- Where: Loop on both sides of the Hudson to cross both the Mid-Hudson and
Newburgh-Beacon bridges -- from Beacon up to Poughkeepsie, across to
Highland in the town of Lloyd, then back
down through Marlboro to Newburgh.
- 40 miles, hilly, 2800 vertical feet (feels like 3200 feet, hill
index 4.4).
- Highlights: Some fine views over the orchards on the West side, two big
bridges and other Hudson River views.
- Characteristics: Lots of quiet roads, and some busy roads. Some significant
hills, with lots of ups and downs on the West side of the river, several
short steep hills on both East and West sides.
Roads change: Be prepared for the
possibility that what you find on the ground could be different from the
cue sheets or maps on this website -- info and links on the Reports page
can help.
Main route last checked in Dec-2004
more . . .
by train: The route goes within a couple of miles of both the Beacon and
Poughkeepsie stations, which are both on the Metro
North Hudson line -- see Train
stations with bicycle routes. For directions from the Beacon station see the route Bear
Mountain to Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.
For the
Poughkeepsie train station, see the Detail
Map of Poughkeepsie and the route directions for Connecting
between Poughkeepsie trains and New Paltz -- West-bound.
by car: To get to the east end of the
Newburgh-Beacon bridge -- from the New York State Thruway, take exit 17, then follow signs for Interstate-84 East,
and cross the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and take the first exit onto Route 9D.
Or from the Taconic State Parkway, exit
Interstate-84 West and go toward the bridge, then take the last exit before
the bridge, onto Route 9D. We're not sure where it is best to park, but
we can say that there are more parking possibilities to the south
toward Beacon.
- Alternate starting points: Poughkeepsie,
Highland, Newburgh.
- Maps: You should have detailed road maps of Dutchess, Ulster, and
Orange counties
to do this route (see Road
Maps).
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