Fall Foliage in Upstate New York state parks, with moderate hikes

We keep chasing fall foliage by visiting the NYC's nearby nature areas beloved by locals for hiking and fall leaf peeping.

The main purpose of this trip is to explore hiking ereas north from NYC, not the city itself. Though on the first and forth days we will have a few hours that we'd use to check on the most exciting visitor activities in NYC - taking views from the famous rooftops, exploring the city's parks etc (or whatever the group members'd want to pick.)

On the second and the third days we will be out of the city up to the Central Valley, exploring dramatic cliffs, waterfalls, lakes crammed into each of these areas: 1). Hudson Highlands State park with its expanse of the Breakneck Ridge, 2) Mount Beacon Park, and 3) Minnewaska State Park where we want to hike to the famous Sam's Point and see Verkeerder Falls.

In each area we will be able to catch sweeping views of the Hudson River, the Valley and shores in their fall colors beauty. Also, on the way up here we will have a chance to sight-see such historic places as Tarrytown (set of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow), the gothic Lyndhurst mansion, and other pretty cozy places that'd be decorated for the season. If time saved we could detour a bit for scenery of the Catskill Mountain's byway.

Fall weather in the areas around NYC is still mild with day average temperatures 62 degree F (50 degree at night) and above with small chance of precipitation at this time (October is generally the driest month in NY.) Link to check on the weather https://bit.ly/3s51kZ0
Trip's summary:

• 4days/3nights trip for a small group of 6 explorers.
• The starting and ending point is New York City, NY, preferably EWR but other airports ok too,
• Hotel accommodations in NYC, NY and Central Valley, NY,
• Level of activities: Easy to Intermediate.

Clothes and gear recommended:

• good hiking shoes,
• warm jacket for evenings, be ready to layer up,
• hiking poles if you used to them,
• day backpack,
• consider hydration bladder for hikes,
• sunglasses,
• sunscreen,
• hat.

Tentative cost $670. What will be included:

• 4days/3nights stay in 2-people occupancy non-smoking room (two beds in room),
• Transportation by SUV or mini-van (like Dodge Grand Caravan, Chevrolet Traverse or similar) covering approx. 600 mi of road-tripping total,
• Organized hikes in all days.

What is NOT included:

• Getting to and returning from New York City, NY,
• Meals, snacks, water,
• any per-person Parks' fees (except per-car entrance fees), excursions, observation decks, the Subway, and similar.

Sunrise: 7:15am. Sunset: 6:00pm. Every day we want to start off from the hotel at 7 am or 7:30am, or as the latest. If you are a night owl, please try to adjust yourself for an earlier getup during the trip - the purpose of it is to use more of daylight at wintertime for activities.

There will be a Zoom meeting on this trip and a WhatsApp group chat will be formed for the group to communicate and prepare for the trip. Please be available to connect by WhatsApp (plz provide the organizer with your WhatsApp contact info to be included in the chat.) Regular messaging will not work out for this trip.

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Title Photo: Minnewaska State Park, Sam's Point

Photo-album from 2021 trip - a different route but included the upper New York state park, Letchworth (the "Grand Canyon of the East") that showcases the region: https://www.meetup.com/u-s-national-parks-quest-group/photos/31719709/