Fishkill Ridge, Scofield Ridge, and Casino Loop from Pocket Road

This route is a quite long, hard, but rewarding loop around some of the most interesting spots in the northern part of the Hudson Highlands State Park, visiting the old casino site, Scofield Ridge, Fishkill Ridge (including Bald Hill and Lambs Hill), and the cascading Rainbow Falls. Along the way, there are great views in almost every direction, notably south to the NYC skyline and north to the Catskill Mountains. You start on Pocket Road in the city of Beacon, where there is room for a few cars to park near the western terminus of the Fishkill Ridge Trail (white), which immediately starts a moderate climb up a ravine, paralleling Dry Brook for about 0.5 miles. Shortly after crossing the brook (interesting in high water!), you can see the cascade waterfalls known as Rainbow Falls above you. At this point the trail turns sharply left and you climb along an unnamed stream, eventually reaching a fairly level area and then crossing a wide (dirt) maintenance road. The trail then begins the (periodically fairly steep) ascent of Lambs Hill, from near the top of which there are great views to the north and west. After a shortish descent, you reach Dozer Junction, where you cross a woods road, with the trail swinging to the left shorter thereafter. As you travel along this part of the Fishkill Ridge, keep an eye out, as there are several great viewpoints to the south (NYC skyline) and east, particularly at Bald Hill. After Bald Hill, the trail continues in the same direction for a short while before turning right for a descent to the lower loop of the Fishkill Ridge Trail, which is mostly fairly level as it follows an old road. The Fishkill Ridge Trail ends at a junction with the Wilkinson Trail (yellow), onto which you go by staying straight. Shortly after you reach the top of a rocky ravine, the Wilkinson Trail turns left onto another woods road and begins the ascent to Scofield Ridge. As the trail winds it way around, there are several more viewpoints to the east and south. At the point where the Wilkinson Trail crosses the Casino Trail (red), you turn right onto the latter, which follows an old road. Continue until you reach the old casino site, the ruins of which and the brick building housing the machinery which hauled the incline railway up the mountain are worth a visit even if you don’t want to take in the great views to the north and west at this spot. The Casino Trail then proceeds down the mountain, mainly using some badly washed out old ski trails. At an intersection where the Casino Trail makes a sharp turn to the left, bear right onto an unnamed trail (yellow), which ends at the Fishkill Ridge Trail (white), where you turn left to finish your descent back to your starting point.