Chances are your dog will enjoy Americas most famous park in midtown Manhattan as much as you will. Dogs are not allowed everywhere in Central Park (Elm Islands at the Mall, Sheep Meadow, East Green, or Strawberry Fields are among the main prohibited areas) but can go off-leash before 9 a.m. where allowed.

Keep an eye out for horses and city streets that cross the park from 59th to 110th streets and from Fifth Avenue to Central Park West. Bring a water bowl on hot days - the only current fountain outfitted for dogs is at the entrance on East 90th Street. Architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed the park to remain in a naturalistic setting so even in New York City you can lose yourself on woodland paths.

An hour north of New York City you can find some of the best parks anywhere to hike with your dog. As development slowly creeped into the Hudson Highlands efforts were made to preserve the area but it was not until the State of New York tried to relocate Sing Sing Prison to Bear Mountain - so named for its resemblance to a bear in repose - that conservation forces truly mobilized.

Railroad magnate E.W. Harriman and others donated land and vast sums of money to save the Highlands and in 1910 Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park was dedicated. Within five years it was hosting more than one million visitors per year.

There are more than 200 miles of marked hiking trails through Harriman State Park, New Yorks second largest, and many more in adjacent Bear Mountain State Park. Even so, the crush of visitors can be so great that designated hiker-only parking lots fill up quickly. Arrive early or face difficult access to trailheads.

Trail historians will want to hike awhile on the Appalachian Trail at Bear Mountain - the very first section of more than 2000 miles of Americas most famous trail was built here. The canine hike to Hessian Lake on the AT is rich in Revolutionary War lore.

The Timp Hike is a popular introduction to the Hudson Highlands, starting directly on Route 9W that runs along the Hudson River opposite of Jones Point, just south of Bear Mountain. The trailhead is an unpromising break in the weeds just south of the parking lot but things pick up once your dog negotiates the awkward, rocky steps in the early stages of the journey.

The hike splits into the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail (red blazes) and Timp-Torne Trail (blue blazes). From here, heading up the red trail, you break out to views of the Hudson River and roll up and down mountains through boulder foundations until the Timp, a peak overlooking the interior of the Highlands. Climb back down the Timp and return on the blue trail to complete a rewarding 9-mile loop.

In general, the hiking in the west region of the park is more paw-friendly. Dirt trails move through forests with little understory and long sightlines. The trails criss- cross often and there is plenty of up-and-down hiking. It is not unusual to have tagged four or five small peaks in a two-hour trip. Make sure to find a trail map before heading out.

Harriman State Park is located at the intersection of the Palisades Parkway and Route 9W.

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