Frequently Asked Questions

The Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail will be a 7.5-mile linear park along the shoreline of the Hudson River offering safe, convenient, and welcoming park access for all; connecting people to the ecology and rich history of the Hudson Highlands; and inspiring everyone to immerse themselves in the iconic landscapes of the region, cultivating a love and respect for our natural world.

Beginning only forty miles north of New York City and winding more than seven miles along the eastern shore of the Hudson River across from West Point and Storm King Mountain, the Fjord Trail will serve as a gateway to some of New York State’s most popular day hikes and iconic landscapes.  This new “park within the park” will be independently managed and accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.  

HHFT will connect two thriving communities, three train stations, and eager visitors from the Hudson Valley, New York City, and beyond to natural beauty, history, and each other.  

The main trail will join the Village of Cold Spring and the City of Beacon, making it possible for hikers, bikers, and runners to enjoy a safe and scenic 7.5-mile route between these two Hudson Valley destinations. The route creates numerous possibilities for recreation, reflection and celebration along the way, including scenic overlooks framing mountain and river views, a forest canopy walk, a waterfront promenade, restored beaches, and a marsh exploration area.

Along the way, HHFT visitors can connect with the rugged hiking trails of Hudson Highlands State Park, smaller side paths, meanders, and areas for gathering, as well as tranquil places of quiet solitude.  

Two gateway parks—Dockside in Cold Spring and Long Dock in Beacon—along with the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Visitor Center at the historic Dutchess Manor will welcome and orient visitors. At the Visitor Center, as well as various locations along the trail, a range of interactive exhibits, programming, and events will provide engaging ways to connect people with the history and ecology of the region. 

A coalition of nineteen dedicated and knowledgeable governmental agencies, local municipalities, and respected nonprofit organizations has worked together at every stage of planning and design to bring the Fjord Trail to life.

See our Partners page for a listing with links to the coalition members’ websites.

The grassroots goals of the trail were to improve pedestrian and auto safety along State Route 9D, with locals who use this corridor voicing concern over the large numbers of hikers walking on the highway in order to access Breakneck Ridge and the Wilkinson Memorial Trailhead.

The Fjord Trail will also ease the burden of visitation on the Village of Cold Spring precipitated by Breakneck’s popularity by creating alternate access points to Breakneck via a trailhead at Dockside Park, and additional parking and entry points north of the village.

The trail will open up a wide array of new recreational opportunities for locals: longer runs and bike rides and, for those who make exercise a part of their regular routine, the ability to vary their route from day to day.

There will be new spots to fish and new kayak put-ins, too. And plenty of viewpoints to share with friends and some spots designed to just quietly enjoy the view.

Both locals and visitors will have a safe way to travel by bicycle between Beacon and Cold Spring, helping to decrease carbon emissions.

A revised Master Plan will be released for public comment in 2022.

The project’s first major milestone took place in summer 2021 with the partnership between HHFT and OPRHP that created the Nimham Trail, connecting the viewpoint at the flagpoles on Breakneck Ridge to the existing Wilkinson Memorial Trail. This trail creates a safe and clear path down the mountain to the Wilkinson Trailhead and will reduce the ecological damage of trail spreading and erosion created by hikers getting lost or trying to cut their route short returning to the Breakneck parking lot.

Work on the Breakneck Connector and Bridge is scheduled to begin in 2022. This .7 mile segment of the trail was designed to connect users coming from the Metro-North Breakneck station and the Breakneck parking area to a relocated trailhead and trail steward’s station.

Improvements at this time will also address the current parking situation, implementing new restrictions that will create a safer environment for trail users and motorists on Route 9D.

The underlying goals of the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail (addressing traffic and pedestrian safety and creating quality-of-life amenities along the Beacon-to-Cold Spring corridor) are unchanged since the 2015 Master Plan.

However, in the new Master Plan the overall design has been reconfigured as a linear park experience that reveres the variety of landscape types and natural habitats comprising the length of the trail and creates more opportunities for river access.

In the hands of the Fjord Trail’s design team, the project has evolved into one that both repairs past environmental damage and plans for resilience in the face of impacts of sea level rise and climate change.

The HHFT Master Plan proposes a trail concept that embraces the ecological diversity of the region, organizing the trail according to four landscape types: River’s Edge, Highlands, Forest, and Marsh. The trail itself will be constructed according to five unique user experiences: Main Trail, Entries and Destinations, Meanders (smaller, secluded byways off the Main Trail), Connectors, and Trail Banks—places where people can rest and regroup.

A major difference between the 2015 and current Master Plans is trail surface. Where originally asphalt and concrete were proposed, current guidelines recommend crushed stone, sized to meet ADA accessibility guidelines, for all surfacing along the main trail. Concrete will be used only on shoreline walkways subject to sea level rise, while elevated trails—implemented both to protect against future sea level rise and to create accessible, at-grade paths—will be constructed with wood.

Another key improvement is the redesigned bridge connecting the Breakneck train station to a relocated Breakneck trailhead, mitigating the current problem of hikers walking along Route 9D.

The new Master Plan makes provisions for a central visitor center, and information kiosks and restrooms at all trail entries, as well as less invasive signage and wayfinding, designed to be visible yet harmonious with the landscape.

There will be seven trailhead parking areas along the Fjord Trail. Several of those lots are already in existence: at Long Dock Park, Dennings Point, Madam Brett Park, and Little Stony Point (Washburn lot) and will not involve new construction.

Parking along the shoulder near the Breakneck trailhead will be restricted to parallel parking only, with new no-parking zones to eliminate dangerous conditions.

The parking lot near Breakneck will be reconfigured and a second lot added, not to accommodate more cars, but rather to implement safer and more efficient parking practices than occur in this area today.

Additional parking lots at the Dutchess Manor campus and along the Forest trail segment will increase available parking inventory  in the middle of the trail.

A shuttle will connect each of the seven trailhead parking areas.

There will be restrooms at all major entries to the trail, starting with Breakneck.

Restrooms will be ADA accessible and will also be situated near other amenities such as wayfinding, information kiosks, and bicycle tune-up stations.

Determinations about this will be made after the environmental review is complete.

Improved parking lots will charge a fee to park. The Fjord Trail itself is free to enjoy.

One of the goals of the Fjord Trail is to ease visitor congestion by creating destinations along the trail north of Cold Spring and Breakneck.

As a linear park with multiple entry points, the Fjord Trail is carefully designed to manage visitation, including additional parking areas, restrooms, and clear wayfinding that aim to reduce the strain of heavy visitation in small communities.

With regard to Cold Spring, the HHFT will create clear wayfinding at both the Cold Spring train station and at Dockside Park. Hikers will have the option to begin their hike at Dockside Park or Little Stony Point along the Shoreline trail segment, explore Main Street to shop and dine, or take the Fjord Trail shuttle from the train station to another destination along the trail. These amenities will improve quality of life in Cold Spring in ways that would be financially challenging for the Village to implement on its own.