Everything You Need to Know About the Best Hiking in Upstate NY
If you are unfamiliar with upstate New York, you are probably unaware of the infinite amount of GORGEOUS hiking available in the various different regions. In this article, you will learn about the best hiking in upstate NY.
There are a couple different regions that people refer to when talking in “upstate NY.” There is the Capital Region (about 1-2 hours from the Adirondack Mountains), the Hudson Valley Region and Poughkeepsie/Beacon (about 1 hour from the Catskill Mountains). Then, there is Central New York, where the Finger Lakes and Ithaca/Cortland University are located.
In this post, you learn about the best hiking in upstate NY, in the various regions mentioned above, specifically in, the Adirondack Mountains, central New York, and the Catskills. Also, you will learn about the best fall hiking in upstate NY, the best hiking towns in upstate NY, the best waterfall hikes in upstate NY, the best winter hikes in upstate NY, and much more.
This article is all about the best hiking in upstate NY.
Best Hiking in Upstate NY:
Best Hiking Towns in Upstate NY
If you are going to hike in upstate NY, then you definitely need somewhere to stay. There are many great SMALL towns in upstate New York to choose from. Two of the biggest towns to stay at are Lake George and Lake Placid. These two towns are located in the Adirondack mountains. However, in the summer, these two towns can get quite crowded from all the tourists. Thus, the list below has some great smaller options for people who want to avoid the crowds, as well as the best hiking towns in upstate NY in general.
Also, Lake Placid and Lake George are about an hour and a half away from each other. Lake Placid is located in the northern Adirondacks (where all the High Peaks/46ers are located), whereas, Lake George is located in the southern Adirondacks. In my opinion, the Adirondack Mountains have the best hiking trails in upstate New York and is the best hiking in upstate New York.
- North Creek, NY, great for Gore Mountain (only 3 minutes away, about an hour and 20 minutes from Lake Placid).
- Keene or Keene Valley, NY, great for hiking, and only 30 minutes from Lake Placid village.
- Saranac Lake, NY, only 16 minutes from Lake Placid.
- Ithaca, NY, great for the finger lakes region.
- Woodstock & Saugerties, NY, great for the Catskills.
- Windham, NY, again great for the Catskills.
{Related Post : Best Adirondack Towns that Nobody Knows About}
Best Hiking in the Adirondack Mountains
This is the best hiking in upstate NY without a doubt! I have hiked in all the different regions mentioned in this article and I can honestly say, the Adirondacks are truly AMAZING. They are unlike anything in the US. The best mountain range I can compare them to are the Smokey Mountains, but I think they are a little more impressive. I have also done the most hiking in the Adirondacks, so maybe I’m a little bias, but I truly believe they are the best, along with the Green, and White Mountains on the east coast of the US.
Now, because I am very familiar with the Adirondacks, I know A LOT of trails that are GREAT in my opinion, for beginners, intermediates, and advanced hikers. The list below will let you know if the hike is more geared towards beginners, intermediates, or advanced hikers and the location.
- Mount Jo : Lake Placid, NY, great for beginners and first time hikers.
- Giant’s Nubble : Keene, NY, great for beginners/intermediates.
- Catamount : Lake Placid, NY, great for intermediates.
- Owl’s Head Fire Tower : Long Lake, NY, great for intermediates (any fire towers are great for beginners and intermediates).
- Peaked Mountain : North River, NY, great for intermediates.
- Indian Head & Rainbow Falls : Keene, NY, great for intermediates.
- Noonmark & Round Mountains, Keene, NY, great for intermediates to advanced if hiking both.
- Whiteface & Ester : Lake Placid, advanced hike.
- Gothics : Keene Valley, NY, great for advanced hikers.
- Most of the Adirondack 46ers, Keene Valley & Lake Placid, NY, all for advanced hikers only, except Cascade and Porter (intermediate).
{Related Post : Adirondack 46ers}
Best Hiking in Hudson Valley/Catskills
Hiking in the Hudson Valley region or the Catskills is a great place if you live in NYC. The Hudson Valley region is only about 1-2 hours away from NYC along with the Catskill Mountains. Mount Beacon Fire Tower is a great hike for hiking upstate NY by train. You can take the train from NYC (Metro North, Hudson Line to Beacon Station).
Thus, if you live in NYC and want to escape the crowdedness of the city, these hiking trails are great options for you to get away and get some space and fresh air.
Best Hiking in Hudson Valley/Catskills
- Artist’s Rock & Sunset Rock : Haines Falls, NY, beginner hike.
- Mount Tremper : Phoenicia, NY, intermediate hike.
- Windham : Maplecrest, NY, intermediate hike.
- Bear Mountain State Park : Palisades Parkway (near Middletown, NY), NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
- Giant Ledge & Panther : Big Indian, NY, advanced hike.
- Plateau & Sugarloaf : Elka Park, NY, advanced hike.
- Slide, Cornell & Wittenberg : Big Indian, NY, advanced hike.
- Any of the 35ers, all throughout the Catskills, intermediate to advanced hikes.
Best Hiking Trails Near NYC
- Anthony’s Nose : Hudson Highlands, NY, beginner hike.
- Storm King : Cornwall Hudson, NY, beginner hike.
- Minnewaska State Park : Kerhonkson, NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
- Gertrude’s Nose : Kerhonkson, NY, intermediate hike.
- Breakneck Ridge : Hudson Highlands, NY, intermediate hike.
- Beacon Fire Tower : Beacon, NY, intermediate hike.
- Harriman State Park, Havestraw, NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
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Best Hikes in Central New York
Central New York encompasses a LOT of area. When I talk about central, New York, I am talking about the Finger Lake region and Buffalo/Niagara Falls region. However, some other major cities in central, New York include, Syracuse, Binghamton, and Rochester. So, this is why I wanted to clear up and let you know what regions I am referring to when I discuss central, New York hiking.
The Finger Lake region is only about an hour away from Ithaca, which I suggest staying at if you are interested in hiking this area. Also, Ithaca and the Finger Lakes offer great wine tours if you want a break from hiking. There are many great places to hike and great waterfalls to see in this region as well.
- Letchworth State Park : Castile, NY, beginner to intermediate hikes (Eternal Flame Falls & Grimes Glen).
- Chimney Bluffs State Park : Buffalo, NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
- Niagara Falls State Park : near Buffalo, NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
- Watkins Glen State Park : Schulyer County (close to Ithaca), NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
- Finger Lakes National Forest : Hector, NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
- Akron Falls Park : Buffalo, NY, beginner hikes.
Best Waterfall Hikes in Upstate NY
These are the best waterfall hikes in upstate NY throughout all the regions mentioned above. All these hikes are great for beginner hikers. I will say, in my opinion, Ithaca, the Finger Lakes, and Central, New York definitely have more options for waterfall hikes.
- Niagara Falls State Park : near Buffalo, NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
- Ausable Chasm : Peru (pasted the Adirondacks), NY, beginner hike, can also take a tube ride on the river.
- Kaaterskill Falls : Haines (Catskills), NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
- Buttermilk State Farm : Ithaca, NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
- Taughannock Falls State Park : Trumansburg (very close to Ithaca, NY), NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
- Fillmore Glen State Park : near Ithaca, NY, beginner to intermediate hikes.
{Related Post : Easy Hiking Trails in Upstate NY}
The Best Backpacking in Upstate NY
This is the best backpacking in upstate NY trails in my opinion. If you are interested in backpacking, I will suggest different trails that are better for newbies and which are better for more experienced backpackers. Make sure to ALLOWS follow the Leave No Trace rules when backpacking and hiking anywhere in general.
- Pharaoh Lake Wilderness : near Schroon Lake, NY, great for beginner to intermediate backpackers and has Pharaoh Mountain that you can hike and a gorgeous lake.
- Cranberry Lake : Wanakena, NY, a little over 50 miles and will take about 3 days, great for beginner to intermediate backpackers.
- Northville-Lake Placid Trail : Lake Placid, NY, over 130 miles, will take about 2 weeks, for advanced backpackers.
- Anywhere within the Adk Lodge or John Brooks Lodge : Lake Placid, NY, for intermediate to advanced hikers.
- Anywhere in the Catskill Park : Catskill Mountains, depends on where you go, for intermediate backpackers.
- Appalachian Trail : from Georgia to Maine, will take 4-5 months, ONLY for EXPERT backpackers.
Best Winter Hikes in Upstate NY
You might not know, but hiking in the winter is actually just as beautiful as hiking in the summer and fall. In my opinion, I like the views better in winter but not so much the conditions, particularly I mean the ICE. I really like hiking in all seasons, but the winter is truly something special with the snowcapped mountains, I think it’s breathtaking.
Also, the fall is a pretty cool time to hike as well, but you have to hit it right, to see all the different colors of the trees. I would suggest hiking earliest, late September to mid-late October to get the best foliage. But that being said, there are still PLENTY of GORGEOUS winter hiking in upstate NY that you can choose from.
Best Winter Hikes in Upstate NY
- Bear Den : Lake Placid, NY, beginner to intermediate hikers.
- Blue Mountain Fire Tower : Blue Mountain Lake (near North Creek), NY, intermediate hikers.
- Ampersand : Saranac, NY, intermediate hikers.
- Cascade & Porter Mountains : Lake Placid, NY, intermediate hikers.
- Twin Mountain & Indian Head : Catskills, NY, intermediate to advanced hikers.
Best Fall Hiking Upstate NY
- Giant’s Nubble : Keene, NY, beginner to intermediate hike.
- Chimney Mountain : Siamese Pond Wilderness, NY, beginner to intermediate hike.
- Giant’s Ledge & Panther (optional) : Catskills, NY, intermediate hike.
- Noonmark Mountain (winter too, just be prepared for ice) : Keene, NY, intermediate hike.
- Indian Head & Rainbow Falls : Keene, NY, intermediate to advanced hikers.
And that wraps up everything you need to know about the best hiking in upstate NY. As you can see there are many different regions when referring to upstate NY. I hope this was helpful and you found some beautiful new hikes to try. Thank you and get out there!
