A bike trail system—both beautiful and flat!—that includes “Walkway Over the Hudson”

Hudson
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
by Mark Tulis

I’ve written in the past about the great expansion of bike trails in Westchester, Putnam and New York City.  However, there are great bike trails to the north, in Dutchess and Ulster Counties.  These trails make for great new safe bike venues.  This time of year these trails are especially beautiful – – and flat!

I have written in the past about the great expansion of bike trails in Westchester, Putnam and New York City.  However, there are great bike trails to the north in Dutchess and Ulster Counties.  These trails make for great new safe bike venues.  This time of year these trails are especially beautiful – – and flat!

Most recently, Dutchess County completed construction of the Dutchess County Rail Trail with the bridge over Route 55 in Lagrangeville.  You can now bike from Hopewell Junction at Route 82 (off the Taconic) directly to the Walkway Over the Hudson for 13 miles through Western Dutchess County to Poughkeepsie.  You can then bike over the Walkway Over the Hudson (at a slow speed).  The Walkway provides wonderful views of the Hudson on an old railroad bridge.  The Walkway was constructed on an old abandoned railroad bridge into a linear park which was completed in 2009.  It is 1.28 miles long and connects Poughkeepsie and Highland in Ulster.  It is a wonderful example of private citizens turning an unused asset into a great public venue.

Once you get to Highland over the Walkway a bike path extends the ride for 2 more miles to Tony Williams Field in the Town of Lloyd.  You can then continue on Route 299 to New Paltz for an additional 4.6 miles.  Once you get to New Paltz there is another great bike path that starts beyond downtown right after the old bridge that crosses the stream at Route 208.  The Wallkill Valley bike trail then extends south along Route 208 for another 8 miles to Denniston.

So if you are as crazy as I am you can bike all the way from Hopewell Junction to Denniston, or over 29 miles each way.  However no matter how long you ride, you must include the Walkway Over the Hudson. It is magnificent.

Another series of bike trails has been built in Eastern Dutchess along the railroad right of way north of Wassaic.  We park in the Wassaic train station at Route 22 over the weekends—when it is free—and bike north through Amenia to Millerton for 10.9 miles.  There is another 4-mile portion constructed further north starting at Boston Corners and ending in Copake Falls, but you will need to bike about 8 miles on the roads – either Rudd Point Road and Route 63 or Route 22.  Eventually the trail will extend all the way to Chatham, 46 miles from Wassaic!

Looking forward to seeing you on the trails.

Hudson
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Related: Great biking news: Ride between Van Cortland Park, Bronx, to Brewster!, NCNOW.org, 2/17/12.


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