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Various thoughts about hiking in the Greater New York City area as well as rants and raves on other related topics.
     
  What is the most popular day hike in New York State
and why is there no information board there?
By Michael Brochstein on April 20, 2009 8:55 AM

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What is the most popular day hike in New York State? As far as I can tell (and from what I've read) it is Breakneck Ridge. Every day (particularly on nice weekends) one can see scores of people attempting to climb it.  Among these hikers are always those who are not regular hikers. Many, if not most, of them are hiking without a map.  They either only have a vague idea or no specific idea about how to get back down to Route 9D (or to Cold Spring if they are intending to catch the train from there back to NYC).

At the beginning of Breakneck Ridge Trail there is a very small parking lot for a few cars (see below - there are other, larger parking areas nearby).

There would be a lot of benefits from installing a free standing information board here. If installed by the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference then it would be a great venue for reaching out to new hikers (maybe the Appalachian Mountain Club would also be interested in co-sponsoring it!?). Initially, if nothing else, the simple posting of a copy of the NY-NJTC Map #102 (East Hudson Trails) along with a "You are here" sticker would at least orient those who can read a map. Going further, the signboard can stock brochures for the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference, one-page maps/suggested route sheets, and emergency contact information.

Sometimes the placement of information boards is puzzling. In the southern part of Storm King State Park, directly across the Hudson River, there are a couple of parking areas used for trail access.  The southern one (see below) on Route 9W is a useful but otherwise unimpressive muddy lot (can the town of Cornwall please drop a load of gravel here!).  It is, by far, much less popular than the one a half-mile north.

Notice (see below) that this dinky parking area (actually I am quite thankful it is there) has an information board (see below). It is not the most impressive one but it is adequate.


So go figure! In this little used parking area there is an information board and at Breakneck Ridge, at the most popular trailhead in the state, there is none!  This is a missed opportunity for New York - New Jersey Trail Conference (and the Appalachian Mountain Club) as there is probably no place they can as easily capture the attention of hikers who could benefit from information about the area.