Jess Explores Stone Church in Dover

The Hudson Valley is a beautiful place to live. We have access to some of the most beautiful trails and waterfalls. There's always an adventure lurking.

After rain washed out my plans for Saturday morning I decided to check out a popular Dutchess County hiking spot that has one of the coolest endings. People have been telling me about the cave at Stone Church in Dover, so I had to check it out.

Stone Church is literally a hidden gem. Finding the entrance was the hardest part of  my day. If you're going to check it out the best directions I can give you are, park at the Dover Elementary School parking lot, cross the street and look for a small gravel path between two houses. You'll see this sign:

Follow the path up to the top of a stair case. The stairs bring you to an open field, that while I was there acted as a backdrop for wedding photos. You'll come to another staircase which leads you to the trails.

After crossing over the bridge (shown in the photo below) you're almost to the main event.

I was planning on hiking the 1.5 mile loop, however there were a few trees down so to the cave we went. I will say this if you go, make sure you're prepared walk very close to the edge of the water on some slippery rocks.

Even though it's a challenge, it's totally worth it for this view: