A Complete Guide to the Best Hikes in New York

September 15, 2024

New York is a big state, contrary to popular belief. There is more to New York than New York City. The city is a lot of fun, but hiking in New York is just as fun in my opinion. Especially, if you are an avid hiker like myself, then you will love hiking in upstate New York. Particularly, I like hiking in the Adirondack Mountains, which are about 5 hours (driving) from NYC. There is a lot of good hiking in central New York and more in southern New York as well. In this article, I will lay out a complete guide to the best hikes in New York throughout the entire state.

In this post you will read about the best fall hikes in New York, best hikes in New York state, the best hikes in the Catskills, and the best hikes in upstate NY. Also, you will know the best hikes within 2 hours of NYC, hiking trails upstate NY, best hikes in central New York, hiking trails upstate NY, hiking trails New York, and the best waterfall hikes in New York.

This post is all about the best hikes in New York.

best winter hikes in new york
Indian Head
great hikes in new york state
Chimney Mountain

Best Hikes in New York :

1. Best Fall Hikes in New York

The photos above are of Indian Head and Chimney Mountains in the Adirondacks. Specifically, I like to hike these trails in the fall time. Which, if you didn’t know is one of the best times to go hiking in upstate New York.

I really enjoy hiking in the Adirondacks during the fall time. But, the Catskills are also a great place to hike during the fall. The Adirondacks are spread throughout a vast area of land in upstate New York. Thus, based on the trails you hike, from NYC, you can be driving anywhere from 4-6 hours, depending on the traffic and the location. In addition, from Boston, the Adirondacks, are about 5 hours and from Burlington, Vermont they are about 2 hours. 

The list below has some of my favorite and best fall hikes in New York. They are ordered in level of difficulty, Mount Jo being the easiest and Whiteface & Ester Mountains being the most difficult.

  • Mount Jo, High Peaks Wilderness: Lake Placid, NY about 5-5 &1/2 hours from NYC (have to pay $15 to park at the Adk Lodge).
  • Artist’s Rock & Sunset Rock, Catskill Park: Palenville, NY about 2 & 1/2 hours from NYC.
  • Castle Rock, Sargent Ponds Wild Forest: Blue Mountain Lake, NY about 4 & 1/2 hours from NYC.
  • Chimney Mountain, Siamese Ponds Wilderness: North River, NY about 4 & 1/2 hours from NYC.
  • Giant’s Nubble, Giant Mountain Wilderness: Keene Valley, NY about 4 & 1/2 hours from NYC.
  • Catamount, Taylor Pond Wild Forest: Wilmington, NY about 5-5 & 1/2 hours from NYC.
  • Haystack Mountain (NOT the 46er), McKenzie Mountain Wilderness Area: Lake Placid, NY about 5-5 &1/2 hours from NYC.
  • Owl’s Head Lookout, Giant Mountain Wilderness: Elizabethtown, NY about 4 & 1/2 hours from NYC.
  • Bald Peak, Giant Mountain Wilderness: New Russia/Elizabethtown, NY about 4 & 1/2 hours from NYC.
  • Hurricane Mountain Fire Tower, Hurricane Mountain Wilderness: Keene, NY about 4-5 hours from NYC.
  • Indian Head and (optional) Rainbow Falls, Adirondack Mountain Reserve: Keene, NY, about 5 hours from NYC.
  • Noonmark and/or Round Mountains, Dix Mountain Wilderness: Keene Valley, NY, about 5 hours from NYC.
  • Whiteface & Ester (only Ester if completing your 46), Wilmington Wild Forest: Wilmington, NY about 5 & 1/2 hours from NYC.

These are the best fall hikes in New York.

{Related Post: 11 of the Best Adirondack Towns That Nobody Knows About}

Phelps Mountain
Haystack, Basin, Saddleback

2. Best Hikes in the Catskills

Now, if you still want to do some hiking but you don’t want the long drive, then the Catskill Mountains are for you. The Catskills are only 2-3 hours from NYC, again, depending on where you go. However, in my opinion, the Adirondacks have FAR better views than the Catskills. Thus, I highly recommend if you have the time to plan your upstate New York travels in the Adirondacks than the Catskills. Although, if you just want a nice day trip, then the Catskills are perfect for you.

Here are the best hikes in the Catskills. Again, this list is ordered in level of difficulty, the easier ones being at the top, and the harder ones being at the bottom.

These are the best hikes in the Catskills.

best hikes in upstate new york
Artist’s Rock
best hikes in nj
Indian Head & Twin Mountain

{Related Post: Hiking in the Catskills}

3. Best Hikes in Upstate NY

Here I will talk about the best hikes throughout Upstate New York. Now, New York is a HUGE state, but most people don’t know it past NYC. However, New York actually has SO MANY different regions, towns, and mountain ranges. The list below will help you navigate the different hikes in upstate New York and where to find them in.

Again, these trails are listed in order of difficulty, the easier ones being at the top of the list, and the more difficult ones being at the bottom.

Wright Mountain
Noonmark Mountain

These are the best hikes throughout Upstate New York.

{Related Post: Easy Hikes in Upstate NY & Adirondack 46ers}

4. Best Hikes Within 2 Hours of NYC

I’m guessing if you’re reading this section, you live in NYC and you don’t want to venture too far. Thus, the trails listed below are perfect for little day trips from the city. The list below has the best hikes within 2 hours of NYC. Again, they are in the same order of difficulty as the previous lists.

These are the best hikes within 2 hours of NYC.

Minnewaska State Park
Mount Greylock

5. Best Hikes in Central New York

Personally, I am from the capital region of New York (Albany area). The capital region is closest to the Catskill and Adirondack mountains. Thus, I know those mountain ranges best. Therefore, to find the best hikes in central New York, I had to do some research and ask my friends that live in those areas. Based on what I found, these are the best hikes in central New York, the best hikes in western New York and in the Finger Lakes region.

{Related Post: Keene Vally NY & Lake Placid New York}

These are the best hikes in central New York.

6. Best Waterfall Hikes in New York

If you are more of a scenic hiker, that only wants 1-4 miles maximum to hike, then hiking to different waterfalls is great for you. New York state has some incredible waterfalls, I mean, hello, Niagara Falls is here! Similarly, if you want to see some smaller waterfalls, New York has got them too. Below you will find some of my favorite and the best hiking trails in New York with waterfalls. Again, these are ordered from easiest to hardest trails.

These are the best hiking trails in New York with waterfalls.

As you can see, there’s a lot to see in the state of New York outside of New York City. I hope you found some fun hikes and waterfalls to see. Thank you so much for reading and I hope this article was helpful in finding awesome, new hiking trails throughout all of New York state.

And that concludes all of the best hikes in New York. This post included the best fall hikes in New York, best hikes in New York state, and the best hikes in the Catskills. Also, the best hikes in Upstate New York, and the best hikes within 2 hours of NYC. In addition, this post included, the best hikes in central New York and the best hiking trails in New York with waterfalls.

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photo of mountains near body of water
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