New York
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Hudson Valley days, one subway park, and two long drives.
Times are general guidance from Midtown on a calm day, not a live traffic report. Most of these are Hudson Valley. Carl Schurz Park is a subway ride, not a drive. Peekamoose and Hither Hills are long days. Weekend traffic and a Metro-North timetable will beat these estimates. Check a map the morning you go.
Upcoming in the Hudson Valley is the fall guide: the places worth the drive, the crowded weekends, and the concerts still ahead.
Drive times start at Midtown Manhattan. They are typical midday figures, not a promise.
Who is coming
Kids and big-group filters show the places marked for them.
- 01Carl Schurz ParkAbout 25 min by subwayThe East River park from about 84th to 90th Street, with Gracie Mansion inside it.
Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour
- 02Mount BeaconAbout 1 hr 20–1 hr 45 minA steep ridge walk above a small river city.
Crowd level: Mixed. Go early, or pick a weekday
- 03Mohonk PreserveAbout 1 hr 45 min–2 hr 15 minCarriage roads and cliffs on the Shawangunk ridge, above New Paltz.
Crowd level: Mixed. Go early, or pick a weekday
- 04River-to-Ridge TrailAbout 1 hr 45 min–2 hr 15 minA gravel path from the Wallkill River up through farmland to the edge of Mohonk Preserve.
Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour
- 05Fishkill FarmsAbout 1 hr 20 min–1 hr 45 minA Hudson Valley fruit farm with pick-your-own on a reservation.
Crowd level: Mixed. Go early, or pick a weekday
- 06Bad Seed Hard CiderAbout 1 hr 45 min–2 hrA small cidery and taproom on a family apple farm in Highland.
Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour
- 07Home of Franklin D. RooseveltAbout 1 hr 45 min–2 hr 15 minSpringwood, the Roosevelt family house, run by the National Park Service.
Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour
- 08Vanderbilt MansionAbout 1 hr 45 min–2 hr 15 minFrederick W.
Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour
- 09Headless Horseman Hayrides & Haunted HousesAbout 1 hr 45 min–2 hr 15 minA seasonal haunted attraction on Route 9W.
Crowd level: Mixed. Go early, or pick a weekday
- 10Buttermilk Falls Inn & SpaAbout 1 hr 45 minA 75-acre Hudson River inn in Milton, with a garden and Henry’s at the Farm on the property.
Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour
- 11Skydive the RanchAbout 1 hr 30 min–2 hrThe tandem drop zone in Gardiner, at 55 Sand Hill Road.
Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour
- 12Peekamoose Blue HoleAbout 2.5–3 hrA cold pool in the Rondout Creek, inside the Catskill Forest Preserve.
Crowd level: Mixed. Go early, or pick a weekday
- 13Hither Hills State ParkAbout 2.5–3.5 hrA state park ocean beach and campground at the east end of Long Island.
Crowd level: Mixed. Go early, or pick a weekday