Connect between Poughkeepsie train and Salt Point
Description: Between the Poughkeepsie train station and Salt Point, NY or back the other way. 17 miles one-way. Moderate hilliness (1200 vertical feet).
Purpose: This route provides some ideas for how to access routes in north and northeast Dutchess county from a convenient railroad station and from Walkway over the Hudson. The Poughkeepsie train station has a service by Metro-North and Amtrak.
Characteristics: Moderate hilliness about 1200 vertical feet of climbing Westbound from the Poughkeepsie train station to Salt Point; and about 900 vertical feet of climbing going back to Poughkeepsie. (The alternate longer return through Clinton Hollow to Poughkeepsie has about 1100 vertical feet of climbing)
Traffic: Some of the roads have high traffic volume and/or high-speed motor vehicle traffic.
Connecting from this route to the Horses and Hills of Northeast Dutchess route calls for some thought about the options:
Salt Point Turnpike (Route 115) from Salt Point to Clinton Corners often gets a lot of high-speed vehicle traffic, because it connects directly to an exit on the Taconic State Parkway. And it has a curve with questionable visibility just west of the Taconic (seems to us like it's worse in the West-bound / South-bound direction). As of August 2004, they've paved some shoulders thru this section, but the traffic lanes are still not wide, and I still do not want to ride that curve.
Hibernia Road (East) to Dutchess County Route 13 / Clinton Corners Rd requires crossing the very-high-speed Taconic State Parkway, though otherwise, it is a convenient way to connect. We're not exactly sure what the legal implications of this are for bicyclists. We've heard from some riders that it is still legal to walk across the Taconic Parkway at this point. But we also know that the Mid-Hudson Bicycle Club has told all its ride leaders that its group rides may not cross any closed median crossings on the Taconic.
From Pleasant Valley, Route 44 East to Route 82 North to Hibernia Rd. Route 44 gets lots of high-speed vehicle traffic. It has reasonable lane width and mostly one-foot-wide shoulders for most of this section -- except around its intersection with the Taconic State Parkway, where there is a second lane in each direction for exit ramp and entrance ramps with no shoulder. Route 82 in this section has reasonable lane width and mostly one-foot-wide shoulders though perhaps there is a narrower and/or rougher section near its intersection with Dutchess County Route 13. (We also noticed a couple of curves with questionable visibility on Route 13 between Route 82 and Clinton Corners)
Connecting from this route to Millbrook
Route 44 is the shortest way, but not the only one. We saw these conditions as of September 2002: Between Route 82 North and Route 44A, it mostly has a one-foot-wide shoulder. From Route 44A to the turn North into Millbrook, Route 44 has mostly a wide shoulder. Going through the village of Millbrook, it is mostly wide but expect some parked cars. East of Millbrook, we have some memories of parts of Route 44 with no shoulders.