Free things to do in the Hudson Valley
Free here means a page we checked said free. A grounds walk can be free when the house is not. If a lot fee exists, the visit is not on this list.
River-to-Ridge Trail
The gravel path from Springtown Road in New Paltz to the Mohonk Preserve line does not need the Preserve ticket. Crossing that line does.
Springwood grounds
The grounds and the rose garden at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park are free. The house tour is $15 for ages 16 and older. The library next door is a separate ticket. This is not Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Yorktown Heights.
Mount Beacon
Scenic Hudson lists the park as free, dawn to dusk, year-round. The trailhead lot fills on fair weekends and in October foliage.
Olana grounds
Olana's parks.ny.gov page says the 250-acre landscape is free and open every day. The house is a separate guided tour. The page prints both 8:00 am and 8:30 am as the opening, so check it the day you go.
Questions
- Is the Roosevelt house tour free?
- No. The National Park Service house tour is $15 for ages 16 and older, free for 15 and under. The grounds and the rose garden are the free part.
- Is the Walkway free?
- Not on this list. The Dutchess parking lot at 61 Parker Avenue requires a vehicle use fee, and the park page does not print the amount. Free parking is listed on Brookside Avenue and at Pulaski Park.