A Beginners Guide to The Breakneck Ridge Hike

As of the last update on this post, I’ve done the Breakneck Ridge hike at least a dozen times and in every way imaginable so I have a lot of experiences in how to complete it correctly and what mistakes to avoid. This post will show you the details of all of this and it’s an ideal guide to anyone who is a beginner to this trail.

There’s a lot of people who say different things about the Breakneck Ridge hike and most often what I hear is that it’s either very difficult or just dangerous. In my experience there’s a few parts of this trail where that can be the case but for the most part, it’s a pretty safe trail. But the point is that as long as you take your time and follow the instructions I give (I also included a video), you’ll be able to:

• Know what to expect from the Breakneck Ridge hike.
• Find easier ways to complete it.
• And I’ll even show you ways to avoid hiking through some of the dangerous and difficult areas (something that’s become more possible over the past few years as more connecting trails have been built around it). 

Quick info on the Breakneck Ridge hike:

• Name: Breakneck Ridge.
• Location: Hudson Highlands State Park (upstate NY).
• Hiking distance: There’s 4 different loop options, anywhere from 1-10 miles (I’ll show you the options below).
• Hike difficulty: Hard. But there are 4 ways to do this hike, some of which are more beginner friendly.
• Dangerous? Yes, some parts of the Breakneck Ridge hike are dangerous.
• What’s the elevation gain of Breakneck Ridge? Depending on how far you go, it can be up to 2,000 feet.
• Rating: 4 out of 5.
• Recommended hike? Yes, even if you are a beginner you can still do simpler versions of this hike and avoid the most difficult parts of it. Since I’ve done pretty much every possible loop option at Breakneck Ridge, I’ll show you what you need to know so you can decide which level of this hike is ideal for you.

Break neck Ridge hike full breakdown:

Now in addition to this video, I have also included much more info on the Breakneck Ridge hike to further provide you with more info on what to expect, how to hike it (the various trail options) and much more, and I’ll start with this:

4 ways to do the Breakneck Ridge hike (beginner-advanced):

The following 4 trail options I am sharing with you all start at the same place which is the official Breakneck Ridge trailhead. You will begin on the white trail (BR) and from there depending on your skill level, time and interest, choose to do one of the 4 options. There are actually more trail options available, but these 4 are loops and popular.

 

Option 1 (beginner):

• Hike distance: 1.5 miles
• Hike difficulty: Easy–moderate
• Elevation gain: 500+ feet

Directions:

1. Start at Breakneck Ridge Parking lot.
2. Begin on the white trail (BR).
3. Hike up 1/4 miles to the Green trail, make a left.
4. Follow the green trail 1/2 mile to the yellow trail.
5. Return to the parking lot via yellow trail (1/4 mile).
6. The green trail is relatively easy to hike down on and has steps.

Option 2 (Intermediate):

• Hike distance: 3.5 miles
• Hike difficulty: Moderate
• Elevation gain: 700+ feet

Directions:

1. Again, start on Breakneck Ridge Parking lot.
2. Again, hike up the White Trail (BR).
3. Go past the green trail this time from option 1 (continue on the white trail basically).
4. Reach the yellow/white trail fork. Take the yellow trail down.
5. When reaching the bottom, switch to the red trail.
6. Take the red trail to the road, then make a right.
7. Go under the tunnel and you’re back on the parking lot.

One of the benefits of this short Breakneck Ridge hike is that you’ll be able to see this waterfall on the red trail: 

 

Option 3 (Advanced):

• Hike distance: 6 miles
• Hike difficulty: Hard
• Elevation gain: 1,200 feet

Directions:

1. Start on the same parking lot.
2. Take the same BR trail (white).
3. Pass the green trail fork. Go further up.
4. Pass the yellow trail fork (basically stay on the BR trail).
5. You’ll continue further up on the BR trail, reach the summit of Breakneck Ridge and eventually come across the red trail marker.
6. Make a left and you’ll be on the red trail (not the same as option 2).
7. Take the red trail down, until you hit the yellow trail (different yellow trail than option 2).
8. Make a left and follow the yellow trail down to the parking lot of Breakneck Ridge.

Option 4 (Hardest):

• Hike distance: 9.5 miles
• Hike difficulty: Hard
• Elevation gain: 2,000 feet

Directions:

1. Start on the same BR parking lot.
2. Follow the white trail (BR) all the way to the end where you’ll reach Beacon Fire Tower. From there, you’ll be able to see NYC.
3. While you are on the white trail, it will mix with other trails (blue, then yellow). Just stay on the white trail.
4. Once you reach Beacon Fire Tower, turn back on the same white trail (now mixed with the yellow trail) down.
5. When the trails divide, follow the yellow trail to it’s end point back down to the parking lot.

One more additional way to do option 4:

Instead of taking the yellow trail back, you can backtrack on the same white trail until you come across the red trail from option 3 and even the green trail from option 4. I would not recommend taking the white trail all the way back to the parking lot.

Common questions about hiking the Breakneck Ridge trail:

How difficult is Breakneck Ridge?

There are numerous ways to hike Breakneck Ridge but for the most part, it is a difficult and steep hike especially the first mile from the parking lot.

Are there bears in Breakneck Ridge?

While bears are rare to encounter in Breakneck Ridge, they are there sometimes.

How do you get to Breakneck Ridge from NYC?

You can either drive north on road 9D to reach the Breakneck Ridge trailhead or take a train from NYC to Beacon Station (very close to Breakneck Ridge trailhead).

Can dogs do Breakneck Ridge?

I have seen numerous dogs on the Breakneck Ridge hike, but there are small sections of it where they are unable to go further without getting carried.

Related:

• Bear Mountain State Park
• Bull Hill Short Loop
• Best hikes near NYC

I really hope that this post has helped you decide if this is the right trail for you and if you have any other questions or if you’ve already hiked Breakneck Ridge and have some other tips to share, let me know as well!