Help Us Hike!

October 10, 2008 11:03 AM

Where can I hike and camp this Saturday and Sunday, within 2-3 hours or so of NY and accesible by public transport?

I'm planning to do a bunch of hiking with my friend this weekend. We have a tent, and would like to hike a bunch, end up somewhere that we can make a fire and sleep and refill water (campsite or otherwise), then wake up and hike some more. We just want to be outside, see some beautiful things, breathe some clean air, and build a fire. We have no car, are quite active, early 30s, have some camping experience, and some hiking experience. I am really an urban creature for the most part, yet I'm the one trying to organize this little adventure. There's a lot of information out there, but it's hard to put together all the elements and come up with a good fit on such short notice. Any ideas?

posted by thegreatfleecircus to travel & transportation (3 comments total)

The NYNJTC has a resource for car-free hikers. Look here.

How much and what kind of hiking do you want to do?

I know a little about the AT through NY on the east side of the Hudson. The AT is pretty accessible by train in NY via the Manitou and AT stations, but unless things have changed recently, there aren't any campfires allowed at AT trailside sites in NY and CT. You might be able to build a fire at the campground at Fahnestock State Park -- I don't know so check with them. The AT in that region involves mediumish hilly, wooded terrain interspersed with flat sections.
posted by Opposite George at 11:35 AM on October 10, 2008

You're a hop, skip, and a jumb from the Delaware Water Gap.
posted by chaosscontrol at 12:54 PM on October 10, 2008

We ended up taking Metro North to Beacon, and stayed at Malouf's Mountain Sunset Camp. It was perfect. They met us at the train station, took our gear to the site, and dropped us off at the furthest trailhead. We hiked 7 hours back to the camp (after getting pleasantly lost), through gorgeous scenery and changing leaves and great views. There were other trailheads which could take as little as 30 minutes to reach the campsite, however. When we got to our site, there was a cooler waiting for us with the hamburgers, potatoes, eggs, bacon, etc. that we ordered for the night and morning. We cooked it all up in the fire pit, and had a grand time. It was really well-organized and friendly. It's also strictly hike-in, hike-out, so no huge annoying carloads of people and stuff. The people who ran it were lovely and really helpful, and I totally recommend it for a weekend or so out of the city. Plus, the great Dia Beacon museum is right there too.
posted by thegreatfleecircus at 10:49 AM on October 13, 2008