GWB to Albany
Ken's story
Back in the early 1990's I saw a report of two cyclists who rode from New York City to Albany mostly on major roads, and said they didn't enjoy it much. Since I know how wonderful the riding in the Hudson valley can be, this seemed sad to me. So I started working on a one-way route that would offer touring cyclists some pretty alternatives to the major roads.
Sharon and I are not much into multi-day point-to-point tours, so we've never ridden the whole thing continuously (though once we rode a rather nice shorter route from Albany to NYC -- see report) And usually every year or two ride each section of it -- by doing single-day bridge-to-bridge loops along both sides of the Hudson river. See links to our reports from those routes.
Along the Hudson River in one long (multi-day) tour
Some people like to visit a new region and explore it with one long multi-day tour. For the Hudson valley, following the great river from New York to Albany is the natural choice. It can work also for people who live in the Hudson valley and want to try a new kind of adventure on their bike.
The route starts in the center of the modern world -- or at least the center of the money. It ends in the historic capital of New York state. In between it travels along a beautiful "fiord" -- a tidal finger of the Atlantic ocean that reaches inland through ancient mountains.
202 miles total, from the south tip of Manhattan to Albany, with visits along the way to the villages of New Paltz and Rhinebeck.
No shortage of ups and downs, but no truly large hills. Riding on a surprisingly large number of reasonable roads without high-speed traffic.
How long does it take?
That depends on how strong your legs are. But more important:
How long do you want it to take?
Why this route -- instead of going shorter and faster on the main roads?
Nowadays the ancient valley of the Hudson has been overlaid with cities linked by high-speed motorways, and filled in with housing developments.
Our route discovers a different way: Horse farms on quiet roads, long views along the great river, historic towns and apple orchards. When we have seen reports from other people who have biked from New York to Albany, we find that they used a lot of major roads -- which are shorter, simpler, less hilly (and have high-speed motor traffic).
But the major roads miss what makes the Hudson valley special. Our route offers a choice. You can try out some quiet exploration where it sounds interesting. Then if your time gets short or the hills too much, the major roads should not be difficult to find.
Where: The route starts on Manhattan island, crosses the George Washington Bridge, and heads North. It takes the West side for the first two-thirds thru New Paltz, then crosses back from Kingston to Rhinecliff and continues up the East side until the last bridge over to Albany.
The "Poughkeepsie variation" takes the West side for the first half, then crosses back at Poughkeepsie and continues up the East side until the last bridge over to Albany.
Warning: Riding a bicycle on roads has dangers and risks that need to be taken seriously. For more on those, see our page on risks.
