- Where: south side of New Paltz, NY -- along the Wallkill
River in Ulster County.
- 17 miles. Mostly flat, except for one hill on the rail trail
and one on the roads. Half on an unpaved "rail
trail" mostly off-road, the other half on quiet roads.
Another option is to do it all on the rail trail, both out and
return -- about 16 miles
off-road.
For a 30 mile route which adds some pretty
riding along the river, a visit to the village of Wallkill, and a
rather nice horse farm, try out the Wallkill
- Horse Farm variation, which starts at the southern end of the
rail trail. The additional 13 miles are all on roads, and there
are some more hills.
Or for more miles on the rail trail, combine this route with the New
Paltz North - Rail Trail route, for a total of 32 miles, mostly
flat.
see also:
- [ more routes around New
Paltz ]
- [ Map of
Gentler Places around New Paltz ] - [ other
Gentler Places ]
- [ other Shorter routes
]
- Highlights: riding on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail,
an abandoned railroad bed which is unpaved but firm -- a quiet trail
mostly off-road. And also riding on some quiet roads with few
cars. The route of the railroad gives a special viewpoint on
the houses and farms -- and also views of the Shawangunk
ridge. There are choices of food along the way in the town of
Gardiner, and return to the variety of entertainments in New
Paltz.
- Characteristics -- rail trail: For one mile of
its distance, it climbs at a 2% grade. The rest is pretty
close to flat.
The railroad bed is unpaved but firm, and
mostly flat. Wider tires are recommended, say at least 1.25
inch. As long as conditions are dry, there is usually not much
need for a large tread pattern or "knobby" tires -- and
smoother tires will enable you to go faster and easier on the road
sections.
Two ways that an unpaved rail trail is different from a paved public car
road: (1) If it has rained recently, sections of the rail
trail could be soft and muddy -- which means that it may be difficult
to ride, and it would not be surprising if you ended up with lots of
mud sprayed off the wheels onto your clothing, and (2) Without regular
road maintenance, it can be more likely for various unexpected
obstacles to arise, which might call for getting off the bike and
walking for a section.
Traffic: The trail itself is off-road,
but it intersects with public roads or driveways at several points,
some with high-speed vehicle traffic -- so special care is required in
detecting, approaching, and crossing those.
Also, there can be non-motorized users on the
path: walkers, runners, skaters, bicyclists, etc -- sometimes
at high speeds, sometimes oblivious to other users, sometimes not following
rules or the directions of signs.
Need to take seriously the risk of interactions and collisions with
them.
- Characteristics -- roads: Flat or gentle, except
for one hill 100 vertical feet at a 5% grade. Not much car traffic (unless the Rt 208 variation is taken).
Map
of route | Cue Sheet | Trip Reports |
more routes
back to Top
| More routes | Ulster
County routes | Tourism
More . . .
see [ Map for
Driving ]
By car from
South or North: NY Thruway to exit 18 (Poughkeepsie / New
Paltz). From the exit, turn Left onto Rt 299 West, which is
Main St of the village of New Paltz.
By car from the East: Rt 44 West
across the Mid-Hudson Bridge, then Rt 9W North a couple of miles,
and take Rt 299 to New Paltz.
The start of the route is just after Main St (Rt
299) crosses Rt 32 (Chestnut St) at a traffic light -- between the Wallkill
River bridge and Rt 32.
GPS latitude-longitude = N41.7468,W74.0893 =
41.7468,-74.0893 [on
Google Maps]
Parking: There are lots of options in New
Paltz. What usually works for us is to park about three or four blocks
from the Wallkill River bridge, somewhere north of Main St. Then ride
west on Front St / Lenape Lane and/or south on Huguenot St to reach the
starting point.
Other starting point: Gardiner (on Route 44).
- Maps for the rail trail and nearby roads are available in several
stores in New Paltz, and there is a basic map on the
Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
website. A county road map for Ulster County could be useful
-- but it probably will not show the Rail Trail (see Maps).
Map
of route | Cue Sheet | Trip Reports |
more routes
back to Top
| More routes | Ulster
County routes | Tourism
The Rail Trail is supported by the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
Association
For lots more info about this Rail Trail, see:
and More . . .
- Concept: The nice thing about basing the route on a rail trail is that it
allows riders with little desire (or little capability) to handle the
complexities and risks of motorized traffic a way to tailor their route
to the degree of traffic-handling they feel comfortable with. You can do the route
going out off-road, and then try out some roads on the way back --
which typically makes the return faster. But it you find you're
not comfortable riding on the roads, you can return to the nearest
point where the rail trail crosses the road.
This route can also help you decide what you prefer for future
rides -- more off road or more on the roads.
Map
of route | Cue Sheet | Trip Reports |
more routes
back to Top
| More routes | Ulster
County routes | Tourism
|
