the junction to the white trail, scramble on up and you’ll see the tower and a great view, even from its base.
As if you hadn’t had enough beauty in the day already, climb up the stairs and take in that famous scene. You’ll see the great sights you saw from the platform below, plus some new area from this vantage point.
When you’re ready to head back, go the way you came. Stopping off at the old casino sight as the day was coming to an end the world was cast in a different shade of blue.
This has to be one of the most scenic and varied hikes in the area, absolutely worth the effort!