Appalachian Trail Weekend Hike
There aren’t many multi-day hikes accessible by public transit from New York City, which makes this section of the Appalachian Trail a rare find. About 1.5 hours from Grand Central on the Metro-North Hudson Line, it’s possible to leave after work on a Thursday and be on trail before dark. Perfect for a long weekend.
I put it as 4 days because it spans Thursday through Sunday, but the actual hiking is closer to 3 days: a short evening hike to camp Thursday night, a long day Friday, and two shorter days Saturday and Sunday.
Thursday: Train to Manitou
On Thursday evening we took the Metro-North train out of Grand Central up to Manitou, where the Appalachian Trail crosses the Hudson Valley. After getting off the train we hiked a short stretch and made camp just outside Manitou for the night.
Friday: Manitou to RPH Shelter
The longest day on the trip, heading northeast along the AT through the Hudson Highlands. After the first hour, we stopped at Appalachian market for breakfast. We climbed out of the valley, passed over a series of ridges, and eventually descended to the RPH Shelter where we camped for the night. Given that we had a late start that day, we took a shortcut off the Appalacian trail for the last 2.8km on the road to get there before it got too dark.
RPH Shelter is in the town of East Fishkill, and you can even get Chinese takeout! It’s definitely the most luxurious shelter I’ve been to on the appalachian trail, with proper beds, tables, and a sizable library. There was a sign that said that there have been bears there, but we didn’t see any unfortunately.
Saturday: RPH Shelter to Morgan Stewart
Continued northeast through Dutchess County, the terrain rolling through forests and open fields. The day ended at Morgan Stewart Memorial Shelter. This was a shorter day than we planned, but it ended up being the right decision because of heavy winds and rain that night.
Sunday: Morgan Stewart to Appalachian Trail Station
The final day brought us to the DC Malaysian Food Truck before catching the Metro-North back to New York City from Appalachian Trail Station at 2:35pm. As someone who spent many summers in Malaysia as a kid, the char siu wonton noodles were incredible–highly recommend.
