In the Shadow of the Catskills
Where: Greene County, NY -- all around the county, except the parts actually in the Catskill mountains. 79 miles, hilly, 4400 vertical feet.
Highlights: Quiet farms and houses in the interior of the county, the four pavilions on the Hudson -- and the different views of the great wall of the Catskills -- sometimes far in the distance, sometimes right alongside.
We think of it having several sections: (1) riding south along the Hudson River, (2) west across meadows to close views of the Catskill mountains, (3) riding north out in the middle of nowhere, with an oasis stop, (4) east still out there in the middle, (5) south with big views on both sides with the Catskill mountains and the River.
We have tried different variations of this ride over the years, and like this one the best so far. And there's still plenty of Greene Country yet to be explored.
Characteristics: One long hill (Potic Mountain Rd, 500 vertical feet), and lots of other short steep ones -- but also some long gentle sections.
Traffic: Much of the route is on quiet roads, but there are 6 miles on Route 9W between Catskill and Saugerties, which gets a good amount of high-speed traffic (and the alternate Saugerties start has more of Route 9W, and also a short section on busy Main St and Market St). Route 385, Route 144, and Route 32 often have a significant amount of high-speed traffic.
Road surface: Some of the roads in the interior of Greene County do not always get high priority in maintenance, so be ready for rough surfaces and potholes.
Dogs: We've been encountering some loose dogs out there in the middle of Greene County (as of June 2003).
Directions to Start:
By train: Take Amtrak to Hudson, NY, take Route 9G South, then Route 23 West to cross the Rip Van Winkle bridge. Then Left onto Route 385 South to join the route
By car: NY Thruway to Exit 21 (Catskill). Then either find your way into downtown Catskill and park, or take Route 23 East and meet the route at Route 385 South.
Alternate start in Saugerties: New York Thruway to exit 20 (Saugerties). Then go East on Route 212 and Route 32 South about 1.1 miles into Saugerties to their junction with Route 9W at a traffic light. Continue on Route 9W about two blocks, turn Left onto Washington Avenue and find parking near the high school or athletic fields. Or turn Right onto Route 9W South (Partition St) and go about 1 block to the sign for Municipal Parking.
Other starting points: Leeds on Route 23B, Alcove Reservoir, Coeymans Landing, Coxsackie.
