Perfect Hudson Valley Hike on a Hot Day

If you are looking for a quick hike in the Hudson Valley which can be easy for all and even challenging if you need it to be, I highly recommend John Burrough's Sanctuary in Esopus / West Park. This hike is also perfect on a hot summer day. Once you leave the small parking areas you are under a canopy of trees all the way.

John Burrough's Sanctuary was the home away from home for naturalist John Burroughs. He built it in 1895 as a retreat from his Hudson River home that was a mile and a half away. He used it a a writers hideaway. When you walk the trails you can see why he loved it and how inspiring a place it must have been because it still is an inspiration as you walk the trails.

The biggest challenge on the trail is probably the built in very natural stone stairway that climbs from the trail across from pond house and up to John's actual cabin. You can access this same spot from a more friendly route but if you are up for it, the climb adds to the mystic of Slabsides. When you visit keep it is also fun to keep in mind if you're a history buff that John had some very famous visitors to his cabin. Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison all paid John a visit at some point.

Hopefully, you can put it on you trail bucket list for this summer. If not the fall would be perfect too. I highly recommend the long way around so you see all of the pond, the pond house, the cliff steps and truly take in the entire property.