Home ⎟ Hikes & Wanderings ⎟ New York ⎟ Hudson Valley ⎟ Ferncliff Forest
Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Dog Friendly: Yes.
Trailhead Directions: From the Intersection of the Taconic State Parkway with Interstate-84 in Fishkill, take the Taconic State Parkway 27.4 miles to the exit for Bulls Head Road. Turn LEFT on Willow Brook Road and then your first immediate LEFT onto Bulls Head Road for 2.3 miles, eventually continuing onto Slate Quarry Road for another 4 miles. Turn RIGHT onto NY-9G North and after 4.7 miles turn LEFT onto NY-199 W. Go 0.7 miles and make take the first LEFT onto River Road. In another 0.7 miles, veer LEFT to continue onto Mt Rutsen Road for a half mile to the parking area, marked as “Ferncliff Forest – 68 Mount Rutsen Road”
Nearby Address for GPS: 68 Mount Rutsen Road, Rhinebeck, NY
Hike Directions: From the parking area, walk beyond the trailhead kiosk to pick up the WHITE BLAZED South Pond Trail and once at South Pond, continue straight onto the LIGHT BLUE-BLAZED North Pond Trail. Soon you’ll reach an intersection with yellow blazes. Turn LEFT onto the YELLOW BLAZES and keep to the left as you ascend the fire road to the lookout tower. At the top, you’re afforded spectacular views of the upper Hudson Valley, spanning north to the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, West toward the looming large Catskill mountains, and south toward Poughkeepsie and the lower Hudson Valley. After the fire tower, continue on the YELLOW-BLAZED East Tower Trail as it loops toward River Road. Soon you’ll hear cars close by. Turn RIGHT at an intersection with the RED BLAZES Circle Trail and follow back to the YELLOW-BLAZES East Tower Trail. This time you’ll make a LEFT and follow the East Tower Trail back to its intersection with the LIGHT BLUE North Pond Trail. Continue onto the North Pond Trail, reaching South Pond moments later. Continue past the pond and onto the WHITE-BLAZED South Pond Trail back to the trailhead parking.
Scenery: 9/10
The Rambling Wanderer 