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The full glorious loop: so much to see.
The Bull Hill (a.k.a. Mount Taurus) Full Loop is a challenging route that’s absolutely packed with views and ruins.
Bull Hill is the mountain directly north of the village of Cold Spring on the Hudson River in New York. This is one of my favorite hikes in the Hudson Highlands. It’s close to New York City and has excellent parking and public transport options.
Get here early because the trailhead parking fills up quickly. Park along 9D if the main lot is full.
Note: In May 2023, NYS Parks introduced significant blazing changes to simplify the trail system around Bull Hill and Breakneck Ridge. This route description is up-to-date and reflects these changes.
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Bull Hill Full Loop Hike
The Bull Hill (Mount Taurus) hiking trail includes…
- An enormous abandoned quarry
- Multiple excellent scenic overlooks
- One outrageously gorgeous scenic view
- Some light rock scrambling
- Multiple historic ruins (Cornish Barns and Cornish Estate)
A full breakdown is provided in the hike notes below, with 19 photos.
Bull Hill Full Loop Hike Time
Allow 3-4 hours for this hike.
Bull Hill Full Loop Elevation Gain
You will tackle 1400 feet of elevation gain on this route.
Bull Hill Full Loop Trail Notes & Gallery
Begin at the Little Stony Point parking area just north of Cold Spring, then take the Washburn Trail which follows an old road to an abandoned rock quarry. The quarry itself is striking, but the views from above the quarry mark the start of the amazing scenery on this hike…
Across the Hudson River, you can see Storm King Mountain.
One of many first rate overlooks on this route, this one not far from the start of the trail south over the town Cold Spring below…
Big Rock Clearing
Guided by GaiaGPS, I stepped off the main trail for a short detour to a scenic spot called Big Rock Clearing…
The Big View
Just above 1200’, this amazing view opens up…
You’ve got the basic details, but there’s so much more…
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Similar Hikes
Read Cornish Estate Ruins. And check out my growing list of Hudson Highlands trail guides.
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The parent mountain for this hike is Bull Hill (Mount Taurus).
If you do this hike, LMK how it went…
Trailhead Info for this Hike
Large, popular lot. Overflow is roadside parking along Route 9D.
Google Maps Location: 41.426085, -73.964659
The map below shows the exact topographic location of the trailhead
Cell Service
Decent coverage throughout this hike, with only a few patchy spots. My network is Verizon. YMMV.
