This Hudson Valley Hike Has Epic Views Without the Crowds

We're deeply fortunate to live in a part of New York with some of the best hiking trails in the country.

The mountains that comprise the Hudson Highlands inspired Henry Hudson as he navigated up the river, the Hudson River school of painters, folk musician Pete Seeger and countless residents and passersby.

But this same beauty can make it difficult to enjoy nature without ending up in a crowded bottleneck of people on the trail.

READ MORE: 6 Hudson Valley Hikes Leading to Abandoned Ruins

We've all passed the cars lined up on either side of Route 9D as hundreds of people make their way up Breakneck Ridge. Any lovely spring, summer or fall weekend, hikers hop off of a train from NYC like clockwork.

The hike to Mount Taurus from the Washburn Trail can also be heavily trafficked, with the parking lot off of Route 9D across from Little Stony Point.

Mount Taurus Back Route Offers Views Without Crowds

But there's another trail that will get you sweeping views of the Hudson River. In fact, it'll get you right on top of Mount Taurus from the other end of the mountain. And you can get there without having to pass hordes of people.

Yes, I could outline the route here but this is my special "escape the crowds" hike and the parking area to get there is pretty small. It's not something I want to shout from the hilltops.

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You can easily recreate this four-mile hike from the East Hudson (Hudson Highlands North - Map 102) from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference.

But I'm also going to make it available to anybody who messages in through the Hudson Valley Post app.

After you download the app (it's free), click on the Chat icon.

Then, chat in "Tell me the Mt Taurus hiking route."

I'll hit you back within 24 hours with details of the hiking route that offers great views from Mount Taurus without the crowds.