Storm King State Park — Attraction in Town of Cornwall

TL;DR - great, somewhat challenging hike with beautiful views of Hudson Valley, suitable for people with well-behaved dogs and active families. Main loop trail is well maintained, other trails less so. Parking lot gets full early (was completely full by 10 am when we came) so plan on an early start.

Detailed review This is a great hike for people who are ok doing some scrambling and are a bit more sure-footed. The foliage on approach was one of the best parts, a bright, sunny yellow forest at the base is beautiful.

We got to the main parking lot, located on the northbound side on 9W at around 10 and it was completely full. We ended up going to the small dirt lot on Mountain Road (drive up North 9W and make a right onto Mountain Road) that also has a trailhead leading to Storm King. That was getting full too but we managed to squeeze in. The trailhead from there had a wire across it, so could be mistaken for a closed entrance but it's not, just go right under (or over!) and start walking.

You first walk on a lovely gravel path for about 20 minutes until you get to the mountain itself. Trails are pretty well blazed but keep an eye on them, they intersect and change directions abruptly. I recommend using the AllTrails app to keep your path, there's wireless pretty much everywhere there and it really helped us in the beginning and the end when we were navigating looping intersecting trails.

We got up to the main Storm King Loop trail right behind Butter Hill, so skipping the initial rock scramble that you'd take if you came from the 9W parking lot. We walked back to Butter Hill to take in the lovely north facing view and then walked on the main loop to Storm King summit. From there we went back off the main trail to get back to the little parking lot by following the blue/yellow blazed trail. FYI, if you're doing this pay attention to when you need to turn from the main loop, we accidentally followed the white blazed trail for a few minutes and looped back, you want to take the left-most trail from the last observation point on the main loop.

The blue/yellow trail runs on the north side of the mountain so it's shady and cooler and the trail becomes very steep at times. It's also muddy, adding to slipping hazards. This was the most difficult part of our hike, especially since we were going down. The trail is very narrow at points with a drop on the right side. This took us maybe 25 minutes to navigate and my knees were feeling it at the end! It's probably easier to go up on this trail and we met a lot of people, even with dogs doing just that.

With stopping for pictures and a snack break it took us about 4.5 hours to finish this loop, which at about 5.5 miles is longer than the main 2.4 mile loop. Overall, a great active hike with amazing views of the...

Storm King State Park, located in the Hudson Valley of New York, offers a stunning natural escape with rich history and breathtaking views. Established in 1922, the park played a significant role in early environmental conservation efforts, particularly in the fight against plans to build a hydroelectric plant on Storm King Mountain in the 1960s. This led to a landmark environmental case, Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference v. Federal Power Commission, which helped solidify the importance of citizen activism in conservation.

The park’s most prominent feature is Storm King Mountain, offering high-point views of the Hudson River, rolling hills, and distant communities such as Cornwall-on-Hudson and Newburgh. On clear days, visitors can see far across the river valley, making it a great spot for photographers and nature lovers.

Birdwatchers will find a variety of local species, including peregrine falcons, bald eagles, and warblers. The area’s rich biodiversity also includes white-tailed deer, black bears, and smaller wildlife like red foxes and wild turkeys.

Storm King State Park provides a peaceful retreat while offering some of the best vistas of the Hudson Highlands, its winding river, and the small towns dotting the landscape. It’s an excellent destination for hiking, wildlife observation, and soaking in the natural beauty of the...

This is a beautiful park with amazing views of the Hudson River and Hudson Highlands across the river. The park is very popular and on weekends could be overcrowded. There are several access points:

1. from Mountains Rd (small parking 5-7 cars top) closer to Storm King Mt.
2. off highway 218 at Cornwall (Esty & Hellie Stowell trail-head, large parking) – closer to Storm King Mt.
3. further to the south along 218 there are two road-side parking area near the Stilman Spring trail (41.42627, -73.98341 and 41.42583, -73.98135) – this is the closest to the Hudson river and North Point summit:
4. two side road parking off 9W -41.42307, -74.00094 - 20-30 cars at least – here you can chose it is in between Storm King Mt and North Point
5. and smaller one at 41.41496, -73.99363 - this one is close to North Point Summit. There is also a trail coming from Storm King Mountain School on Mountain Rd, but I am not sure whether you can park there.

There are multiple trails some of which are fairly challenging and some are narrow with a fairly steep drop down :). There are a few unmarked trail that lead to a various interesting rocky structures and cliffs but you need a map to understand where you go. At the time I was there there were no sources of water at/near Storm King Mt. summit. Dogs are allowed on a leash but some trails could be...