Harlem Valley Rail Trail

 

View from the Copake Section of the Rail Trail

This is such a  great resource for cyclists and cross-country skiers alike that I am continually surprised by how few people know about this resource. Right now the trail in blanketed in snow, so its better for snow shoeing, x-county skiing and skijoring (and yes I have seen quite a few skijorers out on the trail).

Where it is: Wassaic, NY through Millerton New York through Copake, NY

What it is: 15 paved miles of abandoned rail bed just north of New York City in Columbia and Dutchess Counties. They will be adding more miles soon, for now if you want to go between the Millerton trailhead and the Under Mountain Road trailhead (near Copake) you can take Rudd Pond Road to Boston Corners Road to Under Mountain Road. Here is a link to the Google Maps page of the route to bike from one trailhead to the next. The route has very low traffic and is incredibly scenic.

How to get there: Take Metro North to the Wassaic Station on the Harlem Line (last stop). The southern most trailhead is the Wassaic Metro-North station on NY 22. There is also a parking lot there for those of you who want to drive and parking on weekends is free. Additionally, there is a trailhead further north in Millerton, New York near the intersection of US 44 with NY 22. There is also a trail head on Under Mountain Road (about 10 miles North of Millerton, see Google Maps link above) and one near Copake Falls, New York (look for the signs about 13 miles north of Millerton on route 22).There are also free parking lots at all the other trailheads.

Other information: The trailhead near Copake Falls is next to a great bike shop, cute deli  and wonderful swimming hole in an old rock quarry. Its a great place to cool off and relax. For more information on the bike shop check out Bash Bish Bicycle. They also rent bicycles for those of you who don't own them or can't transport them.

Great Places to Eat: Irving Farm is a great place to eat in Millerton and they also have cafes in New York City. Millerton also has a great diner in town right by the trailhead for the Rail Trail. McEnroe's Organic Farm is located between Amenia and Millerton on NY 22. Not only are they an organic farm but they have delicious sandwiches and barbeque options for lunch.

For More Information check out: The New York and New Jersey Trail Conference and the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.

P.S. I've recently heard that one can bike all the way from Manhattan to The Harlem Valley Rail Trail on designated bike trails that run through Westchester up through Dutchess County. I will do some research on this and report back. For you true distance cyclists, biking the entire way sounds like a lot of fun!