Location: White Plains
Distance: 2.87 miles, option for less
Skill Level: easy
Elevation Gain: 200′
Type of Hike: loop
Trail Condition: trail, rocky
Wow Factor: awesome climbs up the quarry

How to get there: From 684, take exit 4.  Take 22 South.  Turn left on Old Orchard St.  Make a right into the park.  Go all the way to the loop to park near the nature center.

Address: 1609 Old Orchard Street, North White Plains, NY

 

Summary: From the parking area, pick up the trail just off the road loop, to the right of the nature center.

Follow the yellow trail south/right.  You’ll take it about a quarter of a mile, passing orange and white trails.

At the fork, follow red/purple left.

Continue on red/purple/blue at the next fork.

In a few minutes, take the orange trail left over the bridge and down to the stone chamber (the entrance is behind you so you could miss it).  The chamber is broken in the center and they have put up a wooden structure to keep it from being damaged more, I think.

Continue on orange until you dead end on purple.  Go right on purple (if you go left to the cascade, you could cut off about 3/4 mile).

At the 4-way intersection, continue straight onto red.  Follow red all the way around the southern loop, climbing up the longest section of the hike.  When you reach the pond, there is a little observation platform you can climb and look for birds.  The red trail will continue straight onto red/purple which will follow the eastern side of the pond on the left and some foundations on the right.

At the next junction, you’ll see the “cascade.”  Head right on purple.  Follow it to the random abandoned tennis courts.

Stay on purple at the fork and walk through the old quarry (if you go right on white, you can cut off a half mile but the best part of the hike).  Walk around the very clear pond and climb up some steep sections to the bluff above the pond.  There are some nice views but can be scary for those afraid of heights.

Follow the purple trail as it makes a loop around the quarry and down to a 4-way intersection.  Turn right on purple (if you skipped the quarry and went white, you’d turn left on purple here).

Follow purple for just a few minutes until it dead ends at red.  Turn right on red.

At the fork, bear left on blue to go close to the pond.  There’s a nice laid back chair, perfect for plane watching.  The park is close to the airport and we saw and heard a dozen or so–very exciting for toddlers.

At the next intersection, head right onto purple/red. Follow it away from the pond.

Continue straight/right on purple/red/yellow.

Continue straight/right on red.  You’ll follow red down to the road for the park.  Turn right on the road and follow it past the gate.  Soon after red will head back into the trees on the opposite side of the road.  Follow red uphill.

Make a left on purple and head back to the nature center.

The center has a few live animals–chinchillas, turtles, birds.

 

Facilities: restrooms
Hunting: no
Dogs: no

Map

Map