Trail Description: This is a short hike that brings you to a fire tower with stunning panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains.

Trail Info:

Where: Rhinebeck, NY Distance: 1.4 miles (1 hour) Difficulty: Easy Trail Type: Out & Back Features: Views, Mountains, Water, Pond, River, Fire Tower

How to get there:

68 Mt. Rutsen Road Rhinebeck, NY 12572

https://goo.gl/maps/cXzcj8ZLTL8BxYBh7

Hiking Tips

• A busy spot for nice weather and fall foliage. 

• There are multiple hiking trails in this park, plan your route.

The Hike

From the parking lot, there is a kiosk where you can view the trail map. The yellow-blazed trail starts past the gate. Proceed with the yellow-blazed trail as it inclines gradually along the gravel road. The signage is pretty good on this trail and there are signs to the fire tower.

In about 5 minutes, the trail reaches a pond and there will be a cabin with a sign marked “TOWER” .

And, once you pass the cabin, there is a lean-to that points to the right to continue on the yellow-blazed trail marked “TOWER”. That is the trail you want to be on.

The path continues to climb slowly. There will be another lean-to on the trail and at about another 0.6 miles, the fire tower will be on the left. There are multiple paths that lead to the tower. This is the shortest route. Once my wife and I arrived, there was already a line to go up to the tower. Only 10 people can fit at a time and even that is a stretch. Only family and friend groups were going up.

Once we got up to the top, the panoramic views were amazing! Views of the Hudson River, Catskills, and the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. The fall colors were really popping. This is a great spot for sunset or sunrise. We didn’t get to spend as much time as we wanted up top as we wanted to be considerate to others waiting in line. We returned the same way we came but you could get back to the parking lot a different way.

HIKING FOR DONUTS

Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.

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