Storm King Mountain, 90 minutes from New York City. Looking east from Storm King across the Hudson River to Breakneck Ridge. On weekends, a hikers' train from Grand Central Terminal makes the trip to Breakneck in 1 hour, 26 minutes. Most people are surprised that they can view near-virgin wilderness within a half hour of departing Grand Central Terminal at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan. But it is true. The Metro North Railroad commuter train from Grand Central passes through Harlem and crosses the river to The Bronx, where it runs north along the narrow and not-so-scenic Harlem River. Then, where the Harlem River connects to the Hudson River, the urban curtain suddenly rises out of view to reveal a panorama of the Palisades Cliffs on the New Jersey side of the Hudson. The train heads straight up the east bank of the Hudson River for about an hour, where, immediately north of at Peekskill, NY, the Hudson dramatically narrows and flows through a steep mountain valley. The scenery is largely unchanged from the time when George Washington fought the British in this area. The two most dramatic landscape features of the Hudson River Valley are stunningly rugged: on the west bank stands Storm King Mountain, like the Rock of Gibraltar, and on the east bank, facing it, is Breakneck Ridge. Both of these were featured in the Hudson River School of Landscape painting by a number of historic artists. See the two pics above If anyone here would like to go on a wilderness expedition to explore the mountains north of New York City, please let me know - I'm looking for a companion who loves nature and good company. We can do day trips, or even longer trips into surrounding states, such as Vermont. Here's one possible itinerary: a) Take the A, C or E subway to 34th Street and 8th Avenue. Walk underground to Penn Station at 32nd Street. b) Take the Vermonter train http://tinyurl.com/6o8ehdeparting at 11:30 a.m. andarriving in St. Albans, Vermont at 9:35 p.m. ($54 o/w, without any discounts). When the train enters Vermont, a volunteer guide from the National Park Service will board to explain all the scenic sights - this is one of the most beautiful train rides in America. When you arrive in St. Albans, call either Hobb Taxi (802) 782-9327 or Scotty's Taxi (802) 868-2044 c) Give the driver the following directions: 1: Start out going SOUTH on FEDERAL ST toward LAKE ST / VT-36.<0.1 miles 2: Turn RIGHT onto LAKE ST / VT-36. Continue to follow VT-36.2.8 miles 3: Turn RIGHT onto LAKE RD / VT-36.<0.1 miles 4: End at Kamp Kill Kare State Park, which is on a lake http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/killkare.cfm 2714 Hathaway Point Rd, St Albans Bay, VT 05481 Total Est. Time: 7 minutes Total Est. Distance: 2.90 miles See http://tinyurl.com/yqxqky for a map and directions from Amtrak St. Albans Station to Kamp Kill Kare State Park d) Camp overnight at Kamp Kill Kare State Park and take the ferry in the morning to either Burton Island or Knight Island (permit needed; see Websites below for information on making reservations). Ferry Service schedule http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/2007islandrunner.pdf Map of Vermont State Parks, which are islands in Lake Champlain http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/inlandseaweb.pdf Burton Island http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/burton.cfm Knight Island http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/knightisland.cfm Woods Island (unlike the islands above, there's no ferry service, but you can rent a rowboat or bring your own inflatable boat) http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/WoodsIsland.pdf
