"Man spends his entire life trying to make a living all the while forgetting to live."
Mark Twain
Location: Croton Point Park,
1A Croton Point Ave, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Distance From NYC: 45 minute train ride, + 15 minute walk to park
How to Get There: Metro North Hudson Line to Croton Harmon
$18 Dollars Round Trip (off-peak)
Day Trip or Overnight Trip
http://parks.westchestergov.com/croton-point-park/croton-point-fees
What to do: Beach, Swimming, Walking Trails, Cabins for Rent, Tent and RV Camping, Kite Flying, Fishing
Eat:
Pack a Picnic
Our Menu: Mixed Olives, Spicy Hummus, Rosemary Crackers, Ants on a Log, Cheddar and Brie, Cold Thermos of Arnold Palmer Whisky Beverage
Grab Dinner on a dock at The Boathouse one train stop back in Ossining
800 Westerly Road, Ossining, NY (north of the Ossining train station)
www.ossiningboathouse.com
In a summer packed full of weekend getaways I decided to keep this memorial day weekend down to just a quick day trip. It feels very freeing to just pop on the metro north baggage free with just a pic-a-nic and summery beverage, a traffic and fuss free event.
Croton Point Park is a great day trip from NYC, the forty minute train ride is the perfect amount of time to take in the massive hudson valley. Although I went in summer it would be a wonderful fall foliage excursion! The park is definitely more a day use area and i wouldn't really consider the park to have hiking, there are lots of pleasant winding paths along the shore for walking so bring a good pair of water shoes to protect those feet! The park is a place to lounge, swim, bbq, and take in the surrounding nature. I recommend printing the map out a map of the park and walking the loop of the peninsula starting at the swimming area then out past Teller's Point then down past Croton Bay
parkhttp://parks.westchestergov.com/images/stories/pdfs/Croton.pdf, and walking the loop of the peninsula
Surprisingly the Park did have an overnight area, which could be a blast if you wanted an inexpensive car free way to reach a cabin/tent location. The Cabin area near the point of the park seemed more remote (cabin 11 was most appealing to me, these cabins have decks and views of the Hudson Valley and access down to the shoreline. It seemed a little crowded so if thats not your scene I don't know if i would recommend it.
If you don't mind paying an extra $2.50 you can jump on the train going back one stop to Ossining for a dinner at The Boathouse. A five minute walk from the train leads you down a funny little back road straight to the restaurant. It is a little pricier but the budget savvy could order some appetizers and beers out on the deck and enjoy some relaxation before for your train ride back into the city. The Metro North has trains running every 30 minutes until 1 am.
