Manaticut Point Short Loop from Crescent Drive

To the left of the boulder, you’ll notice a triple yellow blaze that marks the start of the Manaticut Point Trail. Head into the woods on this trail, which you will follow for the entire hike. The first part of this trail has recently been rerouted by volunteers of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, and it now follows an attractive route through a stream valley (rather than an uninteresting woods road).

Soon, you’ll cross two branches of a stream on rocks, with several abandoned sections of concrete pipe adjacent to the stream, and pass by a cliff. A short distance beyond, you’ll cross another stream below an interesting V-shaped rock formation and continue uphill, parallel to the stream.

About a mile from the start, the orange-blazed Lake Sonoma Trail joins from the right. The two trails run jointly for a short distance, but when they diverge, turn left, following the yellow blazes. The Manaticut Point Trail now climbs rather steeply, then more gradually. It switchbacks to the crest of the ridge, with limited views through the trees on the left, then climbs to a rock ledge that overlooks a wetland below.

Just beyond, the Manaticut Point Trail reaches a junction with the blue-blazed Hewitt-Butler Trail. Turn left, now following both blue and yellow blazes. The trail descends a little and then climbs steadily to Manaticut Point, marked by several cedar trees. Here, the trail turns left and descends an open rock ledge, with panoramic views. Windbeam Mountain is directly ahead (east), with Bear and Board Mountains to its left. To the south, you can see a quarry, with the New York City skyline visible on the horizon.

The trail turns sharply right near the end of the rock ledge and descends very steeply. In a short distance, the yellow-blazed Manaticut Point Trail turns left, diverging from the blue-blazed Hewitt-Butler Trail (the turn is marked by a double blaze painted on a rock). Turn left and continue to follow the Manaticut Point Trail, which now descends more gradually. It soon joins a grassy woods road, which it follows downhill, bearing left at a T-intersection along the way. When you reach the trailhead at the paved Crescent Drive, turn left and follow the road for about 400 feet back to your car.