Cornish Ruins and Stony Point, 10am to 5pm, 7 miles

Please read this description three or four times before asking questions. Please, please, please do not rsvp unless you truly intend to come, and please change your rsvp as soon as you know you cannot attend. Walk will be at 2.5 mile/hour moderate pace, with frequent stops allowing the group to catch up. This walk may not be for you if you wish to go faster.

We will meet on the northbound track of the Cold Spring MetroNorth Station at 10:14am. Please do not leave the northbound platform until attendance is taken. Take the 8:50AM train from Grand Central. I'll arrive at the Clock/Information Rotunda at 8:30 to meet Shorewalkers who wish to ride together, and will post our car in comments once on the train. Cost is $30.50 off peak round trip for adults, $20.50 for seniors. I find the train ride along the Hudson to be spectacular. Drivers, please arrive in time to park and walk to the northbound platform of the station.
We'll walk a short distance from the Station to West Point Foundry, an historic park (for more detail, see https://www.scenichudson.org/explore-the-valley/scenic-hudson-parks/west-point-foundry-preserve/).
We'll then go to Hudson Highlands State Park, following a gentle but decidedly uphill walk on the estate’s former driveway, which leads right to the Cornish Ruins, built ca. 1910 and owned for 20 years by NYC businessman Edward Cornish and his wife. Areas to explore include the house’s dramatic stone and brick remains overlooking the Hudson River and a nearby barn-garage complex. Ironically, in the 1930s Cornish hoped to bequeath his 650-acre property to New York State. It decided the mountainous site was no place for a park and turned him down. It didn’t become part of Hudson Highlands State Park until the late 1960s. We'll have lunch here and a little time to explore the ruins.
We will then hike the Little Stony Point loop which affords beautiful views of the Hudson and a walk along a narrow beach. While most of the hike is on flat, level ground there are sporadic patches of uneven, rocky trails. Altogether we'll walk about 7 miles.
Cold Spring is a charming small town with several appealing cafes and restaurants. Those wishing to may dine in one and explore the town. Beginning at 2:20, trains return to Grand Central every hour at 20 minutes past the hour. Depending on our pace, we may make the earlier 2:20pm or perhaps a later train. There are port-a-potties at the beginning of the Cornish Ruins trail, which we'll come to about an hour after we arrive, but no formal bathrooms along the walk. Please use the restroom on the train, at least two stops before Cold Spring.
Bring water, lunch, snacks, layers, hiking shoes (and poles if you desire) and a very big smile. Contact Ellen Fleishman 917 734 7813 with questions only if you have read this description 3 or 4 times.