My initial thought was that this post was a little late in the season. My second thought was, yeah but so is the leaf peeping season – its a few weeks delayed.  The nice thing about this post is that it can cross seasons and has a shelf life of most of the year!

Early in the spring / summer season, my friends and I (@stella_joyce @mamajudy75) decided rather than spending a “girls night ” of eating and drinking we would get out of the glitz of the city and spend a “girls day” clearing our lungs and our hearts to do some real bonding and a little soul searching in the “country” of the Palisades, NJ.

There are so many great places to hike if you want to take full day trips to make (I will follow up with another post).  However, this location is great for a half day trip.  It’s a quick 30 min drive from NYC via my 2 favorite roads – the Henry Hudson Parkway and the Palisades Parkway / Route 9N.  Gorgeous narrow tree-lined highways with a good blend of metropolitan and greenery.

There are a few loops / routes that you can do, however, to note, we were always confused as to which one we were on.  There were markings but they all seemed to blend into the same one.  I believe the one we planned to do is called the Stateline Lookout loop, which does exactly that – gives you swooping views of the Hudson River and NY State.

My best advice is to go to the NYNJTC.org site to get a sense of where to park your car and your starting point and then don’t be afraid to ask someone along the way.  A friend (@mslopes) hiked this based on my recommendation and was grateful for sharing it with her.  The “hike” is easy for most anybody that isn’t handicapped and between the ages of 12 and 70.  There are some steep hills to climb that are lined with rocks to step on and have a railing to keep you away from the edge.  However, a warning to the faint at heart – gorgeous views comes with great heights.

The trek down (and back up!) was worth while.

It was a fabulous day.  Stripping ourselves of our cell service (its spotty) and our children, nature allowed us to be bared of our shielding routine, revealing our fears, our worries and our absolute joy for each other.  When depleted of our apprehensions and our negative energy, we replenished our soul and bellies with a delicious lunch in Piermont NY, a nearby town on the water.

Happy Hiking!