Breakneck Ridge NY question

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coldfeet

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Little experience.. just hiked slide on sunday... felt good.. need info about this trail.. hike or rock climb? Can take different trails.. is it worth it? thx.. think of doing on Sat. Ps i do have a problem with my knees and love using my poles
 
Great hike especially on a good weather day. A bit of scrambling up ledges but nothing serious. The views get better and better as you climb up. Breathtaking. You should definately go UP the Breakneck Ridge trail, You can come down several other trails. We came down over Sugarloaf, a nice little hill overlooking the Hudson. It's in the NYNJTC's New York Walk Book plus their maps.

Here's some pictures: Breakneck Ridge Pictures
 
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if you want a nice view of n.y.c. continue on that same trail to south beacon mountain before turning around and heading back over sugarloaf.
 
Breakneck Ridge is definitely worth it. It offers perhaps the best views in the Hudson Highlands. Check out these Hudson River panoramas for 360 degree views from both Breakneck Ridge and South Beacon Mountain tower that Ken recommended. To do Breakneck, South Beacon, plus Sugarloaf would be about 9 mile round trip and 2400' elevation gain using the Breakneck and Wilkinson trails. You could also do a shorter and less strenuous hike of just Breakneck and Sugarloaf, about 4 miles round trip, 1600' elevation gain, using the Breakneck, Breakneck Bypass, and Wilkinson trails. With either option there is just a short 0.3 mile road walk on Route 9D back to your car. There are also options coming down the southeastern side of the ridge using either the Undercliff or Notch trails to the Brook trail which passes the old Cornish farm's stone buildings and a couple of nice waterfalls. Doing a loop eliminates the very steep descent back down Breakneck Ridge.

You can also take the train from NYC to Breakneck on weekends. I have never used this option so don't know the details on the train schedule.

One note on the New York Walk Book, 2001 edition. The description of the Wilkinson Trail in the book is up to date and accurate, however, map 2 in the back of the book is out of date and still shows the former Wilkinson trail routing that went by Melzingah Reservoir. The current trail routing is much higher on the ridge. You might want to acquire the NY/NJ Trail Conference's East Hudson Trails map set, 2003, which is accurate for all trails in the area.

Breakneck Ridge derives its name from a colonial legend of an ornery bull that escaped its farm, climbed the ridge (yeah right), fell and broke its neck. Nearby Mt Taurus (aka Bull Hill) is also named for the legendary bull.
 
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While I agree that this is spectacular trail, it is also one of the most difficult. I have been maintaining this trail for more than 15 years, and I am always amazed that people with little or no hiking experience choose this trail as one of their first. The trail gains 900 feet in elevation in half a mile and there are places where a hiker needs to use their hands to get up, meaning that poles will not always help, rather they could be a hindrance.

There are also many areas on the ascent where the climber is exposed to steep drop offs, this is part of why I love the trail, but I have seen people get stuck. When the rocks are wet (like now), it can be that much more treacherous.

If you do the trail, you will find some of the steepest sections have an alternate routes marked out with "X" blazes, which I would recommend.

The first side trail you encounter will be on the right and is the Undercliff Trail, a yellow blazed trail. It has a short, steep rocky route, with some ups and downs, to the red Brook Trail. If you follow the Brook Trail to the road, you will need to walk through the tunnel to get back to your car. This is not a popular cut-off.

About 3/4 of a mile further you will come to the most popular cut-off on the left, at a rocky knob. The Breakneck Bypass trail is a red dot on a white background and drops quite steeply down to the yellow Wilkinson Trail. This leads to the large parking lot just north of the Breakneck trailhead.

About a half mile further, just after an open summit, the trail meets the blue Three Notch trail on the right., and runs north with the white trail for a good while. Many people also take this trail down to the south, meeting up with the red Brook Trail, described above.

All of the above routes go up and come down steeply, and none of them are easy on the knees. There are some easier trails just across the river in Storm King State Park that lead to some views that are almost as good, with a lot less exposure. You can climb Butter Hill and Storm King Mountain on the yellow Stillman Trail from the northbound lane of Rt 9W or the under appreciated blue Howell Trail from Storm King Highway (Rt 218).
 
Thx for the help... sounds like this weekend is going to be a wash... maybe a small window of a few hours before one storm leaves and another starts. Wonder if I should attempt it? PS interesting website.
 
ken in flushing

Hey Ken,

I used to live in Flushing.... on utopia parkway and jewel ave.. lived there from 1960- 1999... went to jamaica hs.. kids went to ps173.. now i'm in nassau county...Coldfeet
 
taxes are too high in nassau county so i still live here (if i was going to move i would go to westchester anyway, too much traffic in nassau) - i have a place upstate to get away to though - - if you really get into hiking, there are lists you can complete if you want to - the closest is the catskill 3500 which is 35 peaks over 3500 feet tall (you already have slide which is one of the catskills 2 4000 footers) but some of those are bushwacks where you will need map & compass skills first. then there is the adirondack 46 which are 46 peaks over 4000 feet (where the bushwacks are "follow the ditch where 5000 46ers have walked before you") also in new hampshire, the white mountain 48 are no further from you than the adirondacks and are higher than new yorks mountains (and no real bushwacks) after you have these lists completed... you can go to vermont for thier 5 4000 footers and maine for thier 14 4000 footers and then you will have completed the northeast 115 4000 footer list.
 
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