Nikki Goth Itoi - Moon Hudson Valley & the Catskills: Seasonal Getaways, Outdoor Recreation, Farm-Fresh Cuisine

enjoying the Hudson River in Tarrytown.

Abundant natural beauty and diverse communities across the Hudson River Valley have inspired quiet contemplation for centuries. What better place than a secluded riverbank or mountaintop vista to ask big questionsand hopefully find some answers? It is here that John Burroughs penned his most thoughtful nature essays and Thomas Cole created landscape paintings that marked the dawn of the Romantic era.

At the center of our modern-day environmental and food movements, the valley today is shaping what it means to be sustainable, connected, and authentic. People increasingly care about not only what they eat but also how its made. Industrial is out; artisan and heritage are in. Clean water and fresh air matter to us, more than ever before. From Beacon to Bovina Center, entire Hudson Valley towns have embraced this ethos, and a younger generation is coming back to work the land.

Measured by numbers, the Hudson River itself is unexceptionalonly 315 miles long, 3.5 miles across at its widest point, and 216 feet at its deepest. Carved by a glacier 75 million years ago, the river originates from Lake Tear of the Clouds in the rugged Adirondack Mountains and becomes navigable at Troy, north of Albany. From the Federal Dam at Troy all the way to New York Harbor, the Hudson is a 150-mile-long estuary that ebbs and floods with ocean tides, mixing saltwater with fresh as far up as Kingston in Ulster County. The Algonquin people called it Muhheakantuck, meaning the river that flows both ways, or, great waters constantly in motion.

hiking in Delaware County

basil for sale at a farmers market

start of the Escarpment Trail, near Windham

The constant mixing supports the largest single wildlife resource in New York State. Deciduous trees, rocky bluffs, and gentle foothills line both shores. Mallard ducks paddle across narrow inlets, while fishing boats troll for striped bass. Beyond the rivers edge, narrow country lanes lead to historic parks, working fruit and dairy farms, and mountains that stretch 4,000 feet into the sky. From distilleries to farm stays, the valley has a way of adapting to the changing interests of its people.

At its heart, the Hudson River Valley is a place of contrastswhere dairy farmers mingle with concrete factory workers, where hunters share the forest with conservationists, and where the cosmopolitan meets small-town America. Wherever you choose to go, a trip through the region today promises a chance to discover and reflect. To taste and breathe. And to meet the entrepreneurs and innovators who arequite literallybetting the farm on a vision for the future.

Shunpike Dairy in Millbrook

Kaaterskill Falls.

gazebo overlooking the Hudson Valley

See the : New Yorks deciduous forests put on quite a show for a few weeks between late September and mid-October. Grab your camera and head out for a walk in the woods, or a scenic backroads drive.

Go for a : Pedal along endless miles of country roads through rolling hills and farmland, or along any of the paved rail trails. Or take it off-road for some technical loops in one of the valleys new single-track trail networks.

bounty: From peaches and apples to wine and whiskey, its all grown and made among the farms of the Hudson Valley. Each day, graduates of the Culinary Institute turn the local harvest into the most memorable of meals.

: At this four-season farm and educational center, you can tour vegetable gardens, collect eggs, and even help farmers shear sheep in spring.

Ski the : Plan a winter retreat to the slopes of the Catskills. Rent the gear, take a lesson, and enjoy the lively aprs-ski scene.

Explore military history at : History and tradition come alive on a tour of the 200-year-old United States Military Academy campus.