Pushing north, mainly by Metro North, this region is a combination of the Hudson Highlands and rolling Hudson Valley.

Sweet! 

      The Berkshires

Within a single, hard day's effort out of New York City solely by pedal, the Massachusetts Berkshires are more easily accessible by train at the upper end of the Harlem Valley line of Metro North.

Users need to be aware that trains north of Southeast run every other hour.

This region is well within striking distance of the NYC, however some of these rides utilize MetroNorth trains to get to the good stuff quickly or to get back to NYC with out slogging through the Bronx in afternoon traffic. The rolling terrain offers challenging rides that test the cohesion of groups. Beautiful shaded roads abound.

 Distant and wild, these peaks are actually an eroded plateau, though you would not be faulted mistaking them for mountains. The Catskills offer long passes with few crossing roads, deeply wooded forests and solitude.

Though still many miles ride to and from, Poughkeepsie is the Metro North rail head to this region. Also accessible by car, the Catskills host the NYCC's Columbus Day weekend.

The Gunks, formally the Shawangunks. These highlands are the Camelot of NYCC regional climbing aficionados.

Wide open vistas, unusual east of the Mississippi, long, steady ascents and geologic details unlike either the Hudson Highlands or the Catskills, the Gunks might just as well have arisen in the Black Hills of Dakota or above the Colorado River.