Peekskill · US

Blue Mountain Reservation

Blue Mountain Reservation is a placid, 1,500-plus acre county park in the hills above Peekskill, in the northwest corner of Westchester County, New York. It pairs broad, boulder-strewn woodland with two genuine summits—Blue Mountain and Mount Spitzenberg—whose rocky outcrops open onto panoramic views of the Hudson River. Hikers, mountain bikers, anglers and horseback riders all share its more than 20 miles of trails, while the park's historic stone structures and secluded freshwater ponds reward a slower, strolling visit. What sets it apart from ordinary suburban parks is the quality of its terrain and its reputation: the rolling, glacial landscape of granite erratics and rock outcroppings makes for genuinely challenging hikes to two peaks, and the trail network is nationally known among mountain bikers, with color-coded routes graded for beginner, intermediate and advanced riders.