Looking for a fun day hike where you are rewarded with an abandoned mansion at the end of your journey? Stop by Cold Spring and embark on a 4.7-mile loop.

You can arrive at Cold Spring from Manhattan via car (1-1.5 hr) or metro north (1 hr). It is about 1 mile from the station to the trailhead (google map it to Cornish Estate Trail Loop).  Look for the sign of “Washburn trail” at the parking lot, get there early to ensure you have a spot (we arrived at 10 am on a beautiful June Saturday and there were plenty of spots).

There were park rangers stationed at the entrance to provide trail map and suggested trails. We wanted something under 5 miles, medium difficulty and see the ruins at the end of the hike.  Rangers suggested that we follow white (WB) - yellow (UC) - red (BK) - blue (CN). They quoted us 3.5 miles but I recorded 4.7 miles on my watch.  

Alternatively, you can opt for a longer hike by taking the Full Loop (white - blue/NT - red - blue/CN). If you just want to see the ruins with minimal hiking, you can take the blue (CN) trail from the parking lot and enjoy the easy 1.4 mile hike (part of the trail is paved).

Our hike started with steep inclines for the first 1.5 miles (WB to UC).  There were a lot of rocks to climb up. But the good news is, you are getting this out of way early in your hike and what goes up must come down 😀

About 0.7 miles in, you come upon this beautiful viewing point: 

It felt like centuries before we spotted the yellow trail. I was afraid I might have missed it. But you really can’t miss it..the park does a good job with signage display.

Once you get on the yellow trail, it was a breeze compared to the white.  We found another viewing point, this time seeing the north side of Hudson River with the train track.

From here, the trail got easier and it started to decent with beautiful green scenery.  When you see a big rock with the creek in front of you, that’s the sign for the red trail. We splashed our faces with some fresh water.

At the junction, make sure you take a left to go on the blue trail so you can see the ruins.  The red trail will take you somewhere else. 

Finally, after about 4 miles, you come upon the ruins... 

We explored the ruins a bit, admiring the beauty that it once were.

All in, took us 3 hrs and 11 mins to complete this trail with few stops along the way for pictures. 

To refuel our energy, we stopped by Riverview restaurant about 2 mins drive from the trailhead. It had a private parking lot but cash only. I enjoyed my fish & shellfish stew. 

Yum..the steak sandwich.

We sat by the terrace, with a beautiful view of the Metro North train track.

After lunch, we strolled down to the main street of Cold Spring and enjoyed some ice cream at Moo Moo’s Creamery 🍨

The town is very cute and charming! You can consider spending a night here.  Check out my blog on what to do while in Cold Spring & Garrison.