A walk to the Hudson River now comes with a new destination in Highland Falls. The village’s first public riverfront park, Highland Falls Preserve, opened October 3, giving residents and visitors access to 32 acres of rocky bluffs, mossy woods, and river views a short walk from downtown. Its debut coincided with the village’s 120th anniversary celebration and the arrival of fall foliage season.
The preserve sits about a 10-minute walk from the heart of the village and is within walking distance of hundreds of homes. A scenic loop trail runs just under a mile through a landscape of rocky ledges and pitch pine, maple, and oak forests. Along with views of the Hudson Highlands and the river below, visitors will find a picnic area reached by newly built stone steps.
Getting those steps into place took considerable muscle. Volunteers, including cadets from the neighboring US Military Academy at West Point, contributed nearly 500 hours to prepare the preserve for visitors. They moved more than 19,000 pounds of stone to build 26 steps leading up to the picnic area—a substantial piece of the work that transformed conserved land into a public destination.
The opening culminates a collaboration that began after Scenic Hudson conserved the property in 2020. The nonprofit owns the preserve, while the Village of Highland Falls manages it. Residents serving on the Trail Committee helped bring the project to fruition, and the New York State Hudson River Valley Greenway provided support through a Conservancy Trail Grant.
“Highland Falls has long deserved a place for its residents and visitors to be able to view and appreciate the Hudson River,” said Seth McKee, executive director of the Scenic Hudson Land Trust, in the announcement of the opening. McKee credited the village and Trail Committee members with helping make the landscape available to the public.
The property also carries a connection to the village’s past. Once part of the historic Roe family estate, it was home to a Hudson River steamboat captain and, later, a military officer. Today, its forests shelter a variety of wildlife, including bright yellow pine warblers, which nest high in the pines. The combination of wooded terrain, rocky outcrops, and river overlooks gives visitors several reasons to linger along the short route.
“We were delighted to inaugurate the new Highland Falls Preserve as part of our Village’s 120th anniversary celebration, honoring our past while creating an inspiring space for the future,” Mayor James DiSalvo said in the release. He added that he looked forward to seeing villagers on the trail, enjoying the changing leaves and picnicking with friends and family.
The October 3 ribbon-cutting included a guided walk, community meal, drum circle, and nature-based art programming led by Strawtown Studio. With the celebration over, the preserve becomes an everyday addition to village life: a nearby place for a woodland walk, a picnic, or a look across the river. Highland Falls Preserve is free to visit and open year-round, from dawn to dusk.
