Cold Spring - Gear Up, Adventurers!
From Grand Central, the…read morerails carry you north in just one hour and eighteen minutes a ride where the Hudson keeps pace at your side, cliffs and forests sliding past like a living postcard. This is your prelude, the calm before the climb. The train doors open at Cold Spring, and the adventure begins on foot. Head up toward Main Street, then turn left onto Fair Street. For fourteen minutes, your path winds past proud Victorian homes, each with its own story etched into weathered wood and painted trim. Keep moving the trailhead awaits, and the mountain won't climb itself.
The Hike
From the parking area, you're faced with a choice: how far do you want to go? I'll be honest I set out intending to take the short route, but somehow managed to hike nearly the same distance as the full loop. So think of this as the "short loop" with a twist. Start by heading right onto the white-blazed Washburn Trail.
Cornish Trail...The Washburn Trail to Bull Hill-
The Washburn Trailhead rests low and close to the Hudson, where the river breathes in slow, steady ripples. From the very first step, the ground tilts upward, the path a quiet ribbon of gravel and dirt marked by small white discs nailed into the trees little beacons in the green. The climb is gentle but unrelenting, and the hum of the river fades behind you.
Soon, the forest parts just enough to reveal the quarry, its pale walls catching the light like an old scar in the hillside. The air feels warmer here, still and echoing with the faint clink of loose stone underfoot.
The trail bends right, slipping into a shoulder of the mountain. A tangle of side paths weaves between the trees, all pulling you higher. Through breaks in the canopy, the Hudson flashes silver to the south, and West Point sits in the distance like a fortress at the water's edge. The wind finds you in brief, cool bursts as the summit draws near.
Less than two miles in, the crest of Bull Hill Taurus Mountain opens before you. The air is sharper up here, carrying the scent of pine and stone. On the descent, the path changes character, following an old fire road down the eastern slope. It's broad, quiet, and feels like it remembers the weight of the years. Eventually, it delivers you to the still intersection of the Nelsonville and Notch Trails a place where the mountain exhales and the hike's story shifts.
