The Hudson river valley has plenty of hills, and some of them have
challenging climbs. These are some
which are memorable for us.
There are also some fun descents -- down the
hills.
what's here
see also
Tough climb with some pretty scenery along the way, and
interesting variety of steepness and curves. About 1250 vertical feet
in 1.9 miles for an average steepness
grade around 12.5% -- but there
are sustained sections which are steeper. If stop in the middle, can look
back to a big view to the southeast. The steepest climb over 700 vertical
feet that I know of so far in the Hudson Valley south of Albany.
The climb is in Sullivan county, north from the west end of
the Rondout Reservoir near Grahamsville. (Could use the nearby
Sugar Loaf climb as a
warmup for Glade Hill.)
Directions: From Rt 209 near Ellenville, take Rt 55
going northwest, then turn Right on Rt 55A and go northwest along the north
side of the Rondout Reservoir. Turn Right to go northeast on Peekamoose Rd
(Ulster county Rt 42), then soon turn left to go north on Sugar Loaf Rd. Soon turn left onto Glade Hill Rd
and climb that up to Moore Hill Rd. (on some older maps it might be called
"Furman Rd") [not checked by us since 2007]
This was the climb in the Catskills where several of the pros in the Tour de Trump ended up
walking. (Actually it was raining that day). At least 1100 vertical in about 2 miles, for
an average grade over 10%.
The climb is on Platte Clove Rd west-bound. The road is an extension of
Ulster County Route 33, and becomes Greene County Route 16. (last
checked August 2000).
Note that riding back down Platte Clove Rd is not much fun, so
we usually prefer to continue West a few miles and then take some other road back
to their starting point.
Directions: From Palenville, NY on
Route
32A, take Malden Ave, then turn Left and take Manorville Rd south to a T at Platte Clove Rd. Turn Right
and start climbing. Many riders prefer starting in Woodstock.
Directions from the NY State Thruway: Take exit 20 (marked for
Saugerties and Woodstock). After the Thruway toll both, turn Left at the
traffic light onto Route 212 West (which is also Route 32 North). After
crossing immediately over the Thruway, continue straight on Route 212, and go
West for 2 miles through Veteran to Centerville. Turn Right (North) onto
Ulster County Route 35 (Blue Mountain Rd). Go at least 1.7 miles and Bear
Left a couple of times until you are going West on Ulster County Route 33,
which takes you to the climb.
The big climb out of Woodstock, NY -- 1200 vertical feet in about 2
miles, with much of the grade over 10%.
[last checked by us in 2007]
Start at the center of
Woodstock on Route 212 in Ulster County, take Rock City Rd north to Glasco Turnpike, and
continue straight across onto Meads Mountain Road. A nearby
route is Woodstock and the
Ashokan Reservoir.
[ see also more Catskills climbs ]
You can ride your bicycle all the way to the top. When you make
it there you get great views of the Hudson River and surrounding hills
and more -- and a tower with interesting historical photos on the
walls. Actually our favorite views are to continue past the top
and down the other (East) side a little.
The road up is not real steep. The main climb is called Perkins
Memorial Drive, about 650 vertical feet in 2 miles, for an average
grade
around 6%. Or if you start from Route 9W down by the Hudson River, the
total is about 1250 vertical feet in 4.5 miles, average grade around
5%. Going past the top down the East side requires an
additional 250 vertical feet of climbing to get back. (last
checked July 2003).
Getting there: From the west end of the Bear Mountain Bridge or
near the north end of the Palisades Interstate Parkway, look for signs
for Bear Mountain Park and Perkins Memorial Drive. But perhaps
it's more fun to combine Bear Mountain with a larger route. It is
reached on these routes: Seven Lakes to the
River and NYC to Bear Mt
Adventure, and near to Bear Mt
to Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Loop and
GWB
to Bear Mt Bridge Loop.
Memorable for the beautiful surrounding country, and the unremitting final
grunt. Ride Ulster County Route 6 Eastbound from Alligerville to the Mohonk Mountain House gatehouse.
From the low point where Clove Rd crosses the Coxing Kill up to the
underpass at the gatehouse is almost 900 vertical feet. The final slope
after the last big curve right keeps getting a little steeper, and averages about 9%
grade. It's on these
routes: New
Paltz to Ashokan and Great Shawangunk Hill Loop.
Actually three climbs with little rest intervals in between. Not the steepest
or longest, but with interesting curves and beautiful scenery in the
Shawangunk ridges in Ulster County. This climb is on Route 44, southwest
of New Paltz in Ulster County. It's on these routes:
New
Paltz to Ashokan and Great Shawangunk Hill Loop.
Start from its intersection with Ulster County Route 7 and ride Route 44
West up to Minnewaska State Park.
From the low point on Route 44 up to the Park entrance is 1200-1300 vertical
feet. And if you continue the labor by turning Left and climbing the
park road (steeper than the other sections) up to beautiful Lake Minnewaska,
the total gets up to about 1550 vertical feet.
[ see also Minnewaska West climb
]
Combines two great climbs with
two descents in Ulster County, for a total of about 2500 vertical feet.
Also, for those who must, there is the "Great
Shawangunk Double"
which goes both up and down four memorable climbs and descents, for about 5000
vertical feet of total climbing.
The highest peak in the state of Massachusetts (altitude 3491 feet).
Mt Greylock is in Berkshire county in northwest
Massachusetts, near Williamstown, North Adams, and Pittsfield. Most of
Mt Greylock's slopes flow into the Hoosic River, which drains into
the Hudson -- so this is properly a Hudson valley climb.
south side: The climb from the south up Rockwell Rd
(starting from Route 7 north from Pittsfield) is actually two
sections of climbing, first
with a long
break (and even some downhill) in between. Good views and a
hut with food at the top. (see
Trip Reports).
It's on this route: Mt Greylock -- Up, Down, and
Around.
Since this road is so high and exposed to the
weather, it frequently has damaged pavement. Be careful about riding down
it, especially if you haven't checked it out first by climbing up it.
north side: The climb from the north
up Notch Rd (starting from Rt 2 a little west from North Adams) is longer:
-
Total climbing around 2770-2800 vertical feet at an
average grade about 6%, but ...
-
including 1200 vertical feet around 9% steepness
grade, with some short
sections even steeper.
Since this road is so high and exposed to the
weather, it frequently has damaged pavement. Be careful about riding down
it, especially if you haven't checked it out first by climbing up it.
As far as I know, it's the longest climb in the territory
drained by the Hudson River. (last checked
September 2003).
Another hill up north near Mt Greylock is
Petersburg Pass, between Petersburg NY and Williamstown MA. From the west
side it has a total climb of about 1400 vertical feet, with most of it at
steepness near 7%. From the east side it's about 1350 vertical feet with
much around 6% grade. It can get a fair amount of traffic, so we're not all
that interested in riding it again. (not checked since 1997)
back to Top | Road Condition reports
| Descents | All Routes
|
