A Guide to Walkable Westchester

Jane and Walt Daniels love to hike and have been doing it for 40 years—from climbing Adirondack peaks to mastering the Appalachian trail.

They love it so much, they decided eight years ago to write about hiking close to home and in 2009 published the book Walkable Westchester, in which the Daniels' tracked, mapped and evaluated every worthwhile hiking path in Westchester County

Their findings were surprising. "The number of parks that we discovered is enormous," said Jane.

There are over 180 parks and over 600 miles of trail right here in Westchester County. In fact, no home is more than a mile away from a preserve or a park—and the hiking trails are actually increasing. Twenty-two new parks were added during the the time it took to write the book, and they have already begun working on a second edition of their book.

The Daniels shared their enthusiasm with an audience of 25 hiking enthusiasts at the Katonah Village Library Monday night. Jane posed a simple question: Why hike?

A visual answer unfolded for all to see—slides projecting vibrant flowers, glistening ponds, fuzzy wildlife and funny rock formations. These were personal photos from her own experience hiking.

The Daniels met one another through—you guessed it—hiking. When Jane was studying to be a research librarian, she met a girlfriend who told her to go on Tuesday night hikes because "that's where you meet the guys." Jane, who had always loved to hike regardless if there were guys to meet, turned up and met Walt. Walt worked as a researcher at IBM. They fell in love, and continue hiking together to this day.

"My husband jokes, "I took out the librarian, not the book!'" Jane says.

Now, both retired, Walt and Jane have a book of their own.

In Walkable Westchester, parks are categorized by length and the time; short trails of a mile or less are Tiny Treasures, Pocket Parks are up to two miles, Morning Strolls range from two to three miles—and so on, until you get to Large Parks that offer over 40 miles of trails, such as Rockefeller State Park and Ward Pound Ridge. Both of these parks offer over 40 miles of trail.

"You have lots of opportunity to visit these parks again and again and still discover," Jane said.

While hiking is a healthy, it is more than just exercise to some who attended the talk. To Paul Fargis, a Bedford Hills resident for over 70 years, it is a lifelong hobby.

"I really enjoy the trails of Westchester," he said. "The Bedford/Katonah/Pound Ridge area has fabulous trails. It's a great place for families with kids."

But when asked to share his favorite hiking spot, Fargis jokes he won't give away his secret.

"There's an 80-acre piece right near me in Bedford Hills. It's part of the Bedford Riding Lanes Association, but it's not on their map. My wife and I have been hiking there for thirty years and we haven't seen another person," he said. "So I don't want to tell you about that."

For Bedford and Katonah locals who want to start hiking, Jane recommends the Pound Ridge Westchester Wilderness Walk and the Burden Preserve off of 128. They're both close by and great places to start, she said.

She also suggests joining a local hiking group, like those offered through the Westchester Trails Association or the Adirondack Mountain Club, Mohican Chapter.

"It's a good way to know hiking, where to hike, be with other people and it's a friendly group," Jane said.

All proceeds for the book go towards the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference, a non-profit that works to create, protect and promote public trails in the New York-New Jersey region.

"We're donating the proceeds because of the number of hours that we spent, you include what Walt and I  have done with trail checking and writing," Jane said. "It's better that we give something to the Trail Conference that will be a lasting gift."

Jane encourages people to pick up her book- whether they purchase it or loan it from a local library. Either way, she promises that the information the book provides is invaluable.

"I've had people say it's the best $25 they ever spent," she said.