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New York State Route 308 (NY 308) is a 6.19 miles (9.96 km) long state highway located entirely in northern Dutchess County, New York. It serves mainly as a shortcut for traffic from the two main north-south routes in the area, US 9 and its alternative route NY 9G, to get to NY 199 and the Taconic State Parkway. A portion of NY 308 is located along the Rhinebeck Village Historic District, a 1,670 acre (6.7 km²) historic district containing 272 historical structures. The route was designated as part of the 1930 renumbering and originally extended from Milan, westward to Rhinecliff. The route was truncated to US 9 in the 1960s. The highway was also to be part of the then-new Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge until plans were changed to involve other routes, and the building site for the bridge was moved about 3 mi (4.8 km) northward. The bridge opened to the public on February 2, 1957. In 1802, the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike was charted to run from Rhincliff, westward to Bainbridge (then known as Jericho). On the Dutchess County side, the turnpike followed a path of what is now part of NY 308


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The Hunter Mountain Fire Tower is located on the summit of the eponymous mountain, second highest of the Catskill Mountains in the U.S. state of New York. It was the first of 23 fire lookout towers built by the state in the region, and the next-to-last of the five still standing to be abandoned. Today it remains a popular attraction for hikers climbing the mountain. After it fell into disrepair in the 1990s and was recommended for removal by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which had operated the tower, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Local enthusiasts were able to raise money, matched by DEC, to restore the tower and adjacent observer's cabin to serve as a museum, with volunteers in the cab on some weekends.

Panoramic views of not only the mountains but the adjacent Hudson Valley, Massachusetts, Connecticut and sometimes southwestern Vermont are available from it. Likewise, it can be seen from many of the surrounding mountains, the village of Hunter and the upper slopes of the ski area. It is the highest fire tower still standing in the state and the second-highest in the entire Northeast. (More)


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The Shawangunk Ridge (also known as the Shawangunk Mountains, or The Gunks; pronounced by some locals as "SHONG-gum," (/ˈʃɑŋgʌm/)) is a ridge of mountains in Ulster County, Sullivan County and Orange County in the state of New York, extending from the northernmost point of New Jersey to the Catskill Mountains.

The ridgetop, which widens considerably at its northern end, has many public and private protected areas and is not heavily populated, boasting only one settlement of consequence (unincorporated Cragsmoor). While in the past it was chiefly noted for huckleberry picking, and the fires set to create favorable conditions for further growth, today it has become known for its outdoor recreation, most notably as one of the major rock climbing areas of North America. Also known for its biodiversity and scenic character, the ridge has been designated by The Nature Conservancy as one of the "75 Last Great Places on Earth." (More...)