Camp Columbia State Park

Short easy walk ! Beautiful scenery.. You can have a picnic lots of beautiful wild flowers.

Easy access, great view. Looked up history as a real-life lab for surveyors and engineers originally, part of Columbia Univ. Instrument lab is overgrown.

Short and simple walk to this previously wooden water tower. Once used by Columbia University engineering and surveying department as a summer camp until 1983, also during World War I for training, now a state park. The class of 1906 revamped this tower in 1942. The instrument house is posted no trespassing with no door and graffiti. The view from the top of the tower was solemn. Great adventure day.

Nice quick and easy .3 mile hike from the parking lot (ample parking) to the tower. The tower is beautiful and doesn't look as high before you start climbing. I'm a wuss and don't like heights so my knees wanted to buckle a few steps up the outside stairs (you go up 2 short flights inside before reaching the gate to the outside) but I composed myself and trekked the rest of the way up. I'm glad I did, and so thankful it wasn't windy that day! Now, if we could just get people to stop graffiti-ing everything. :(
Also of note: BIG kitty paw spotted in the mud on the trail on the way up, so just be careful and aware of your surroundings.

Peaceful, easy hike. Beautiful tree lined trails. Trails are straightforward, well marked and easy to follow. Nice for short nature walk. My only reason for taking away a star is because I found a couple areas near and in the tower and the abandoned stone hut along the first half of the trail had a ton of broken glass everywhere. Of course my dogs wanted to go sniff and explore, thankfully they were on leash. I’ve been here a few times, and never went into the tower to check the view because I had my dogs with me. So while it’s dog friendly (on leash) beware of glass. Something to keep in mind if taking small children as well. Also, lots of poison ivy the deeper you get into the trail.