Easy little hiking area that is dog friendly with many trails and access to water and waterfalls…read more Love this place it's such a nice area that doesn't get too overcrowded and you can spend hours here without getting tired of it. The trails are pretty shady and there are areas that get hit by the sun. It's a nice mix for a hot day to get a little bit of shade, breeze and sun! I love the butterfly conservatory area that has many plants that attract them. You'll easily spot butterflies and moths and beautiful bees pollinating and doing their thing. Kid friendly and dogs love it too! Plenty of parking but best to carpool

Hiking can be challenging and muddy on the trails during rainy weather but the views and mission of…read morethis preserve are top drawer. Dog friendly with leashes required.

I'll give this five stars even though I've only gone on about half the trail. Came here to check…read moreit out as the pedestrian bridge over the river had been closed for repairs last week and wanted to see how things looked. This trail is wide, clean and well-maintained. While we were there, we saw lots of walkers and people with dogs. There are a lot of rules and they are laid out by signs as the entrances. It does seem odd that they request no running or biking on the trail as it seems like those activities wouldn't be an issue but for now, it looks like it's just for walking. We followed it about a mile up and then turned around and came back. We could have gone further. Next time we might head south towards Brookfield. I really enjoyed using this trail. One note, the parking lot off Silvermine Road near the police department is small but if you go up to Pocono Road and take a right, there's a big municipal lot there and you can access the trail behind the soccer fields.

It took me three attempts over three days to make it all the way to the waterfall, but it was so…read moreworth it! I took this journey at the start of February, and there was tons of snow on the ground. On the first day, I arrived at the Massachusetts parking lot around 3 PM I figured I had a good two hours before sundown. I turned back after walking a short way down the trail because it was so steep, I thought I was going to tumble into the river. When I got back, I watched a video of someone hiking on the Massachusetts side, and I realized that the trail is normally full of stairs This makes sense because it's very steep and that's why it's so short but because of the snow, the stairs are covered up I would definitely not recommend using the Massachusetts side in the winter On the second day, I got to the New York parking lot around 2 PM. I made it about halfway down the much more gradual and scenic trail before I turned back. I turned back because the sun disappeared behind the mountain, and it was dark and windy On the third day, I got to the New York side at 11 AM. This time I realized that the top of the trail is just always dark and windy because it's in a corridor between two mountain peaks. So I pressed on. It took me about one hour to get to the end of the trail. I walked pretty slowly and stopped to look at nature a lot. If you are not someone who is super confident staying on the path in the forest, these are fairly easy trails because it's just a straight line the whole way there and you are following the river the whole time. I'm so glad I didn't give up because the falls are one of the most beautiful magical things I've ever seen Instead of water flowing down through the ice, it was snow and slush bursting through the sections of the frozen waterfall the water exploding into 1 million tiny snowflakes from the top to the bottom I plan to come back here in the summer with my kids and I think they will really love it.

Must see if you are in the area! Two parking lots -- one in NY and one in MA. We did the NY one…read morewhich leads up up a gradual, pretty easy hill about 20min until you reach the falls. Looks like the MA lot -- you go down a steep, shorter hill to reach the falls. Along the way you'll pass by a stream and an array of Fall leaves. When you reach the falls, there were many people who climbed the little railing and took the rocky steps down to the falls. It's worth it -- as it's beautiful and a great picture spot. Dog friendly too!

This is a beautiful state park with 2300 acres of land. Parking is free. There are 10 miles of…read morehiking trails, including the Macedonia Ridge Trail, 51 campsites, and you can fish. Sone of the trails get you to views of the Catskills and Taconic mountains. There are a lot of streams, and lots of places for grills and cooking. The land once belonged to the Scatacook Tribe.

Had the pleasure of staying at site 48 for my first camping experience! I can only speak of the…read moresite and the hiking trails. Site 48: There are lots and lots and lots of bugs. You will find flies of all shapes and sizes, mosquitoes, and spiders. This part isn't fun. But it's nature and it's expected. Make sure you load up on your bug spray. Other than that, you're given a fire ring, picnic table, and a pretty large space to back your car in so it's out of the road. The site is more or less secluded if you parked your car in the entrance. It's not fully shaded like it says online though. The latrine is suuuuper close by and so is the water spout. Definitely recommend this spot and will for sure be coming back to it. The trails: we hiked blue trail and it wasn't terrible but was totally not what I expected! There's tons of inclines and lots of climbing. If you're a hiking junky, you'll like it. If you're a first timer, I don't really recommend. And if you're a casual walker/hiker, you can give it a try but I personally don't think it's worth it. There are some slippery and rocky slopes. Other than that, I still enjoyed it but hear me out when I say it's not for the casual walkers!! The campground and park is overall well kept. The latrines don't smell awful in the day because of it's solar panel ventilation systems. Beware of it when the sun goes down. The water is safe to cook and drink. The staff maintaining the area is more or less nice. They have a very strict no alcohol and pets policy so don't let them catch you with either! And I repeat again DO NOT FORGET YOUR BUG SPRAY.

Love love love love You don't even have to climb anything…read morelol The walk is paved so that's great Lots of old people and people with very new children!! lol It's easy It's beautiful Bring a ball Bring a kite Bring burgers they have tables and grills Bri g blankets Not crowded Bathroom was not open

This place is so beautiful. It's a short hike around the falls but if you take a right can go on…read morefor a long time I'm not sure how long because I have never went that full way. On the way up there are stairs and lookouts over the falls. They were recently redone and looks so nice. I love going here. Right now the bathrooms are locked so if you go have a picnic at the tables below you might have to leave to find a bathroom about 8 mins up the road in a store or restaurant. I think the bathrooms open on memorial day but I'm not sure. There are picnic tables in the grassy area and benches along the right side of the falls.

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!

This is a 6.8 mile (10.9 kilometers) moderately challenging hike (1,007 feet elevation gain) at…read moreMinnewaska State Park Preserve. Highlights of the trail are Sam's point, Ice cave and lastly Verkeerderkill falls. At Sam's point there are dramatic overlooks and spectacular cliff views, A photographer's paradise. Ice cave was amazing, we had to go through some crevices, my headlamp was very useful at those dark areas and footpath, I noticed remnants of ice inside even at the start of summer (that's when I did the hike), did a little rock scrambling outside the cave, there was an extraordinary ridge overlook at the end of the cave and a fantastic view from a large rock outcrop. The most challenging and strenuous part was the hike from the Ice cave to Verkeerderkill Falls - rocky, narrow, lengthy, uneven, wet, slippery, stream-like path, trekking poles and waterproof hiking boots was a big help to endure the trail. Verkeerderkill falls is a spectacle to see, there are a few ridges, escarpment, and ledge spots (somewhat perilous as all were near the drop-off) to rest and view the falls (I found a good spot facing the falls while hydrating, snacking and replenishing my energy). A solid day's workout, this is everything I could ask for from a great recreational, adventurous, stimulating hike with mother nature.

Very interesting and fun hike. Me and my friends hiked for 5 hours total. We've visited the ice…read morecaves and the waterfalls . Didn't make it to the lake because it started to thunderstorm. The hike to the waterfall is long so pack a lot of water. Also if it didn't rain before , the waterfall will be very light. In general it's a perfect place to connect with nature and cool down inside the ice caves. P.s. you still can see big chunks of ice deep down in the caves.

DO NOT SWIM HERE -- This lake is known locally as Snake Lake. Water snakes and copperheads are…read morenumerous. There are also snapping turtles. The water quality is also low sure to a nearby quarry.

When you get there, you can drive on the gravel road until it dead-ends into a parking lot with a…read moreporta potty. If that lot is full then you can park in the one that's right off route 28. The trail is nicely shaded. We saw orange newts galore. It had just rained the night before so it was a little muddy in spots. We hiked the yellow loop trail and it was perfect for kids ranging in ages 7 to 13. Very scenic. We left in the early afternoon when the sun came out. Many others were just getting there to swim in the lake.

It's an okay stay over place, large spaces, no privacy, but pleasant enough. What totally ruined…read morethe experience were the extremely loud campers across the way who's nonstop shouting and swearing went well into the quiet hours with no one to contact for assistance since staff leaves at 10:00 (the start of quiet hours!)

Very beautiful. Went camping there over the weekend. I was expecting something more secluded. The…read moretrees are scarce and you can see your neighbor. Our last night there I could hear the neighbor snoring! Also you can't hang anything from the trees. The bathrooms are kept clean with plenty of TP. If you are looking for something more secluded and private this is NOT the place. The lake is beautiful and great for kayaking. We also ended up going wine tasting at Hopkins winery.

On a beautiful fall day my wife and I decided to take a hike…read more Halfway into the hike we came across an area that was a gay kook-up spot We tried to avoid this but ended up in a clearing with a giant tree stump this was later discovered this was called the $@&$ stump

Nice trail that has a steep section, but is worth the views. We followed the yellow trail up to the…read moreoverlook and then turned back down at the mailbox shortly after. We visited in mid October and had perfect weather. The trail was moderately busy so I'd suggest going early if you want to be more spaced out from other groups.