DUTCHESS COUNTY SCENERY Edmund Van NXTyck
Much has been written about the old houses and structures of our County and the people who inhabited them. Many houses have been visited from time to time through tours conducted by the Historical Society and by the various societies of the County. By our visits we get to see fine old homes and to learn something about the cares and pleasures of those who lived in them. But sometimes I wonder if we really SEE the beautiful scenery all around us as we hurry from spot to spot, or if we know where to go to get to the magnificent views that can be seen here in Dutchess County. To list all the beauty spots of the County would be an endless task, and to direct you to them via a road map and milage would take up an entire edition of the Year Book. So I will pick out a few places that I have enjoyed so many times, and I hope that you will see them as you journey from place to place. You will need a good map of the County, and you should keep an eye on your odometer. I will try to pinpoint places and distances from intersections, cities and villages. Views along the Taconic Parkway are plainly marked in most cases by "Overlooks" so there's no need to point them out, only to urge you to stop at every "Overlook" as you drive up and down this beautiful highway. One of the most extensive views is from McGhee Hill in the Town of Northeast. One of our past Presidents called it, most inappropriately, "Silver Mountain", and he often picnicked there. Pick a "Kodachrorne" day and go to "Silver Mountain" when the sun will be at your back. The view extends' from the Catskills to the northwest to Mohonk to the southwest. To reach this spot take U. S. Route 44 to the top of Delavern Hill at Route 82A, proceeding on 82A about 21/ 2 miles to Smithfield, straight ahead on Smithfield Road about 212/ miles. As you near the top of the hill a sharp left turn puts you on Silver Mountain Road. Choose your own place or places to stop, and allow more than a few minutes because the view will keep you there for a quarter of an hour. If you start for Silver Mountain from Pine Plains, use 82A through Bethel to Northeast Center Road and turn right at Silver Mountain Road. A very lovely view of the Hudson River is within the Poughkeepsie City limits, "Lover's Leap", which is on a high bluff overlooking the Hudson in the southern area of the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. Park your car and walk a hundred yards to the top of the hill and you have one of the finest views of the River Valley to the north and the south. High Acres Drive, oddly enough, in High Acres is off Noxon Road about 21/ 2 miles from Route 55 and unfolds a 180 degree panorama from the Taghanics on the east around to the south past the "Hook" and Mount Beacon, then across the Hudson and northward along the Appalachins to Illinois Mt. on the west. High Acres is six miles from Poughkeepsie on Route 55 and Noxon Road. 53
