I've been coming here for more than 20 years to get my walking exercise in. I walk every day I can,…read morebringing a stick with me that I can use to flick downed branches off the trail as I walk. It's 4.3 miles around the lake with some spur trails that go into the woods on the west side of the lake. There is a lot of flat terrain on the east side, more hilly on the north and west sides. When the trail becomes impassible due to deep snow in the winter, there is an indoor track that is .1 miles per lap in the newly constructed recreation center. It can get a bit crowded and many of the people don't understand track etiquette so it can be a little frustrating if you're looking to get a real workout on it but it's still there in a pinch if you need it. You will frequently see rabbits on the east side of the trail in particular and the occasional snapping turtle in the springtime. Also in the spring you will see turtles sitting on logs in the shallow end of the water on the southwest corner. I have not seen them myself but I understand that bald eagles frequent this lake in the winter months and every spring a new family of swans is born as well as geese. There is also a blue heron who likes to spend time here. I see a lot of people fishing here and you can rent boats if that's your thing and you can also rent a pavilion if you have an event of some sort. And they run an amazing youth sports program as well as a summer camp. It is a real treasure to have this in our town.

Yearly membership REQUIRED for admission, veterans and disabled veterans get a discount or free…read morepass depending on disability rating. I Love, Love coming to the lake! Easy hikes, beautiful picture ready areas, peaceful, gorgeous grounds, multiple trails, plenty of seating areas, kids play ground, boat rentals, fishing, multiple covered areas of various sizes for parties and now they are building a very large facility and so much more. It is a must visit to enjoy the outdoors in Newburgh.

Such a great local gem! Beautiful grounds, beautiful playground, love that they have a children's…read morenature trail with interactive stations throughout! It's so adorable! The lake is also fantastic, maintained, clean, staffed with multiple lifeguards. Even though it's located in pleasant valley, but town of Lagrange, pleasant valley don't get resident rate, we have to pay non resident, and those passes sell out so fast. Would love the option for a daily pass for non -residents.

It's been many years since coming again to Freedom Park, but the number of things to offer here is…read moreendless. The pond is the main go-to, with a big surrounding of water to swim in, and also plenty of room to move around in the sand. There are boundaries in the water that shows where and not to swim. Lifeguards are on duty to help out with it. Coming here has never been an issue. There are also trails to explore, pavilions (and a very large one), a concert hall (YES!), picnic tables, grills, a playground, and a basketball court to name a few. A lot of these names mentioned are why is such a great place to stop at. The website provides more details on what goes on, events, and even swim lessons, lifeguard training, and passes. Freedom is the name indeed! http://www.lagrangeny.gov/Government/Freedom-Park-Lake.htm

QUIET COVE on the Hudson River n at Poughkeepsie, NY: this park is beautiful sitting directly on…read morethe eastern shore of The Hudson River just a few minutes north of Marist College. Tucked away off of the southbound side of Route 9 also known as Albany Post Road and ( in this area) South Road. There is a big well kept sign at the entrance. FOLLOW THE SIGNS. The road is a one-way loop with bicycle lane. PICKLE BALL:The upper park has 4 well maintained, fenced in Pickle Ball courts. FREE!! PARKING: The upper parking lot has enough parking for players and guests. BATHROOMS: The upper lot has an ACCESSIBLE Porto potty that is LGBTQ friendly. It looks clean from the outside ( but bring a hygiene kit just in case). Follow the well maintained roadway down the hill to reach the river. My dog and I park in the upper lot and walked down. SAFETY: because the roadway is set up as a one-way loop, we felt safe walking. THE RIVERFRONT: Quiet Cove is scenic and serene with spectacular 180' views of the Hudson River. Pack a picnic lunch or your morning tea and take in the views. Worth noting that EVERYTHING IS designed and maintained to the highest standards. SEATING: A variety of viewing and seating means everyone can enjoy multiple views. It is quite- save the cadence of the rowing crews' voices and an occasional bark ( my dog enjoying himself), young and old can find a quiet nook to take in the water view and fresh air. DOG FRIENDLY: on a mandatory 6 foot leash. Two dogs were fetching sticks from the river at a tucked away bit of sandy coastline. They had a blast. Enough trash bins and a dog waste station with reminders to clean up after yourself. This has become my new favorite park in DUTCHESS County because it is so manageable.

Loved the view. Excellent place to watch the sunset. Park closed at sunset. So it might be 6 pm…read morein October or 8 pm in the summer. There are two small parking lots. First is by pickle ball courts. Second is immediately after. If you have a handicap sticker there are a few spots through the one way tunnel.

This park is decent. I see there is a summer camp here which…read moreis lovely, however one problem is the disgusting lake!! I will go ahead and say the lake is still 100% safe because it had chlorine in it, however because of that, you can find dead fish and dead creatures in the water, and the sand is very, very mushy under water, if you dig your feet it you can feel more dead fish... Other than the lake, the park is decent, there's a baseball field, mini-gulf, a pavilion, and I think a tennis court!

The Beekman Recreation Center and the Park have it all, covering events, sports, swimming,…read moreplayground, mini golf, and a trail. As this park is open to the public, there's a lot involved when it comes to the town of Beekman, as they put events and even programs and memberships that bring the community together. The website has a lot more info on it. The property is fairly big with plenty of walking to explore and to take in the wonderful nature. It does a loop starting in the parking lot and going around the baseball field, lake, the mini golf course, and then leading back to the beginning. There is also a trail, which isn't marked at all. It starts at the northern end of the park running parallel to Recreation Road, ending at Beekman-Poughquag Road. Another path turns running parallel with the driveway, going into the main lot, following all the way to the dirt trail meeting up with the main trail once again. The trail does a complete loop. Definitely a great discovery in the Beekman area.

For big fields and property, consider this stop for a large get-together. Plenty of parking, making…read moreit convenient for anyone to fit as many vehicles as necessary. The main attraction that can't be missed is the big pavilion, with two picnic tables located right at the perimeter. There is also a smaller pavilion located a little east of the big one, holding a couple of seats as well. A playground for the kitties is provided, with swings, slides, and also a flying fox (hanging on to a handle that connects a bar). Way out to the west, there is a baseball field and a soccer field a bit closer. Just to note, this park is open to the public, but with parties going on, expect this place to be crowded. I truly enjoy this park.

Great day to be at the Thom Felton park, festival. Plenty of FREE parking no entrance fee…read more Dozens of food trucks, live music, children's activities, souped up muscle cars, & antique cars to check out.

This park is absolutely beautiful. Great views! It is a must see if in the Hudson valley area. New…read moreYork does have some pretty spectacular mountains. It's a nice clean park. Lots of picnic tables. It's nice to go somewhere and people actually adhere to the no smoking/vaping signs.

I made my Gunks debut yesterday and was pretty impressed despite the very meh weather situation…read more This is about 90 minutes from my HQ so probably right at the limit of a convenient day hike, and somehow I've never really been in this area before beyond travelling past it going up and down the NY Thruway. Definitely returning when the sun is actually out. I did the 8.7-mile Castle Point hike (my gut says it wasn't QUITE that long, but I don't want to argue with my book) from the Awosting parking lot down the Mossy Glen Trail (yellow blazes), making a left onto and up Blueberry Run (blue) to Castle Point itself, and then went basically straight down the cliff on the Scenic Trail (lavenderish and formerly light blue), down the Rainbow Falls Trail (orange) and finally making a right on the Lower Awosting Carriageway back to the parking lot. Wasn't crazy about the $10 fee to park - nature shouldn't cost anything - but it is what it is. It's really a shame the weather was crappy because I could tell that viewpoint at Castle Point is legit - it's sprawling and you can see for miles in almost every direction. That's a very cool spot and easily the highlight of the hike. There are some interesting viewpoints throughout the rest of the adventure, but I'd say they're primarily of rock formations and water features, which have their selling points but nothing beats a view at the top. I'm in decent hiking shape right now, and this was just not particularly challenging for me. The only part where I was even a little out of breath (and it was humid, so grain of salt in that regard) was on Blueberry Run, which was a pretty steady incline up, but really not hardcore at all from my perspective. The drop down from Castle Point on the Scenic Trail IS a little tricky and you really want to spend some time there figuring out where your foot is going to go next. Compared to other parks in the tristate area, this one definitely has more hazards, cliffs you could potentially fall down, etc. But same token, it has a ton of these completely flat carriageways as well. It rained while I was on the Rainbow Falls trail and I DID slip/fall on some of the rocks at one point, but that's on me since I willingly came over here knowing what the forecast was. Wasn't impressed by the Rainbow Falls themselves, and neither were the other hikers who were there at the time. Maybe it was just not an ideal situation for them, but it's been rainy the last few days so unclear when you should take advantage of the optics there. The trail blazes were EXCELLENT, easily some of the best I've ever encountered. Each official trail had an accompanying sign that not only gave you the name of the trail, but a map of the nearby area, the grade profile so you can see what types of inclines/declines you'll experience on that trail and tons of basic facts. Really well done stuff. The bathroom situation was pretty good as well, with ample restroom options in the parking lot albeit without plumbing. You get what you get, but I'll take a clean bathroom situation in a heartbeat, regardless. Okay wildlife sightings. The rain I'm sure kept some of the good quality shizzle away, but I got a cool shot of a black vulture and saw an edgy newt. Worth the trek and will return for further investigation shortly.

Bower Park I'd say is one of those parks where it's not visible from the main road, and located on…read morea small road making it unkown. Going down the access road leads to a parking lot with a playground and two soccer fields providing a walking track. Past the playground is a trail up the hill which is named the Quarry Trails providing five paths, indicated by colors red, yellow, turquoise, blue, and green. The trails does a big loop expect the green, leading to the Wappingers Creek. For history geeks, the red trail approximates an old railroad line called the Poughkeepsie & Eastern Railroad going from Poughkeepsie to Millerton. I really like the trails, as it's peaceful and easy to follow. The trails are not to difficult, but beware of bugs and ticks being out and about.

The hike was straightforward and easy, but the best part is at the end of it along the Hudson…read moreRiver. There weren't a lot of people on the trail this day. You can smell the salt in the Hudson River and get some great views across the water. An eight day trip for me peaked on a conveniently located rock there: unforgettable. It's just a great place to sit and soak it all in, relax under the sun, forget about everything and just absorb the moment...I'll be sure to stop in again the next time I'm in town.

Beginner friendly and dog friendly! Very easy trail, only took about an hour at my dog's pace lol…read more It has decent views and a waterfall. The parking was easy to find and wasn't too packed :)