The 15 Best Hikes Near NYC, No Car Required
Look, even city folks need a break from the overcrowded subways, relentless traffic noise and tempting smells coming from those Nuts 4 Nuts carts on every corner. Luckily, you don’t have to own a car (or even dust off that Zipcar membership) to escape to the great outdoors and find the best hiking near NYC. Simply hop on a train or bus to one of these 15 stunning hikes and you’ll be channeling your inner mountain woman in no time.
1. Van Courtland Park (Bronx, NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Easy difficulty, right in NYC, multiple trail options
- How to Get There: Take the 1 subway line to Van Courtland Park-242 St
- Hike Length: 1.5 miles, 1 hour 30 minutes
2. Long Path and Shore Loop (1 hour, 10 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Moderate difficulty, dogs welcome on a leash, views of the water and stone monuments to explore
- How to Get There: Take a Rockland Coaches bus from Port Authority toward New City and get off at Rt 9W & Closter Dock Rd. Walk 1 mile to the trailhead
- Hike Length: 6 miles, 2 hours 20 minutes
3. Lemon Squeezer and Island Pond Loop (1 hour, 20 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Moderate difficulty, dogs welcome on a leash, part of the Appalachian Trail
- How to Get There: Take the ShortLine Bus toward Southfields from Port Authority. Ask the bus driver to let you off at Arden Valley Road next to a "Welcome to Harriman State Park" sign (and bee sure to ask for the hikers’ discount on your bus fare)
- Hike Length: 8 miles, 4 hours 30 minutes
4. Lake Skenonto (1 hour, 20 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Moderate difficulty, dogs not allowed
- How to Get There: Take the ShortLine Hudson bus from Port Authority to Rt 17 & Liberty Road, Tuxedo. Walk a little over half a mile to the Ramapo Dunderberg trailhead
- Hike Length: 1 miles, 3 hours 45 minutes
5. Ramapo Lake Cannonball Loop Trail (1 hour, 25 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Easy difficulty, varied views, multiple hikes available from the same trailhead, dogs not allowed
- How to Get There: Take the 197 Warwick bus from Port Authority toward Willowbrook and get off at Ringwood Avenue at Burnside Place. Walk 15 minutes through pretty suburbs to reach the trailhead at Back Beach Park
- Hike Length: 6 miles, 2 hours 10 minutes
6. Arden Point and Glenclyffe (1 hour, 25 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Easy difficulty, great for picnics, dogs welcome on a leash
- How to Get There: Take the Metro-North Hudson Line to the Garrison station
- Hike Length: 8 miles, 1 hour 45 minutes
7. Claudius Smith’s Den (1 hour, 25 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Moderate difficulty, dogs welcome on a leash, beautiful vistas
- How to Get There: Take the PATH from 33 Street toward Hoboken. At Hoboken, switch to the NJ Transit Port Jervis Line and go five stops to Tuxedo
- Hike Length: 9 miles, 3 hours 15 minutes
8. Bull Hill Full Loop (1 hour, 40 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Moderate difficulty, dogs welcome on a leash, lots of vista viewpoints
- How to Get There: Take the Metro North Hudson Line from Grand Central to Cold Spring, then walk 1 mile to the trailhead
- Hike Length: 4 miles, 3 hours 10 minutes
9. Blue Mountain Summit Loop (1 hour, 40 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Moderate difficulty, mountain biking allowed, dogs welcome on a leash
- How to Get There: Take the Metro-North Hudson Line to the Peekskill station and walk 1.7 miles to the trailhead
- Hike Length: 3 miles, 3 hours 5 minutes
10. Breakneck Ridge (1 hour, 40 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Hard difficulty, multiple routes to fit time available, dogs welcome on a leash
- How to Get There: Take the Metro-North Hudson Line to the Cold Spring station and walk north on Route 9D to the trailhead
- Hike Length: 2 miles, 2 hours 8 minutes
11. Sugarloaf Hill and Osborn Loop (1 hour, 45 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Moderate difficulty, varied views, dogs welcome on a leash
- How to Get There: Take the Metro-North Hudson Line to the Garrison station. A trail leads from the southern end of the parking lot to the trailhead of the hike
- Hike Length: 9 miles, 1 hour 35 minutes
12. Bearfort Ridge and Surprise Lake Loop (1 hour, 45 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Moderate-Hard difficulty, lake views, dogs welcome on a leash
- How to Get There: Take the 197 Warwick bus from Port Authority towards Willowbrook and get off at Union Valley Road at White Road
- Hike Length: 8 miles, 4 hours 10 minutes
13. North Beacon Mountain and DAR Monument via Casino Trail (2 hours, 20 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Moderate difficulty, dogs allowed on a leash, ruins to explore
- How to Get There: Take the Metro North Hudson Line from Grand Central to Beacon. Monday through Saturday there is a hiker shuttle that leaves the train station every 30 or so minutes to drive you about 15 minutes to the trailhead. On Sundays you can take the Duchess Country G bus toward Route 376 & CR 77. Get off at Route 9D (Wolcott Ave)
- Hike Length: 7 miles, 2 hours 15 minutes
14. South Beacon Mountain via Casino Trail (2 hours, 20 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Moderate difficulty, dogs allowed on a leash, mountain biking allowed
- How to Get There: Take the Metro North Hudson Line from Grand Central to Beacon. Monday through Saturday there is a hiker shuttle that leaves the train station every 30 or so minutes to drive you about 15 minutes to the trailhead. On Sundays you can take the Duchess Country G bus toward Route 376 & CR 77. Get off at Route 9D (Wolcott Ave)
- Hike Length: 7 miles, 2 hours 25 minutes
15. Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail (1 hour, 20 minutes from NYC)
- Why We Recommend It: Very hard difficulty, great for hard training efforts, varied terrain
- How to Get There: Take NJ Transit from Penn Station to Secaucus Junction, then transfer to the Main/Bergen County Line toward Suffern. Get off at the Suffern station and walk about half a mile to the trailhead
- Hike Length: 2 miles, 12 hours 50 minutes