Breakneck Ridge to Beacon Fire Tower
Hudson Highlands State Park Trail Map from NY ParksHiked: Otober 5th, 2019
Distance: 12 miles (according to iPhone health app)
Duration: 7 Hours 30 Minutes
Flights Climbed: 280 (according to iPhone health app)
AllTrails Map: Beacon Fire Tower via Breakneck Ridge
AllTrails Raiting: Hard
The hike starts with rock scrambles all the way to the top of the first peak. Then there is a rocky dirt trail that goes down and up the landscape. The trails are marked really well but there are some unmarked trails. If you don't see the blaze anymore you have gone off trail. There is a short rock scramble on the approach to the fire tower. The Breakneck Ridge Bypass trail to the Wilkinson Memorial trail avoids the initial rock scrambles and is a descent that is easily hiked.
We took a 7:45am train from Grand Central on the Hudson line which arrived at the Breakneck Ridge at 9:15am. After exiting the train we took a right and walked along route 9D until we arrived at the trail head.
On the way out we took the white blaze Breakneck Ridge trail. It met up with the blue blaze Notch trail and we took white and blue blaze until they seperated and we continued on the Breakneck Ridge white blaze trail. It briefly meets up with the Wilkinson Memorial trail which is yellow blaze and then the Breakneck Ridge trail seperates again and is white blaze until you reach the tower.
On the way back we couldn't take the Wilkinson Memorial trail as much of it was closed due to dangerous conditions. We backtracked most of the way taking the Breakneck Ridge trail which meets up with the Wilkinson Memorial trail and then the Breakneck Ridge trail splits back off on it's own. Then the Breakneck Ridge Trail meets up with the Notch trail again for a ways and then the Breakneck Ridge splits off. Shortly after the split we took the Breakneck Ridge Bypass Trail which is red blaze to the right. That took us to the Wilkinson Memorial Trail (yellow blaze) which led us out to route 9D. On route 9D we took a right heading north to a pedestrian overpass and to the train station.