Easy Walks

Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla features a flat, tree-lined plaza and esplanade, making it an ideal location for families with young children and senior citizens to walk, run or rollerblade. One trip around the plaza is .4 miles.

 For a more intensive walk, you can park at Kensico and walk south on the Bronx River Pathway to the Westchester County Center and back, a six-mile round trip. The trail can be accessed at the South-East side of the Plaza, crossing Kensico Road by the entrance drive.

 Another easy walk along the Bronx River Pathway takes you from Tuckahoe Road in Tuckahoe south to Bronxville Lake along the Bronxville border. This short (.75 mile) loop is one of the most popular and scenic walks on the pathway taking you past waterfalls and over foot bridges. The route is flat and paved and circles the lake.

 The North County Trailway spans 22.1 miles, from Mount Pleasant to Baldwin Place in Somers. One of the most popular and scenic routes along the trail starts at Kitchawan Preserve on Route 134 in North Castle , north to Route 129 between 118 and 100 in Croton-on-Hudson. This 2-mile round-trip walk is generally flat and takes walkers past several points of interest, including a large truss bridge over the Croton Reservoir. You can park on 134 or enter the trailway at the north end at 129, where there is a small parking lot. Both can be reached off the Taconic State Parkway .

 Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Westchester ’s largest park at 4,700 acres, offers 35 miles of hiking and cross country skiing trails of different lengths and levels of ability, making it suitable for people of all ages. There are a number of interesting spots, scenic overlooks and historic sites. Maps of the trails are available at the parks’ Trailside Nature Museum . It is located at the junction of Routes 35 and 121 in Cross River and can be reached by taking I-684, exit 6. Take 35 East to the junction of 121. Parking is available.

 Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers is a popular walking spot in the southern part of the county. There is a 2-mile loop that takes walkers around two lakes, a historic gazebo, and waterfalls and footbridges. The park also offers swimming, tennis courts, picnic areas, and ball fields. It is located on Midland Avenue in Yonkers and can be reached by taking the Yonkers Avenue exit (3) off the Cross County Parkway .  

For a more challenging workout try, Bald Mountain at John E. Hand Park in Yorktown and the Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill. Marked trails at both parks wind through many diverse habitats. Blue Mountain , with its rock outcroppings, mountain ponds and rugged terrain,  is also a great place to mountain bike, offering different levels of challenge. Blue Mountain entrance is on Welcher Avenue , off Route 9 in Peekskill . Parking is available.

 John Hand Park offers spectacular views from the top of Bald Mountain . The trails loop around a main carriage road that can be taken directly to the top. The park can be reached by taking the Taconic to the Kitchawan Road exit (Rt. 134) turning West, then a right turn onto Grant Lane, Right again on Spring Valley Road, then a right on Blinn Road. The small gravel parking lot is on the right after you pass Journey’s End Road .

 For more than 75 years, Playland has been a family favorite for strolling on the boardwalk. The .25 mile boardwalk is followed by a scenic pier that stretches 700 feet.  This walk offers a spectacular view of Long Island Sound and is great for walking, power walking and jogging.  During the amusement park season, the park offers an additional loop that takes walkers on a flat path to the north side of the Sound and to the Edith G. Read Nature Preserve entrance.  Playland can be reached by taking I-95 to Playland Parkway Exit 19 in Rye .