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Best Lake Hikes near New York City

12 routes near New York City qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 3.2 km and 71 m (233 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 7.3 km.

That is 7 percent of the 171 routes we map near New York City. They are shorter than the local average, 3.2 km against 4.5 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day.

Lake routes give you a natural halfway point, somewhere to swim in summer, and the calmest reflections of the whole week if you get there before the wind picks up. Most of these are on the gentler end, which makes the list a good starting point if you are new to the area. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Easy

Hemlock Falls Loop

New Jersey · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
24 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Catamount Hill Loop

New York · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
34 m
Typical duration
23 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Cliffdale Loop

New York · United States

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
60 m
Typical duration
39 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Cliffdale-Teatown Trail

New York · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
27 m
Typical duration
18 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Lake to Lake Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
7.3 km
/ 4.6 mi
Elevation gain
161 m
Typical duration
1 hr 46 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Shepard Lake Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Croton Gorge Trail

New York · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
21 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Lake
  • Canyon and gorge
Easy

Three Lakes Loop

New York · United States

Distance
5.6 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
123 m
Typical duration
1 hr 21 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Lake Askoti Loop

New York · United States

Distance
4.8 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
106 m
Typical duration
1 hr 10 min
  • Lake
Easy

Lake Sonoma Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
5.6 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
123 m
Typical duration
1 hr 21 min
  • Lake
Easy

Ramapo Lake Loop

New Jersey · United States

Distance
4.0 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
89 m
Typical duration
58 min
  • Lake
Easy

Yellow Loop

New York · United States

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
37 m
Typical duration
24 min
  • Lake

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Hemlock Falls LoopNew Jersey1.1 km24 m16 minEasyApril to October
Catamount Hill LoopNew York1.6 km34 m23 minEasyApril to October
Cliffdale LoopNew York2.7 km60 m39 minEasyApril to October
Cliffdale-Teatown TrailNew York1.2 km27 m18 minEasyApril to October
Lake to Lake TrailNew Jersey7.3 km161 m1 hr 46 minModerateApril to October
Shepard Lake TrailNew Jersey1.9 km41 m27 minEasyApril to October
Croton Gorge TrailNew York0.9 km21 m14 minEasyApril to October
Three Lakes LoopNew York5.6 km123 m1 hr 21 minEasyApril to October
Lake Askoti LoopNew York4.8 km106 m1 hr 10 minEasyApril to October
Lake Sonoma TrailNew Jersey5.6 km123 m1 hr 21 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Hemlock Falls Loop, Cliffdale-Teatown Trail, Catamount Hill Loop. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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