This park is a wonderful choice in Pawling, considering there's quite a bit to do here. There is a…read moreroad/pathway that's called Holiday Hills Ln, only accessed by authorized vehicles, which follows alongside Green Mountain Lake, and additional trails along it. There are even abandoned barns and buildings along the way, highlighting that. Towards the main parking lot, there is a bathroom house, a mini beach, a tennis court, and even a playground as an alternative. Definitely a must-stop while in Pawling.

Even in the middle of a pandemic and extremely brisk temperatures in Nov, this was the perfect spot…read morefor me to elope! I got married by the sand overlooking the water on a Sunday afternoon, with 5 of our closest friends, and its was spectacular!! This park is beautiful, great place to just go for a walk, or have a wedding

This was a very nice spot for a pleasant hike. We spent 2 hours on the trails. It has some easy and…read moretougher hikes, so something for everyone. The parking lot was fine, small but enough for several cars. The trails were fun, lots of rock hopping, many fallen trees that you have to jump over lol. Please note, I found a tick crawling on me hours later, so yeah be careful, use bug spray here! That was the only bummer, everything else was pretty good.

Wonder Lake State Park offers some good hiking with well-marked trails…read more Parking: small gravel parking lot Trails: Several well-marked trails. Lots of elevation on the trails. So plan accordingly. On the trail map, it appears to be an easy 1.5 miles to the.lake (following the teal trail). But there's a ton of elevation and in the spring lots of mud. The yellow trail was basically so muddy at one point we gave up and double-backed to the teal trail. The mud made sections impassible. Misc: Lots of insects, especially annoying gnats in the spring. Recommend using bug repellant. Also, recommend taking water. Why 3 stars? Lots of road noise from I-84 across much of the park. Doesn't feel like nature with the highway noise in the background. The lake itself is not exactly pretty. Just a mucky lake. The trails were very muddy. And the scenery was overall average, just not exceptional in any way. But it's free and provides a nice place to hike.

An amazing playground with something for everyone! My 2,3 and 4 year old grandchildren were…read morethrilled. The only hard part is getting them to leave!

Since my wife and I became parents, I feel like we've both become playground connoisseurs. We've…read moremade quite a list of good playgrounds in the tri-state area, but one of our absolute favorites is Julie's Jungle in Hopewell Junction, New York. Inceptioned in 2012, the playground was named after Julie Keating. Young Julie was afflicted with both physical and cognitive disabilities and was often unable to join in on the fun at her local park. She tragically passed away in 2007 at the age of 15. Her younger sister Natalie later wrote a letter to the East Fishkill recreation committee asking them to build a handicapped-accessible playground. The town accepted the proposal. Phase I of the playground opened in 2016 and Phase II was completed in 2018. Julie's Jungle was the first fully accessible playground built in Dutchess County. It was built for children of all abilities to play and learn together. It's equipped with accessible routes and paths throughout, ramps, spacious decks, short stair heights, Braille play panels, and even a sensory garden. Whenever my family and I are passing through the area, we always make a point to stop at Julie's Jungle. Both of my sons love playing here. They have so much fun that our visits seem to end in the blink of an eye. We wish that more playgrounds were like this. FUN FACT: For those parents like me who enjoy good craft beer and wood-fired pizza, Sloop Brewing Company is just a three-minute drive away!

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.

The Appalachian Trail is one of the longest trails in the US, covering the area from Maine to…read moreGeorgia. This review will focus on the Pawling Nature Reserve and beyond north of it. The AT covers 2.8 miles inside the park, which I traveled most of the time, from the red trail intersection until the AT meets with the yellow (traveling north). Some fallen trees are located along the way. It overlaps the Yellow and Red Trail further north until the Red and AT branches off from the Yellow to the left. At this point, the AT and RED overlap. There are decent views along the way looking east towards Connecticut. Eventually, the red branches to the right and the AT continues straight, exiting PNR. The views are still visible. This section covers many hills, thankfully not too steep. I still found trees knocked over. The furthest I made it was past Leather Hill Road, and I turned around. I enjoyed this section, and there's a lot more to explore. It would be nice to see some maintenance done.

Amazing hidden gem right in the town of Pawling!…read more Can't believe this place even exists. So much hiking, connects with other states. You can hike and hike and hike for days. Sadly, not being much of a hiker myself, I only lasted like 20 minutes because it decided to snowstorm in the middle of May. Yep, pure craziness! Also, I got distracted with the milk cows that just hang out. I mean, I see an animal and I MUST approach animal. She wanted to social distance but I refused! She said "mooooov-it" and I ended up having to go before I upset this cute friendly cow. Awesome trail that you can go either for an easy walk or get more deep in there. Can't wait to actually explore more and enjoy these views. It's even a great spot for photos on your phone or camera. Just a great spot in general to come to for a little walk. You can climb over the electric fences with the little stairs they have, just be careful. Oh, and if you're scared of cows, don't worry, they won't bother you if you don't bother them. Parking situation: you can pull over on the side carefully and park there!

We visited the viewing platform at Kaaterskill Falls and it was absolutely worth it. It's just a…read moreshort, easy walk from the parking area, which made it super accessible. The path was peaceful and quiet, especially on a cold, out-of-season snowy day. The falls themselves are stunning. Between the rushing water, the crisp winter air, and the snow-falling it created such a calming, almost magical atmosphere. Definitely a must-see, even if you're just stopping by the platform for a quick visit like we did.

One of the tallest waterfall in NY, similar height to Taughannock Falls. Physical requirement is…read moredifferent tho, Kaaterskill Falls has about 500foot of elevation change and a lot of slippery stone steps at the end, if you come here when the weather is still cold. Parking: most people park at the Laurel-House Road parking area, because it is the closest. Or you can park at Mountain Top Historical Society, the old train station, which an extra mile. Starting from the old railroad station is nice, you can still see some old tracks on the ground. Walk to the overlook is fairly easy, once you get to the start point of Lower falls junction, it is where you need to be prepared. I recommend hiking shoe, especially in colder months where the ground is wet and iced. When you reach to the stone steps, they can get slippery. I am surprised no one fell in late March. Half of the steps were cover in ice and people were wearing regular sneakers. Once you reach the base of the two tier falls, the view is tremendous. If water levels are high, you can feel the energy of the water. There is a lot of spray from the falls when you get close. There is short trail to the middle tier pool. It was iced up during winter, spikes will definitely be useful. The end was amazing too. So close to the lead of the waterfall. You can keep going and follow Escarpment trail and follow the edge of the valley. There is monument for fireman Frank Layman who died during firefighting in 1900, at his monument, you can see route 23A bend around mountain. And if you keep going, there are a couple viewpoint to overlook the valley. Nice break points to enjoy the view and rest your legs.

Tymor is one of the greatest parks I'd say in the eastern Dutchess County area, with a large…read moreproperty with a lot to do. Getting directions to Tymor is no issue, with a small parking lot on Tymor Park Road. There is a huge field that is not hard to miss with a baseball field along with tennis and a soccer field. There is a pavilion and also another building that has a bathroom. A playground is provided for a lot to do. Since the property is big, there are also trails to explore, which are very scenic in the woods for the most part, and a nice view of the pond called Furnace Pond. This section is very enjoyable and a pleasure to look at. Definitely got to check out the other trails. Worth the visit in the 845 and Hudson Valley, trust me.

Beautiful place to find peace and tranquility. No matter what time you visit Dover stone Churchread more

Beautiful, short and easy hike to an incredible natural wonder. It tends to be crowded in Spring,…read moreSummer and early Fall. It's icy in the Winter, but you will avoid the crowds during this season.

I haven't tried them yet, but we'll see once I give them a call to inquire about services in the…read morelocal parks.

There is a lot to take in if this is your first time here. This facility is used for all sports…read more(mainly used for school teams), also providing a playground, skating park, beach volleyball, and a trail for the alternatives. A bathroom also provided as a plus. The trail was our main focus. It all starts in the lower lot toward Fishkill Creek. Going to the left, you'll find a sign indicating keeping your dog on a leash, making it the starting point. You'll see signs on the tree marking the color of the trail you're on. A very nice walk to follow along the creek, making it the highlight. It's mainly a flat trail with a very little up and down hills, but nothing too complicating. The ending is a bit strange, coming out to a football field. This is a great place to have get-togethers, along with having many physical activities to make it even more entertaining.