Hudson Valley Trail Suggestions

http://www.shawangunkjournal.com/2009/03/26/news/0903267.html

Walker Valley Notebook

The Wallkill to Walden Rail Trail and others

 Sue Wiand

At last count there are approximately 70 rail-trails in the State of New York. Our area has the pleasure of hosting several of these trails that are available for hikers and/or bikers and assorted other activities. Here's a look at some of the trails in our area:

The D&H Canal Heritage Corridor is a developing 35-mile trail from Kingston to the Basha Kill Lake area just south of Wurtsboro. It is comprised of the Delaware & Hudson Canal towpaths and the Ontario & Western Railway. They offer guided walks, biking, equestrian, cross-country skiing, and events throughout the year. Call 1-800-342-5826 for more information.

D&H Canal Heritage Corridor North, in the Town of Marbletown, runs from Stone Ridge through Hurley to just south of Kingston near St. Remy.

D&H Canal Heritage Corridor South is in the Town of Wawarsing and runs from Summitville through Wurtsboro to south of Basha Kill Lake.

Hudson Valley Rail Trail: Town of Lloyd. You can pick it up from the pedestrian pathway off of the Mid-Hudson Bridge in Highland, then head west to Route 299 halfway to New Paltz. For more information, visit http://www.hudsonvalleyrailtrail.net

Orange Heritage Trailway in Orange County runs from Hartley Road in Goshen to Airplane Park in Monroe. It is a developing trail utilizing the right of way of the former Erie Railroad and is presently 11.5 miles long and fully paved. There are sections where you must cut across local streets and share the trail with walkers, runners, bikers, and skaters, so use common sense when visiting. For more info call 845-615-3830, or visit http://www.orangecountygov.com/orgmain.asp?storyID=2709

Wallkill Valley Rail Trail: Ulster & Orange Counties. This trail sits on the lands once used by the Wallkill Valley Railroad that ferried fresh produce and vegetables from the farmlands of Ulster County to the streets of New York City. A small piece of the southern end of the trail resides in the Town of Montgomery in the village of Walden and proceeds north to the county line. At this point it is picked up by the Town of Shawangunk and comes out onto Route 208 in the hamlet of Wallkill. Another stretch of trail runs from Birch Rd. Wallkill to the Gardiner town line. Additional sections were purchased to run between Gardiner into New Paltz and another section was added to bring the trail into the Kingston area. For more information, visit http://www.gorailtrail.org

Wallkill to Walden Rail Trail, aka the Shawangunk Rail Trail – The Jesse McHugh Trail: Ulster County into Orange County. Access to our portion of the rail trail is located between 10 and 12 Bona Ventura Avenue (Route 208) across the street from the Town of Shawangunk Police Station. Parking is available along the side streets across from the entrance. There are approximately 3.5 miles of paved trail with magnificent views of the Borden Estate and the Shawangunk Ridge. It also has easy access to the Wallkill River and the Hamlet of Wallkill. The southern most end of the trail comes out into the village of Walden and ends at Wooster Grove Park on Route 52 where there is plenty of parking. For more information, visit http://www.traillink.com/ViewTrail.aspx?AcctID=6032393

Many rail trails have been named in honor of prominent people who lived in the area and contributed to the community's success. Our portion of the rail trail is no different and is referred to as "The Jesse McHugh Trail." And for those of you who don't know who Jesse was — he was the Shawangunk Town Supervisor from 1949-1963 and with his wife ran a local funeral home.

A dedication and grand opening ceremony for the 'Wallkill to Walden Rail Trail' is planned for Saturday, May 2. There will be kiosks located at each end of the trail where maps and information about the local area will be available. In advance of the actual ceremony will be the promotion of a rail trail map sponsored by the Walden Business Association in conjunction with the Town of Shawangunk as well as many other local organizations. Full details of the day's events will be published at a later date, so stay tuned.

Any local businesses that would like to be part of the map, which will be a 17 by 22-inch full color map with pictures and information, can purchase an ad. The choices available will be an 8.5 by 3.5-inch full color ad with indicator numbers for $400 or a 3.5 by 2-inch full color ad with indicator numbers on the map for $100. 25,000 of them will be available for distribution. For more information contact Ciardullo Printing at [email protected] or call Mike Ciardullo at 778-5812.