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Storm King Mountain

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
 4.6 (31)
  1. Areas
  2. NY
  3. …Lower Hudson Valley
  4. …Cornwall-On-Hudson
  5. Storm King State Park
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“Hike to the top of Storm King Mountain and enjoy the great views of Hudson Highland State Park. ”

John Maurizi
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2.4

Miles

3.9

KM

Loop

1,350' 411 m

High

971' 296 m

Low

455' 139 m

Up

460' 140 m

Down

7%

Avg Grade (4°)

24%

Max Grade (14°)

Dogs Leashed

Features Fall Colors · Views

Overview

This loop has some great views of the Hudson River and Hudson Highland State Park. It does have an initial steep hike to the top of Butter Hill, but the rewarding views at the top are well worth the effort.

Need to Know

Parking at trailhead gets very crowded. This is a very popular hike on weekends and during fall.

Description

This loop starts from the Butter Hill - Storm King parking lot on Route 9W. Follow the orange-blazed Butter Hill Trail until it merges onto the Highlands Trail (blue markers)/Stillman Trail (yellow markers). Follow this trail for one mile until you reach the top of Storm King Mountain where you can catch your breath and enjoy the great views of Hudson Highlands State Park across the river.

To complete the loop, turn right on the white-blazed By-Pass Trail for 0.4 miles. This trail ends on the Howell Trail, which you follow for a very short distance until you reach the Connector Trail which also has white markers. Follow this for another 0.5 miles to return to the parking lot.

Contacts

Local Club: New York - New Jersey Trail Conference

Aug 21, 2026: Let’s Hear It for Our Catskill Summit Stewards!

Jul 20, 2026: Conservation Success: Middleburgh Cliffs Now Permanently Protected

Jun 16, 2026: A.T. Detour at Harriman State Park

Land Manager: NYS Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation - Storm King State Park

Shared By:

John Maurizi
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.6 from 31 votes

#1

in Storm King State Park

#347

Overall
  4.6 from 31 votes
5 Star
71%
4 Star
19%
3 Star
6%
2 Star
3%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Storm King State Park

#6

in New York

#347

Overall
33 Views Last Month
30,362 Since Apr 24, 2017
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
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Add a Photo

Photos

The view near the top of Storm King Mountain.
Apr 24, 2017 near Cornwal…, NY
Storm King hike Part One1
Feb 3, 2018 near Cornwal…, NY
Highlands Trail on Butter Hill.
Apr 24, 2017 near Cornwal…, NY
The trail up Butter Hill is marked by paint stripes on its rocky tread.
Apr 24, 2017 near Cornwal…, NY
Bypass Trail.
Apr 24, 2017 near Cornwal…, NY
View of parking lot from Butter Hill
Feb 3, 2018 near Cornwal…, NY

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 22 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Sep 1, 2024
Art Gold
Aug 7, 2024
Joseph Cirello
made it to the summit and back. very muddy and steep in the beggining and slight rock climbing in the middle but rewarding views at the summit. 0.7mi — 1h 03m
May 25, 2024
Nathaniel Roth
Dec 31, 2023
L M
Beautiful views, nice opportunities for breaks on the way up. Convenient road/parking lot access. — 1h 30m
Dec 26, 2021
Gregg Smith
Nov 25, 2021
Peter Sneeringer
Steep first .75. Great views from the top. Slippery leaves along the way down. 2.7mi — 2h 30m
Sep 12, 2021
Narendra Bindra
11h 00m
Oct 9, 2020
Jenya Javorsky

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