Ah, the Hudson Valley... Where do we begin?
We really, really, really love the Hudson Valley. Beautiful, relaxed, and quirky, the area immediately north of New York City is a great place to spend a few days cruising around!
We're regularly amazed by how many City residents haven't had the opportunity to explore the Hudson Valley. Here are a couple of our favorite spots to check out:
New Paltz - Vibes? We got vibes, man. New Paltz is one of the the more peculiar and amusing villages in the area. Known for its eponymous State University and as a hippie haven of sorts, the town has a varied cast of characters, but it seems most everybody is cool. New Paltz is home to a ton of great restaurants, bars, and shops and makes a great place to spend an afternoon walking around before camping out in the Mohonk Preserve.
Storm King - Taking its name from the mountain just to its east, Storm King Arts Center is home to the most impressive collection of outdoor sculpture most of us have ever seen. With dozens of oversized works spread over 500 acre of grounds it is easy to spend the an entire day drifting lazily from piece to piece, stopping occasionally to try and take in how beautiful your setting is. Then there's the mountain itself, which offers several hiking routes and incredible views of the Hudson River and surrounding land from the top.
Minnewaska State Park - Minnewaska is a special spot. Lakes, waterfalls, swimming holes, and tons of hiking opportunities with 2000' in elevation change. The Park is also a very popular rock-climbing destination and is well-known for its Trapps and Near Trapps climbing routes. New campgrounds opened in 2015.
Tip: You don't have to go far from NYC to do some pretty intense leaf-peeping come Fall. The Hudson Valley is a great place to spend a long weekend in October or November. The weather is cool and crisp but still very pleasant and the whole region looks like a painting.
We really, really, really love the Hudson Valley. Beautiful, relaxed, and quirky, the area immediately north of New York City is a great place to spend a few days cruising around!
We're regularly amazed by how many City residents haven't had the opportunity to explore the Hudson Valley. Here are a couple of our favorite spots to check out:
New Paltz - Vibes? We got vibes, man. New Paltz is one of the the more peculiar and amusing villages in the area. Known for its eponymous State University and as a hippie haven of sorts, the town has a varied cast of characters, but it seems most everybody is cool. New Paltz is home to a ton of great restaurants, bars, and shops and makes a great place to spend an afternoon walking around before camping out in the Mohonk Preserve.
Storm King - Taking its name from the mountain just to its east, Storm King Arts Center is home to the most impressive collection of outdoor sculpture most of us have ever seen. With dozens of oversized works spread over 500 acre of grounds it is easy to spend the an entire day drifting lazily from piece to piece, stopping occasionally to try and take in how beautiful your setting is. Then there's the mountain itself, which offers several hiking routes and incredible views of the Hudson River and surrounding land from the top.
Minnewaska State Park - Minnewaska is a special spot. Lakes, waterfalls, swimming holes, and tons of hiking opportunities with 2000' in elevation change. The Park is also a very popular rock-climbing destination and is well-known for its Trapps and Near Trapps climbing routes. New campgrounds opened in 2015.
Tip: You don't have to go far from NYC to do some pretty intense leaf-peeping come Fall. The Hudson Valley is a great place to spend a long weekend in October or November. The weather is cool and crisp but still very pleasant and the whole region looks like a painting.