Hiking Little Stony Point

 Little Stony Point in Cold Spring, is a great Hudson Valley kid-friendly hike.  Luckily for us, it is right down the road.  This is one of my perennial favorites for all-season hiking.  The hike starts with a quick hill up to a bridge over the train tracks---another great diversion---watch the trains whoosh by underneath you!

 Once you cross the bridge, you have three options: straight ahead, left or right.  Straight ahead is what we did in these winter photos and is a great option for a cold day when you want to have an outside experience without ending up with cold, cranky kids.

A short walk up a mild incline, with a quick climb up at the end, results in a spectacular view out over the Hudson River. 

South Beach in Winter

If you choose the left or right option from the end of the rail bridge, the trail is basically a loop around the island with beaches on the north and south ends.  Getting down by the edge of the river leads to lots of fun discoveries and discussions: lots of water chestnuts or "devil's heads" to those who accidentally step on them barefoot; great driftwood finds and "pirate treasure"; spotting boats and paddlers (depending on the season). 

North Beach in Spring

My kids like to find interesting sticks on the trail and I am pleased to report that they find sticks that they say resemble guns and letters of the alphabet in equal measure.  I try to steer this tendency in a different way as I ask them to shoot me with "vegetable bullets"!!  We have fun with that one---by the time we are done I am covered in kale, carrots, broccoli, beets---a colorful, healthy mess. 

For those with different aged kids, like me, I am happy to report that 20 month old Emmett made it all the way around the island on his own two feet.  His favorite activity was throwing rocks.

 Big brother Jasper helped Emmett up the last hill...and I was walking backwards holding out chocolate chips from my trail mix, but he made it!  An hour and fifteen minutes total, no rushing, smelling the Spring smell in the air, exploring and creating our own adventure. 

Enjoy!! And this weekend, the 10th is Stony Kill Fun Day and clean-up for anyone interested.

xoxo
Nell