Breakneck Ridge
Mountain Peak · Cold Spring, New York
⚠ THE MOST POPULAR AND MOST DANGEROUS DAY HIKE IN THE NEW YORK REGION — a near-vertical scramble out of the Hudson at Cold Spring, gaining roughly 1,200 feet in the first three-quarters of a mile over bare rock that requires hands. ⚠ IT HAS ITS OWN METRO-NORTH REQUEST STOP, and it generates more rescues than any other trail in the Hudson Highlands.
Route 9D north of Cold Spring, Cold Spring, New York, 10516, United States
⚠ FREE and open at all times — Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve land with no charge to hike. ⚠⚠ IT IS A HANDS-ON ROCK SCRAMBLE, NOT A WALK, gaining roughly 1,200 feet in three-quarters of a mile, and it generates more rescues than any other trail in the Highlands. ⚠ DO NOT ATTEMPT IT IN WET, ICY OR FREEZING CONDITIONS. ⚠ ROADSIDE PARKING ON ROUTE 9D IS EXTREMELY LIMITED, FILLS BEFORE DAWN ON FINE WEEKENDS AND IS TICKETED AND TOWED. ⚠ THE BREAKNECK RIDGE METRO-NORTH STOP IS A WEEKEND AND HOLIDAY REQUEST STOP — you must tell the conductor, and it is the correct way to arrive. ⚠ TRAIL CLOSURES AND RECONSTRUCTION HAVE AFFECTED ACCESS IN RECENT YEARS; check state park notices.