New York City is known world-wide, yet the city is only a tiny fraction of the giant wilderness that is New York State. Only 50 miles from Manhattan, the Appalachian Trail visits Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks, beckoning to both day hikers and backpackers, and just across the Hudson River Valley the popular Breakneck Ridge Trail crosses the Hudson Highlands. Many miles of great trails in the Catskills and Adirondack Mountains play host to mountain bikers during warm weather, to be replaced by cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and other year-round outdoor enthusiasts once snow is on the ground. The small town of Lake Placid, tucked at the foot of New York’s highest peak of Mount Marcy, even memorably hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1980.
Canoers and kayakers can find plenty of water to paddle; upstate New York borders Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain, and the Thousand Islands of the Saint Lawrence Waterway while Western New York stretches through the rugged Finger Lakes Region between Syracuse and Rochester all the way to the shores of Lake Erie. And an easy day trip from Buffalo up the Niagara River leads to majestic Niagara Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world.
Just east from New York City, Long Island thrusts out into the Atlantic Ocean with some of the finest beaches anywhere on the East Coast, including famous Jones Beach State Park and Fire Island National Seashore. Mountain bikers and road cyclists alike are drawn to the island’s signature rolling hills, headed for favorite rides like the Nassau - Suffolk Greenbelt Trail. Along the north shore, hikers and walkers head for Sunken Meadow and Caumsett State Parks overlooking Long Island Sound.
Regardless of activity, outdoor enthusiasts will find New York to be a whole lot more than just a city.
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