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Hiking Upstate New York

A couple of weeks ago, some friends and I got the chance to head upstate to Beacon, to hike Mount Beacon!

Mount Beacon Fire Tower Panorama
The view from the top of the Fire Tower on Mount Beacon

What really surprised me wasn’t only the clean, fresh air, blue skies and incredible greens after being in the city for 6 months, but also the fact that it was so easy to get there and I’d never been!

I, therefore, thought it might be helpful to know what’s required to get upstate and to hear about your adventures.

What you are looking for is the Metro North rail which leaves from Grand Central station and takes you wherever you’d like to go.

To book a ticket, the easiest way is to download the MTA eTix App (iOS or Android) which will allow you to buy your tickets in advance, and “activate” them when you arrive at the train.

The easiest thing to do is plan/pick your hike using a website like:

  1. AllTrails; or
  2. NYNJ Trail Conference;

To prepare, be sure to download the track you would like to hike using one of the above websites, as reception is sometimes not very good when you are well into your hike and you may have many options presented.

Pick something that you are going to be comfortable with, take note of any warnings, pack some food and lots of water and enjoy your hike!

Josh Pugh

Josh Pugh

Josh Pugh is the founder and CEO of America Josh, the largest community for Australians living in the United States — a network of more than 75,000 members across all 50 states, grown in part through the acquisition of the Australians in the USA and Aussies International communities. Originally from South Australia, Josh moved to New York in 2017 and became a US citizen in October 2025 — so the advice he publishes comes from having personally navigated the whole journey, from the E-3 visa to citizenship. Through America Josh he has written hundreds of practical, first-hand guides on moving to and living in the US: visas and immigration, taxes, healthcare, banking, housing and settling into life in New York City. Josh is also President of Variety – the Children's Charity of New York and Founder & CEO of Fortnight Digital. He lives in the New York area with his wife Stacey and their two sons, Danny and Liam.View Author posts

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