Cold Spring by Train, a River Beach, Then Clams in an 1893 Depot

Walk north out of the village about a mile, twenty minutes along Fair Street and Route 9D, then cross the footbridge over the tracks. The loop beyond is a mile with 150 feet of climbing, an hour at an easy pace, over gravel, cobbles and uneven ground. Wear shoes with real grip rather than smooth soles. The shoreline path ends at a sand-and-cobble beach with driftwood stacked along the waterline and Storm King straight across. Swimming is banned here.

Walk the mile back into the village and follow the tracks to 1 Depot Square. The Hudson River line added this station in 1893 and used it as a depot until 1954; after years as a car dealership it became a restaurant in 1972, and the Depot as it runs today opened in 1985. Hours are noon to 8 Sunday through Thursday and noon to 9 Friday and Saturday, with no reservations. Steamed littleneck clams arrive in lemon, white wine and butter with toasted baguette, the plate you want after an hour of river wind, and two fireplaces heat the winter room.

Trains from Grand Central take about eighty minutes, 78 to 85 on the midday departures, and the left side gives you the river the whole way up. Two hours covers the walk, the loop and the beach. Sunset is 4:51 on November 1 and 4:43 by the 8th, so plan to turn back by four and be in the village before the light goes. Clams after, then a train home from the same platform.