Dutchess
Bike Shops
Bikeway - Wappingers Falls, NY
Wheel and Heel - Fishkill, NY
Rhinebeck Bicycle Shop - Rhinebeck, NY
Restaurants
Tourism
Routes
Amenia - Millerton: Rail Trail and Roads ~ 19 miles, mostly gentle or flat. Half on "rail-trail" (paved, mostly off-road), half on mostly quiet roads. 24 miles if connect from Wassaic train station. 700 vertical feet, hill index 2.1. Start points Amenia, Millerton, Wassaic train station.
Rhinebeck + Bard + Red Hook ~ 19 miles, gentle hills. A visit to Bard College and the village of Red Hook, with pleasant riding on tree-lined roads and country estates along the way. 700 vertical feet, hill index 2.2. Start points Rhinebeck, Red Hook.
Rhinebeck to Tivoli ~ 34 miles, gentle to moderate hilliness. A visit to the villages of Tivoli and Rhinecliff, Bard College, with tree-lined roads, the river, and country estates and return through farm country. 1500 vertical feet, hill index 2.5. Start points Rhinebeck, Rhinecliff, Tivoli, Red Hook.
Harlem Valley Wandering ~ 29 miles, moderate hills (shorter variations). Rolling quiet roads with beautiful farms in Dutchess County and Connecticut, and a section on the nicest off-road "rail-trail" around. A tour through a different world but reachable by train from Manhattan. Start points Amenia, Wassaic train station, Millerton, Sharon CT. 1600 vertical feet, hill index 3.3.
Copake Falls to Wassaic one-way ~ 46 miles, moderate hilliness (with gentler variations of 25, 31, 43 miles). Immersion in the beautiful farm country of Columbia and Dutchess counties on quiet roads with good pavement. Food stops in two interesting hamlets; Ancramdale and Millerton. Option to sample the prettiest paved "rail trail" around. 2500 vertical feet, hill index 3.1
Quaker Ridge ~ 45 miles, hilly. Lots of beautiful scenes on quiet back roads in southeast Dutchess County and Connecticut. 3300 vertical feet, hill index 4.2. Start points Pawling, Dover Plains, Brewster, Kent CT.
Hills and Farms of Northeast Dutchess County ~ 58 miles, continuously hilly. Beautiful farms with horses and cows on quiet roads, several fun descents. Variations with 32, 42, 46, and 71 miles. Start points Stanfordville, Millerton, Clinton Corners. 4300 vertical feet, hill index 4.3
Harlem Valley Rail to Trail to Falls ~ 59 miles, moderate hilliness (shorter and longer variations). Endless rolling quiet roads with beautiful farms in Dutchess and Columbia counties. Climb to the biggest views from a Dutchess county road. Lunch in quiet little Ancramdale. Ride sections on the nicest paved "rail-trail" around. Start points: Wassaic train station, Amenia, Millerton, Copake Falls, Sharon CT. 3900 vertical feet, hill index 3.8
Connect between Poughkeepsie train station and Salt Point + Northeast Dutchess county ~ 17 miles one way, moderate hilliness (1200 vertical feet, hill index 4.0 butless going back).
River Routes - Bridge to Bridge
Bear Mountain Bridge to Newburgh-Beacon Bridge ~ loop on both sides of the Hudson River. 42 miles, hilly. Spectacular views of the Hudson River, from every angle. Rocks, trees, castles, two great bridge crossings, and West Point. 2700 vertical feet, hill index 4.0. Start points Beacon or Cold Spring Metro-North train stations, Bear Mountain State Park, Newburgh.
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge / Mid-Hudson or Walkway ~ loop on both sides of the Hudson River. 41 miles, hilly. Some fine views over the orchards on the Westside, and of the Hudson River. 2800 vertical feet (feels like 3200 feet, hill index 4.4). Start points Beacon, Poughkeepsie, Highland, Newburgh.
Mid-Hudson Bridge / Walkway over the Hudson loop ~ 4 miles, gentle. Big views of the Hudson River and its shores and the bridges from the Walkway over the Hudson and the north sidewalk of the Mid-Hudson Bridge. More than a mile on roads with significant motor vehicle traffic. Start points Poughkeepsie, Highland.
Walkway over the Hudson / Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge loop on both sides of the Hudson river ~ 53 miles (or shorter), hilly. Pretty roads in quiet woods, two big Hudson river bridges, shops, and sights at the Rondout waterfront, some quiet riding along the shore with a picnic park, optional side trips to Rhinebeck or New Paltz. 3400 vertical feet (feels like 3900 feet) hill index 4.0 also a shorter easier version. Start points Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Kingston, Highland.
Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge to Rip Van Winkle Bridge, loop on both sides of the Hudson River. 57 miles, moderate, from Rhinecliff to Saugerties to Catskill, then Germantown and Tivoli. Shaded roads in the woods, two fine Hudson river bridge crossings, sweeping views of farms with the Catskill mountains beyond.
Connecting between Poughkeepsie train station and New Paltz ~ 12 miles one way, moderate hilliness.
