Well, here we are. All we have in common is our misery, and the least we can do is share it. No need to wax philosophical on how essential outdoor time is…or how interesting it is that it’s all we have left for now. Let’s make the best of it. I’ve shared some of my favorite escapes other than our Rye standbys of Edith Read and Marshlands. Park facilities are closed, but the trails are still open dusk ‘til dawn. Hope it helps.
Saxon Woods, 1800 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains. County park. Or start at Weinberg Nature Center. 455 Mamaroneck Road, Scarsdale, where the Leatherstocking Trail intersects the Saxon Woods Trails for a 4.6-mile loop. Dogs allowed on leash.
Tod’s Point (Greenwich Point Park) Tod’s Driftway, Old Greenwich. Go to http://www.greenwichct.gov for info and map, and http://www.friendsofgreenwichpoint.org for history. 147-acre city-owned park on Long Island Sound. 2.6 miles of walking/biking trail. Open to non-residents November 1 through April 31. Dogs currently not allowed due to a raccoon Code Red.
Lenoir Preserve, 19 Dudley Street, Yonkers. County park. 40-acre preserve of woodlands and fields on the Hudson River, the former home of two estates. From here stroll along the Old Croton Aqueduct to Untermeyer Gardens (currently closed). No dogs.
Cranberry Lake Preserve 1609 Old Orchard Street, West Harrison. 190-acre county park. Dozens of trails, including an easy loop around the lake. See the quarry where the stone for the Kensico Dam was mined, then drive over to explore the dam. Dogs allowed on leash.
Kensico Dam Plaza 1 Bronx River Parkway, Valhalla. County park. Check out the masonry work on the southeast corner. Walk up the stairs and along the dam to see Lake Kensico then down the other side. Dogs allowed on leash.
Silver Lake Preserve Lake Street, White Plains. County park on an old Quaker settlement spanning 236 acres with numerous trails and stone remains. No dogs allowed.
Westmoreland Sanctuary 260 Chestnut Ridge Road, Mt. Kisco. Nature Center and Museum housed in the 200-year-old former Presbyterian church of Bedford Village. 640 acres of trails. No dogs allowed. Pair with Butler Sanctuary (below).
Butler Sanctuary 684 to Exit 4, west on Route 173, .3 miles to left on Chestnut Ridge Road, right over bridge). 363 acres of trails with a raptor-viewing platform (bleachers in the middle of the woods). Owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. Dogs allowed.
Croton Gorge, 35 Yorktown Road, Croton-On-Hudson. County park consisting of 97 acres at the base of the New Croton Dam.
Mianus River Gorge Preserve, 167 Mianus River Road, Bedford.
Five miles of woodland trails scheduled to open April 1. No dogs. Not to be confused with Mianus River Park, a 389-acre urban forest sandwiched between Greenwich and Stamford. Best entrance is from Merribrook Lane in Stamford, a well-hidden street accessible from Westover Road about a mile south of the Merritt Parkway. Dogs allowed on leash.
Rockefeller State Park Preserve, 125 Phelps Way, Pleasantville. Visitor’s Center on Tower Hill Road. 1,440-acre state park donated by the Rockefeller family. The most western parcel is the former Hudson River home of William Rockefeller, Rockwood Hall (from Visitor Center drive west on 117 until it ends.) Dogs allowed on leash at both.
Teatown, 1600 Spring Valley Road, Ossining. 1,000 acres of trails. Dogs allowed on leash.
Turkey Mountain Nature Preserve Yorktown Heights. 125 acres, 3 miles of trails and 831-foot climb to the top for sweeping views of the Croton Reservoir, the Hudson Valley, and New York City. Dogs allowed on leash.
Ward Pound Ridge Reservation Road, Pound Ridge. County’s largest park at 4,315 acres. Dogs allowed on leash.
Fahnestock State Park 1498 NY 301, Carmel. 14,086 acres. Canopus Lake, a Winter Park and the Appalachian Trail runs right through. Dogs allowed on trails.
Harriman State Park Seven Lake Drive/Bear Mountain Circle, Ramapo. Second largest park in New York State park system at 47,527 acres. 200 miles of trails through woodlands and streams. 31 lakes and reservoirs.
Bulls Bridge, Kent, CT Start here for an easy 2-mile loop on the Appalachian Trail along the gorgeous Housatonic River.
Sterling Forest State Park 116 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo. 21,935 acres of pristine forest.
Audubon Centers
Greenwich: 613 Riversville Road. Greenwich.
Bedford: 35 Todd Road, Katonah.
Constitution Marsh: 127 Warren Landing Road, Garrison. Parking very limited.
Walk through the marsh on boardwalks for gorgeous views of the Hudson
Highlands. No dogs.
Information on all county green spaces is available at
http://www.parks.westchestergov.com, state parks at http://www.parks.ny.gov
and local hiking at http://www.alltrails.com and http://www.hikethehudsonvalley.com.
My Suburban Escapes 
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