Mother’s Day is the one day of the year when my family will seek adventure with me.
I can sometimes nag them into it on my birthday, but that’s so close to Mother’s 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 things that hinder would-be hikers.
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, and they’re 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 where you can’t get lost, maimed, or eaten. OK, maybe you could get lost, but you’d hit a river or power lines or a neighborhood pretty quickly and find your way back to the car eventually. They all have great maps online and are well marked, perfect for your course, “Hiking 101.”
Begin with baby steps. You can’t hike till 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 Mother’s Day!
Turkey Mountain Nature Preserve
Locke Lane, Yorktown Heights, yorktowntrailtown.org/turkeymountain
Peter Pratt’s Inn
673 Croton Heights Road, Yorktown Heights, 914-962-4090, peterprattsinn.com
Cranberry Lake Preserve
1609 Old Orchard Street, North White Plains, parks.westchestercountyny.gov/cranberry-lake
The stone for the Kensico Dam was quarried here from 1913 to 1917, and the scars and train tracks remain. Walk the dam after for an awesome before/after scenario.
Valhalla Crossing
2 Cleveland Street, Valhalla, 914-682-4076, valhallacrossing.com
Rockwood Hall (Rockefeller State Park Preserve)
1 Rockwood Road, Sleepy Hollow, visitsleepyhollow.com/venue/rockwood-hall
Guadalajara
2 Union Street, Briarcliff Manor, 914-944-4380, guadalajarany.com
On Hwy 9 (called Union Street here) just north of Rockwood Hall.
Mianus River Gorge
167 Mianus River Rd, Bedford, mianus.org
The Barn at Bedford Post Inn
954 Old Post Road, Bedford, 914-234-7800, bedfordpostinn.com/drink-and-dine
Merestead
455 Byram Lake Road, Mount Kisco, parks.westchestergov.com/merestead
Crabtree’s Kittle House
Kittle Road, Chappaqua, NY. 914-666-8044, thekittlehouseinn.com
Arthur B. Butler Memorial Sanctuary
265 Chestnut Ridge Road, Mount Kisco, nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/arthur-w-butler-memorial-sanctuary
Crabtree’s Kittle House
11 Kittle Road, Chappaqua, 914-666-8044, thekittlehouseinn.com
St. Matthew’s Church Woodlands
382 Cantitoe Street, Bedford, scenesfromthetrail.com/2020/06/13/st-matthews-church-woodlands
Check out the Bedford Oak down the street at 1 Hook Rd.
Ristorante Lucia
454 Old Post Road, 914-234-7600, ristorantelucia.com
Halle Ravine Preserve
234-244 Trinity Pass Road, Pound Ridge, prlc.net/preserves/halle-ravine
The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges
258 Westchester Avenue, Pound Ridge, 914-764-1400, theinnatpoundridge.com
Be sure to check out The Huntress shop across the street to pick out your Mother’s Day gift.
Manitoga
584 NY-9D, Garrison, visitmanitoga.org
Valley Restaurant at The Garrison Inn
2015 US 9, Garrison, 845-424-3604, thegarrison.com
