The Best Hikes
The Best Hikes in the Catskills, Hudson Highlands, Adirondacks, and beyond
This hand-curated selection of the most rewarding hikes you can do for scenery: the best trails, the best bushwhacks, the best views, and the most fun.
Below, you’ll find a mix of hiking trails and routes that cross a variety of terrain. Most of the hikes are fully trailed, a few are bushwhacks. Some you can tackle solo.
Others should definitely be undertaken with a partner or as part of a group hike.
Wherever you plan to hike, this list guarantees an awesome time, every time.
Find amazing hikes in the Catskills, Adirondacks, Hudson Highlands and beyond
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Plateau & Daley Ridge Lookout
This is the quickest route to Plateau Mountain’s summit. A side-hike down Daley Ridge brings you to a second amazing scenic lookout.
Best Fall Foliage Hikes in The Catskills
When the fall foliage hits, the Catskills offer a true golden spectacle. Here are a the most popular Catskills hikes to view the autumn extravaganza.
Stoppel Point (Plane Crash)
An absolutely delightful hike from Colgate Lake, around Lake Capra, and along Stoppel Point’s beautiful and scenic escarpment ridge.
Roaring Brook Falls
A very short and very fun hike to one of the most popular Adirondack waterfall destinations.
Giant Mountain
Giant Mountain is one of the most popular peaks in the Adirondacks. This route offers a super fun climb and a super scenic descent.
Storm King Mountain
Storm King Mountain from Cornwall-on-Hudson has better parking and quieter trails — and you still get all the same incredible views.
Breakneck Ridge
Super scenic and super sketchy — this is the funnest and most popular day hike in New York’s Hudson Highlands.
West Kill via Diamond Notch Falls
One of my favorite hikes in The Catskills, the route from Diamond Notch Falls to Buck Ridge Lookout and the summit of West Kill Mountain is just so beautiful.
Twin Mountain via Jimmy Dolan Notch
This quick ascent to a gorgeous two-peaked Catskill ridge includes a fun, tricky rock scramble — and one of the truly great views in the Catskill Park.
Hike Cascade & Porter
This entry-level Adirondack High Peak hike is a great introduction to the rigors of mountain hiking: rough trails, rocky scrambles and incredible views make this short day-hike super rewarding.
Huckleberry Point Trail
Huckleberry Point is one of the most beloved Catskills destinations. The trail is short and relatively easy. In 75 minutes or so, you’ll get to one of the most dramatic vistas in the Catskill Mountains. This is a popular and extremely memorable hike.
Ashokan High Point (with Plane Wreck)
This loop hike features easy riparian trail, then a steep climb to views of Mohonk and the Shawangunk Ridge, as well as stunning blueberry meadows and a plane wreck just feet from the trail’s edge.
Hike Slide, Cornell & Wittenberg
This is my favorite tough-but-beautiful Catskills hike. Long, rugged, technical and remote, it brings you over three summits to some of the most stunning lookouts in the Catskill Park.
Hike Sugarloaf Mountain | Best Route
A rugged, tough hike over one of the Catskills’ greatest and most beautiful mountains. This counterclockwise route uses Mink Hollow as a pleasant leg warm-up before the difficult climb up the western side of the mountain, and saves the beautiful hike through Pecoy Notch and Dibbles Quarry for the end of the hike.
The 6 Catskills Fire Towers
Everything you need to know about the five classic Catskills towers — plus the newest (sixth) addition. Includes links to the gear and maps you’ll need to hike safely.