Mothers’ Day is the one day of the year when my family will seek adventure with me. I can nag them into it on my birthday sometimes, but that’s so close to Mothers’ Day that they’re usually still in a recovery position (on the couch clutching an electronic device). Hiking is never at the top of their list, so it’s something I do alone on weekdays, quite happily. I understand their hesitation. I do. I get it. The thought of hiking can be daunting. Gearing up, thinking about snakes and coyotes and bears (oh my!), figuring out trail maps and getting lost are just a few reasons the brain tends to shut down at the thought of a “hike.”
But if you think of it as just a walk in the woods, it’s much more approachable. Yes there are huge forests waiting to swallow you up, more easily navigated by the experienced. But there are plenty of gorgeous places on which to cut your hiking teeth, smaller acreage with well-marked trails on which you can’t get lost, maimed or eaten. Okay maybe you could get lost, but you’d hit a river or a power line or a neighborhood pretty quickly and find your way back to the car eventually. They all have great maps online and are well marked, the perfect field trip for your “Hiking 101” course: “Reading Trailmaps – Learn to navigate your way out of the woods while actually enjoying it. On-site classroom. Locations may vary.”
As in all things worthwhile, success begins with baby steps. You can’t hike ‘til you walk. Below are some lovely off-the-beaten-path walks in the woods to get you started, with a lovely spot for lunch after. Happy Mothers’ Day!
Turkey Mountain Nature Preserve Locke Lane, Yorktown Heights.
https://yorktowntrailtown.org/turkeymountain/.
Peter Pratt’s Inn 673 Croton Heights Road, Yorktown Heights, NY. 914.962.4090.
https://www.peterprattsinn.com/
Cranberry Lake Preserve 1609 Old Orchard Street, North White Plains. https://parks.westchestercountyny.gov/cranberry-lake.
The stone for the Kensico Dam was quarried here 1913-1917 and the scars and train tracks remain remain. Walk the dam after for an awesome before/after scenario.
Valhalla Crossing 2 Cleveland Street, Valhalla. 914.682.4076. http://www.valhallacrossing.com/.
Rockwood Hall (Rockefeller State Park Preserve) 1 Rockwood Road, Sleepy Hollow.
https://visitsleepyhollow.com/venue/rockwood-hall/.
Guadalajara 2 Union Street, Briarcliff Manor, NY. 914.944.4380. https://www.guadalajarany.com/. On Hwy 9 (called Union Street here) just north of Rockwood Hall.
Mianus River Gorge 167 Mianus River Rd, Bedford.
https://mianus.org/,
The Barn at Bedford Post Inn 954 Old Post Road, Bedford. 914.234.7800. https://www.bedfordpostinn.com/drink-and-dine/.
Merestead 455 Byram Lake Road, Mount Kisco
https://parks.westchestergov.com/merestead, www.hikingproject.com.
Crabtree’s Kittle House 11 Kittle Road, Chappaqua, NY. 914.666.8044.
https://www.thekittlehouseinn.com/.
Arthur B. Butler Memorial Sanctuary 265 Chestnut Ridge Road, Mt. Kisco.
https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/arthur-w-butler-memorial-sanctuary/.
St. Matthew’s Church Woodlands 382 Cantitoe Street, Bedford.
https://scenesfromthetrail.com/2020/06/13/st-matthews-church-woodlands/.
Check out the Bedford Oak down the street at 1 Hook Road.
Ristorante Lucia 454 Old Post Road. 914.234.7600. https://www.ristorantelucia.com/.
Halle Ravine Preserve 234-244 Trinity Pass Road, Pound Ridge. https://www.prlc.net/preserves/halle-ravine
The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges 258 Westchester Avenue, Pound Ridge. 914.764.1400. https://www.theinnatpoundridge.com. Be sure to check out The Huntress shop across the street to pick out your Mothers’ Day gift.
Manitoga 584 NY-9D, Garrison.
https://www.visitmanitoga.org/.
Valley Restaurant at The Garrison Inn 2015 US 9, Garrison. 845.424.3604.
https://thegarrison.com/.
BABY STEPS: PREPARE AND IMPROVISE!
- Research the location before you go. It’s amazing how well- documented trails are these days on the internet with videos of flyovers, photographs, step-by-step trail guide and great maps.
- Print out or download the trail map to your phone and look at it before, during and after your walk. Makes notes.
- Many places have maps on site, but don’t depend on it as brochure kiosks empty out. Take a cell phone pic of the map at the trailhead if that’s all ya got.
- Trail markers: most trails are marked on trees by “blazes,” color-coordinated signs or paint blotches. One marker on top of another of the same color means the trail is turning (toward the direction of the top blaze)…two markers on same tree in different colors means 2 separate trails converge.
- Keep your eyes a few markers ahead, not on your feet.
- The return trip is always shorter.
- Bring more water than you think you’ll need. Leave a cold bottle and flip flops in the car for the ride home.
- Have a backup plan for pickup JUST IN CASE
“Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better
To paint a picture or write a letter,
Bake a cake or plant a seed,
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there’s not much time,
With rivers to swim and mountains to climb,
Music to hear and books to read,
Friends to cherish and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world’s out there,
With the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it’s not kind.
And when you go – and go you must –
You, yourself, will make more dust.”
Rose Milligan
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