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Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. -John Muir
Hudson Highlands State ParkNew YorkTop Hikes

Bull Hill (Mount Taurus) Loop – Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve

by Juan Melli October 17, 2020
by Juan Melli October 17, 2020 0 comment

Overview: Just to the south of Breakneck Ridge, Bull Hill (or Mount Taurus) offers rock scrambles and amazing views of the Hudson River, Storm King Mountain, Breakneck Ridge, and Cold Spring. You won’t escape the crowds, but the trail is *slightly* less crowded than the more popular sister hike to the north.

This lollipop hike uses the following trails: Washburn (white) – Notch (blue) – Brook (red) – Undercliff (yellow) – Washburn (white).

Hike Length: 6.0 miles

Elevation gain: 2,200 feet

Bull Hill loop elevation profile

Location: Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve, Cold Spring, NY

Parking: There is a parking lot at the trailhead for the Washburn Trail on NY 9D, 0.8 miles north of Cold Point and right across the street from Little Stony Point. This is a popular trail and the lot fills quickly, especially on weekends, so plan to arrive early.

Washburn Trail parking lot

Maps:

  • Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve Trail map (north)
Trail map (yellow highlight indicates loop)

Trail description:
From the north end of the parking lot, find the trailhead for the white-blazed Washburn Trail (to the right) and blue-blazed Cornish Trail.

You’ll mostly follow signs for the “Bull Hill Full Loop”, although note that in this hike description we will be returning via the Undercliff Trail instead of the blue-blazed Cornish Trail. Make a right to follow the Washburn Trail.

Washburn Trailhead

The trail follows a woods road at first, rising steeply.

Washburn Trail

You’ll soon reach an open area where there was once a quarry, but which nature has been reclaiming.

Abandoned quarry

You can explore this open area, or make a sharp right turn to continue to follow the white blazes. The trail is well marked with signs indicating distances to viewpoints and trail junctions.

Washburn Trail

As the Washburn Trail is incredibly popular, it gets very high volumes of foot traffic which is eroding the trail. Stone staircases are being built by the NY-NJ Trail Conference to help better manage the high foot traffic.

There are several great viewpoints along the trail. The first major one is of Storm King, Breakneck Ridge, and the Hudson River.

Storm King (left) and Breakneck Ridge (right)

A short distance later you’re treated to a view of Cold Spring from above.

Cold Spring

Continue uphill. About a third of a mile further, if you look to your left you may notice a faint trail on your left that descends to a clearing with a large rock and with nice views of the river.

You’ll next reach the junction with the yellow-blazed Undercliff Trail. We’ll return via Undercliff from the left side, but for now, continue to follow the white blazes uphill.

As you ascend, you’ll pass a number of back-to-back viewpoints on opposite sides of the trail offering progressively nicer panoramic views.

On opposite ends of the trail, just beyond the summit, there are some views to the northwest and southeast on opposite ends of the summit.

The Washburn Trail ends at a junction with the Notch Trail (blue). Follow the sign for the Bull Hill Full Loop to make a left onto the Notch Trail.

We’ll follow the Notch Trail as it descends the north side of the mountain and turns left.

Along the Notch Trail

At the Breakneck Brook crossing, we will turn left onto the red-blazed Brook Trail. Alternatively, at this junction, you can make a short detour and follow the blue blazes north a very short distance to visit the ruins of an abandoned estate.

Ruins of an abandoned estate

If you made the detour, retrace your steps to return to the junction. Follow the red-blazes as the trail follows the stream on an eroded woods road.

About a quarter mile along the trail, we’ll reach the junction with the yellow-blazed Undercliff Trail. While the official Bull Hill loop continues straight and then returns via the Cornish Trail (as indicated by the signs just a few feet ahead), we will make a left here and return via the more scenic Undercliff Trail.

Junction with Undercliff Trail

Before making a left, if you continue straight along the red-blazed Brook Trail just a little further, you’ll reach a nice footbridge that crosses over small cascades of Breakneck Brook.

Crossing over Breakneck Brook

Retrace your steps back to the prior junction and turn east onto the Undercliff Trail. The trail rises steadily for about a mile and traverses the western shoulder of Bull Hill. Along the way, there are multiple spots offering views of the Hudson River – some panoramic views and others more limited

A panoramic view along the Undercliff Trail

From several viewpoints, you get a clear profile view of Breakneck Ridge.

Breakneck Ridge

Continue until the trail reaches a junction with the Washburn Trail.

Turn right to follow the white blazes downhill (Note: the Washburn Trail is relatively steep, so it can be challenging, especially if you have knee issues. In that case, consider returning via the regular loop along the Cornish Trail instead of taking the Undercliff and Washburn trails back). Follow the white blazes back to the parking lot.

If you’re looking for something else to do, cross the street and visit Little Stony Point.

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Juan Melli

Juan lives in Hoboken, New Jersey with his wife and two boys. He likes to explore the great Garden State and other equally nice states.

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About Me

About Me

Juan

I love the outdoors. Over the years, friends would ask me for tips on where to hike, so I started this website as a way to give back and hopefully help others discover nature.

Through the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, I'm a volunteer maintainer of a section of the Appalachian Trail (Garvey Springs to Kaiser Road) in the Delaware Water Gap.

Questions? Angry Rants? Jell-O recipes? I can be reached by using this form.

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