Visiting West Point Academy
 

We will be driving from Boston to West Point next week. What is the best town near West Point to spend a night? What is the best way to visit West Point?

Thanks!

Everything you need you'll find here:
http://www.usma.edu/visiting.asp

I am sure you already saw this site

http://www.usma.edu/visiting.asp

I can only add that the fall colors should be spectacular by the time you arrive!

It is just a beautiful setting!

-john

Where would be the best places and routes to see fall foliage?

Thanks

Your coming from Boston......... so I would take 84 west over the beacon bridge and come down Rt 9w.

The view at West Point fairgrounds across the Hudson should be good enough! Or if you want to explore a bit more head down to Bear Mountain State Park

-john

Note ifyou are visiting Bear Mtn State Park. It has the name for a reason. (There used to be caged bears on exhibition many years ago - now the bears are wild. Don't usually hand out right around the buildings - but they are there.)

I disagree about the fall foliage, which in that area is pretty poor this year. Dry weather and cool nights through September forced many of the early trees with brilliant oranges and reds to change early, then heavy rain and wind storms over the last week have stripped those trees of any color.

So now there are more bare trees than usual for this time of year, and still a lot of greens with the late changers - oaks and the like. By next week those will be turning, so you'll get the deep reds and browns, but without the bright reds, yellows, and orange that is already gone. I'm sure it'll still be nice, though.

Further upstate and into the Berkshires is the same thing.

As you get close to West Point there really isn't any nice town to stay in. Newburgh on the west side of the river, and Beacon on the East are forgettable. Of course you can visit Orange County Choppers of Discovery Channel fame - but that's the ilk in the towns around West Point.

Tell us what you're looking for and we can give more specific pointers. If it's just a hotel to use in transit that's one thing. If you're looking for the fall harvest ambiance and experience, some cute shops and a good restaurant or two, that's a different story - there are options, just further away from West Point, and maybe a different route to take.

Two place that come to mind are Rhinebeck, NY, and New Paltz. Gotta run now.

Tell us what you're looking for and we can give ideas.

Thanks for all the info. We found a Hampton Inn in Newburgh where we will probably stay for one night.

We want to visit West Point Academy. Also we are looking for fall foliage in route going and coming from Boston. We leave Boston on next Wednesday afternoon about 3 p.m. and must be back to Boston on the following Monday.

If you want a nice hotel closer to West Point than in Newburgh, consider the Holiday Inn Express in Fort Montgomery. We stayed here for 3 nights a few years ago when our son did a college visit to the USMA. We enjoyed our stay there very much. The hotel is only a 5 minute drive from the West Point main gate and I think it will take you a minimum of 30 - 40 minutes to drive from Newburgh.
You can check out the hotel reviews on Trip Advisor for both properties for more info. I believe the room rates are comparable.