Rifton:  Your Home Base for the Mid-Hudson Valley

Rifton is in the Hudson Valley region of New York, home to - what else? - the Hudson River and bordered by a couple of mountain chains, most notably the Catskills to the west.  Although Rifton is just across the Hudson River from Staatsburg and Hyde Park, you’ll find that getting to these towns requires more travel than you might expect.  Thank those winding mountain roads and the bridges that span the river at irregular intervals.

So if you choose a vacation rental in Rifton as your home base for a New York getaway, what can you do?  Well, there’s museums and historical sites in Poughkeepsie and Kingston, plus shopping and dining.  There’s also skiing, most notably in the neighboring Catskills.  You’re about 95 miles north of New York City and 63 miles to Albany, so air travel is a possibility.  But if you fly in, you’ll really need a vehicle.  Why?

While Rifton has its own bucolic setting, right next to Sturgeon Pool, it’s almost a necessity to have a car (or some type of automobile) if you’re staying at a vacation rental in this little town.  It’s just south of Kingston, so there’s plenty things to do, and the historic homes of Hyde Park are about 20 miles away.  And while the Catskills look close on the map, be prepared to drive at least 30 miles to the Catskills Park at Catskill, NY.