This trailhead (White) starts out about a mile south of the trailhead for BreakNeck Ridge. Though nowhere near as steep as Breakneck, the accent on this trail was extremely long. During the first 15 minutes of the initial accent we came across a sand quarry. Looking along the side of the exposed rock, there seemed to be some interesting spots for rock climbing, but since nobody want to be carried off the mountain, we decided to keep on the trail. The area of the quarry looks like it would make a great campsite and from what we found (empty bottles, cigarettes and an old fire) others had the same idea. Up to this point, the trail was relatively easy. A flat dirt surface with no rocks and obstacles to speak of.
Shortly after the quarry, we encountered the first of many scenic lookouts. From this location, looking South, you could see the town of Cold Spring in the foreground and the Storm King State Park just on the other side of the Hudson River. For the second time while hiking this area, I saw a train running down the tracks on the opposite side of the Hudson. This wasn't a MetroNorth Train with a dozen or so passenger cars. This was a freight train and easily carried well over 100 cars. A fellow hiker joked that this one train had more cars than there were in all of Israel. Don't know the facts of that, but this train was ridiculously long. (E.L. 700+ft)
As we continued on, the trail became rockier but maintained the same relative slope. A few points along the trail required some scrambling over rocks, but it wasn't anything too difficult. A second scenic lookout comes up a few minutes later with a view to the north. From here, you can see Pollepei Island and the other side of the Hudson. A decent view, but nothing compared to the views up ahead. Just after this lookout, the trail Washburn (White) intersects Undercliff trail (Yellow). After this point, the trail becomes rocky and the slope increases slightly. By this point, most of the group was growing very tired and looking forward to going downhill. (E.L. 1100+ft)
The rest of the way to the top is fairly consistent with spots of rocky terrain mixed with easy walking. One you reach the top, there is a view of the NorthWest that is just spectacular. I can imagine this being a sight to see during a sunset. Across the river you see a few towns in the distance with the State Park and Hudson in the foreground. Even at mid-day it was nice. But, don't be fooled because this isn't the best view. Just a few hundred yards ahead is another lookout looking South. From here, you can see NYC proper. Now that was a view. (E.L 1400+ft)
After this, it was all downhill from there. Immediately after leaving the top, the trail is incredibly easy. Almost too easy. You could actually run down the trail. Conditions were good until we reached a division in the trail. The Washbun Trail (White) turns into the Lone Star Trail (Green) and splits off into the Notch Trail (Blue). This is fairly easy to miss if you're not paying attention as the Washbun-Lone Star transition is a straight shot. Taking the Lone Star Trail will take you East and will eventually take you to the outskkirts of the town of Cold Spring. Taking the Notch Trail will eventually bring you right back to the trail head from where we started OR take you to Breakneck Ridge. We decided to take the Notch Trail. (E.L. 1200+ft)
As for the condition of the trail, the honeymoon was over. Shortly after the split the trail became very rocky. That combined with fallen leaves and other wet tree debris made the hike down relatively difficult when compared to the trip up. We followed this trail for just about a mile until we came upon another Divide. Continuing on the Blue trail, we encountered ruins. The buildings were of concrete and brick and looked to be circa 1900. The entire area around Notch trail at divide is filled with interesting structures like that. Just beyond the two visible structures is a large reservoir or man made lake. Wouldn't recommend swimming, but very pleasing to the eyes. Beyond that is a easy uphill walk that will take you towards Breakneck ridge. (Easy if you haven't already walked for 4 hours like we did). We decided to take the Brook trail (Red). We followed this trail until yet another split upon which we reached the Cornish trail (Blue). After this point, the hike is gravy. Easy downhill walking all the way to the end. A few interesting man made structures along the way make it interesting.
After the hike, we were starving. We started at Noon and finished by 5pm. To grab some food, we decided to kick back at one of the finer dinning establishments Cold Spring has to offer; The Cold Spring Depot. I have to say, the food on the menu looked great, unfortunately the service sucked. You would think 10 hungry hikers would have meant good money for any restaurant. But, after being seated and waiting 15+ minutes for someone to take our order, we decided to go to plan B. A bar just up the block. Now, before I continue, I have to say this... After being on your feet, treking through a mountain for 5 hours, you're so hungry that anything tastes good. But this place had something called a Murder Burger and after one bite, I knew why they called it that. You wanted to kill anyone who got in the way of eating it. Probably the best burger I've had in years.
Anyway, after a burger and fries and a few pitchers of beer, we cought the 6:58pm train out of Cold Spring and returned to the city. All in all a good day out...
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