New Paltz North along Wallkill River

Where: North side of New Paltz, NY along the Wallkill River in Ulster County.
Description: 15 miles. Mostly flat. Half on an unpaved "rail trail" mostly off-road. The other half on roads. Another option is to do it all on the rail trail, both out and return about 14 miles off-road. Or for a longer route, combine this one with the New Paltz South - Rail Trail route, for a total of 32 miles, mostly flat.

Highlights: Riding on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, an abandoned railroad bed which is unpaved but firm - a quiet trail mostly off-road. The rail-trail has a special ending: a bridge high above a creek with fine views. The road used for the return has beautiful farms and views of the Shawangunk ridge. Historic stone houses near the start of the route - and a variety of entertainments in New Paltz.
Characteristics - rail trail: the railroad bed is unpaved but firm, and mostly flat. Wider tires are recommended, say at least 1.25 inch. As long as conditions are dry, there is usually not much need for a large tread pattern or "knobby" tires and smoother tires will enable you to go faster and easier on the road sections.

Two ways that an unpaved rail-trail is different from a paved public car road:   (1) If it has rained recently, sections of the rail trail could be soft and muddy -- which means that it may be difficult to ride, and it would not be surprising if you ended up with lots of mud sprayed off the wheels onto your clothing, and (2) Without regular road maintenance, it can be more likely for various unexpected obstacles to arise, which might call for getting off the bike and walking for a section.

Traffic:  The trail itself is off-road, but it intersects with public roads or driveways at several points, some with high-speed vehicle traffic -- so special care is required in detecting, approaching, and crossing those.  Also, there can be non-motorized users on the path:  walkers, runners, skaters, bicyclists, etc -- sometimes at high speeds, sometimes oblivious to other users, sometimes not following rules or the directions of signs.  Need to take seriously the risk of interactions and collisions with them. 

Characteristics -- roads: There is one significant hill (80 vertical feet) at the start of the road section, then a couple of gentle ones -- the rest of the roads are close to flat. The section of Springtown Rd (Ulster County Route 7) on the main route has little or no shoulders, but often does not get a lot of car traffic. Unless you are skilled and comfortable with handling significant traffic in that kind of situation, we suggest avoiding that road at times of higher traffic volume -- such as "rush" hours.

Variation B:  Unless you are an experienced road rider, we recommend not taking Variation B on the route direction Cue Sheet.  The segment of Ulster County Route 7 between Mountain Rest Rd and Route 299 often get significant motor vehicle traffic.  The section on Route 299 at its south end between Ulster Count Route 7 and Chestnut St / Route 32 definitely is a heavy traffic area, and the Wallkill River bridge is not very wide, and Rt 299 has little or no shoulder.