The Beautiful Hudson Highlands

The Hudson Highlands are just that - the taller mountains that center along the Hudson River, particularly as it flows south from Newburgh (on the west bank) and Beacon (on the east bank) to Haverstraw (west) and Croton-on-Hudson (east).  It’s a picturesque stretch of about thirty miles, rich in history, scenery, and vacation rentals.  If you’re looking for vacation rentals along this bit of the Hudson, look for towns like New Windsor, Highland Falls, Cold Spring, and Peekskill.

As part of the Appalachian Mountains, these are not the biggest peaks in the chain.  Although at this point the Hudson River is quite deep, the mountains are on the smallish side, particularly compared to the Appalachians further south in West Virginia and North Carolina.  However, there are many well-known mountains in the Hudson Highlands.  These include the dramatically named Storm King Mountain (suitable to its striking appearance), Beacon Mountain, Sugarloaf Hill, Breakneck Ridge, Bear Mountain, and Bald Mountain.

Hudson Highlands State Park is located in and around Beacon Mountain.  It’s approximately 6,000 acres and it includes Bannerman Island and a section of the Appalachian Trail. 

If you’d like to see natural beauty without sacrificing comfort (or the brakes on your car, thanks to unexpectedly steep gradients in the roads), consider the civilized wildness of the Hudson Highlands.