Rhinebeck to Tivoli

Description: 34 miles. Gentle to moderate hilliness (1500 vertical feet).

Highlights: A visit to the villages of Tivoli and Rhinecliff, and Bard College, with tree-lined roads, the river, and country estates and return through farm country.

Characteristics: Gentle to moderate hills. One section of rough road. Traffic interaction is typical for routes on this website.

Hill Climb’s:  Total vertical climb around 1500 feet.  Four climbs of about 100 ft with average grades around 3 to 4%, though one has a section at 5%.

Downhills:  The descent north into Rhinecliff is about 150 vertical feet at a 6% grade.  The other long descents are around 2.5 to 4%.

Traffic: About 4 miles of high-speed and/or high-volume motor vehicle traffic (2 miles of that can be avoided).  About 8.5 miles of moderate traffic but if you choose a day and time when Bard College is low, the section of River Rd north from Rt 199 could be removed from this total.  We have arranged the route to pass through many of the moderate-traffic segments early.

Directions to Start

By train:  Take Amtrak to the Amtrak railroad station in Rhinecliff, NY.  Join the route at  Mile 5.5 on the cue sheet.

By car:  Taconic State Parkway to Rt 199 West to Rt 9 South.  Or N.Y.Thruway to Exit 19 (Kingston), to Rt 28 West, to Rt 209 North, cross Hudson on Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, becomes Rt 199 East, then Rt 9G South to Rt 9 South.  Various places to park in Rhinebeck on and off-street.