Went on my first excursion on the Walkway Over the Hudson and on to the Hudson Rail Trail. Not a long ride but very pleasant. I started on the east side, parking near Washington Street. If you can find a spot on the street it is free. If not, there are parking lots that cost $5. It was pretty easy to find off of Route 9. The bridge was beautiful and so interesting with it's historical markers and great views. It was a weekday so it wasn't too busy. The ride over the bridge is about one mile. It then hooks up with the Hudson Valley Rail Trail which is paved for the approximately 3 1/2 mile ride (one way) to Tony Williams park past Highland on the west side of the river. Nice picnic tables and benches along the way and at the park. Shaded and well tended. I guess the ride totalled a little over 9 miles and was pretty easy as most rail trails are. Good for families because it's not too long. Great outing!!

Ulster County Town of Lloyd - this rail-trail is paved - {now actualy} 3.6; miles total - the new section of this paved rail trail is now open - the rail trail NOW goes from the west end of the Walkway OTH (0.0 mi.) to the Tony Williams park in the town of Lloyd.(3.6 mi.) There is a parking lot on Haviland Rd. at the eastern trailhead.{NOTE: the Haviland Rd. parking lot was still under construction as of 10-11-10}

There is an old caboose (that used to be on the Walkway) and an information kiosk here {there are now new full color brochures for the RT}.(0.1 mi.)

At US rt. 9W (0.6 mi.) there is a side trail for services along the highway.

At Commercial Ave.,in the village of Highland, there is access to the RT and a small parking lot.(1.1 mi.) At 2.2 miles there is the original {Rotary Club} pavilion / shelter with bathrooms, a water fountain,another old RR caboose with RR themed art in the windows,and a parking lot.This is part of the original 1997
'phase 1' section.The bathrooms in the Tony Williams town park,at the western terminus, are only open seasonly (during softball season)

NOTE: the old section of the RT is closed at the CR 12 New Paltz Rd. underpass (tunnel) crossing .4 mi. west of the pavilion {2.6 mi. from the Walkway OTH}
- exit the RT here and follow the detour signs for New Paltz Rd.

and to reviewer aj0465 below - the ENTIRE RT is paved 3.6 mi. - the old section has a paved area for wheels and soft area for equestrian use - the NEW section has no soft section and is paved

I prefer to ride on paved trails, how much of the Hudson Valley is paved?

we walked this trail on 6/05/10 and found it to be a nice walk for a decent day. Construction on New Paltz Rd bridge had the Rail Trail blocked (which many had circumvented and would not at all be recommended when work is ongoing... which makes me think why would any moron do that and not make any considerations for folks that are using the trailin the first place?.... )and the tunnel(s) removed where there once may have been adventure.. at the eastern treminus the trail turns to gravel.. and bridge abutments are under construction for a new bridge for the rail-trail over a roadway below... this will help further connect the trail to the most awesome rail trail bridge over the Hudson and into Pughkeepsie NY which is very close , very cropwded , and still which I would highly recommend.

we found rest room facilities open and clean at the New Paltz Rd (rt 12) parking area mid-way on the trail...

We rode this trail April 22,2010 and started at the Williams Park end.We went about 1.5 miles and had to stop due to road work on a road bridge on County Rte 15 which crosses the trail.The trail was completely covered with a huge pile of broken concrete and blocked off.It looks like it will be this way for some time.We then drove around the construction and tried again closer to the village of Highland.,where there is a small pavilion and an old caboose.There is work ongoing now toward the east end of the trail and a bridge is being built over Vineyard Ave(Rte 44).They still have about a mile to develop until the trail connects with the new Walkway Over the Hudson(old RR bridge).I would guess the work will continue most of this year at best until this connection is completed.The trail part that we were on is very well paved,wide,and in good shape.

I qm new to the trqil to rqil qnd the Hudson Valley Rail-Trail.
However i had the plesure of visiting the Catskills and got
informatiom about biking in the area.
what i did see it was very beautiful.

"I took 3 Cub Scouts on the trail early September 2007. Nice trail, wide with great rock outcroppings and interesting leftover RR relics. The nature area was a nice place to take a rest and look around. Too short though, we rode it 4 times just to get a decent ride in. The kids loved the Caboose. If ever extended to the river near the bridge it would be a great trail."

"We rode the trail on a dreary day in November.

The entire trail is 2.6 miles long with 2.4 of those miles paved and the remaining rideable on a hybrid bike.

The trail starts at Tony Williams Park (N41.73655 W74.00131 approximatley 372' ASL) and heads east. Along the trail there are a pair of old railroad signal stands, one with a signal still on it. Downhill on either side of the trail can be seen the old alignment of this rail line.

Farther along is what appears to be the main parking area on New Paltz Rd. (N41.73405 W73.97502 332'). Right near this parking area is an abandoned rail car. This car can be seen from New Paltz Rd. but not from the trail.

At this point the trail turns south and continues to the ""Fitness Trail"" portion before the paved trail ended at N41.72052 W73.96917 306'. The Fitness Trail portion has a very wide grass shoulder adjacent to the paved trail and places where people younger and sknnier than me can exercise on simple equipment and benches.

The unpaved trail continues south and ends at Vinyard Avenue (N41.71744 W73.96830 298') where there used to be a bridge over the road. According to http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/TLyd_railtrail-08Nov06.html the trail will be extended east in the future. http://www.hvnet.com/features/highlandrailtrail.htm shows a parking area at this end but we didn't see it, probably because we were'nt looking for it. Next time we'll search it out, that way the return trip will be downhill all the way."

"It was a nice path, but I agree with a previous reviewer - I used to prefer paved trails but now I find I like unpaved a lot better. Especially in the heat of summer, when the paved surfaces reflect so much heat. I thought the fitness circuit alongside the trail was neat, too. My husband and I tried to continue the trail behind Vintage Village and found that someone had roped it off, so that was a disappointment."

"The Hudson Valley Rail-Trail is a beautiful trail, but why is it paved with asphalt? The only users of this type of trail may be baby carriages and rollerbladers. Mountain bikers, runners, and horseback riders all prefer a softer surface.

What's the point in paving this trail? I think this is less like a trail and more like a long sidewalk. It's a shame this trail was paved."

" This trail runs from Riverside Ave in Tony Williams Park in Lloyd Township east and south for almost 2.5 miles. It follows the double-tracked (and sometimes triple-tracked) ROW with one width being paved and the other width left as a natural path. This makes the trail equally useful for hiking, biking, in-line skating, and horseback-riding. There are a number of benches along the route and many railroad artifacts dot the route.
At the eastern end, there is about 1/4 mile of unpaved trail, with a generally good surface. West of Tony Williams Park, the ROW (as a single-track now) is clear but unimproved for about a mile. This section is better for walking, as there are occasional bits of debris on the trail. If these two end sections were paved, a nice short trail could become a nicer, longer trail.
Since this trail is rather wide, shade is hard to come by around midday.
The section between the eastern effective end at Rte 44/55 in Highland is unusable to the Mid Hudson RR Bridge. It is full of standing water, trash, and, for the most part, is quite overgrown. Since the bridge is closed for the forseeable future due to litigation, this section currently serves no useful purpose anyway.

Rates a 7 out of 10!

Fred"

"It took me quite a while to find this trail based upon driving directions posted on a local web site, but it was worth the effort once I got there.

Only 2.5 miles of the 5 mile trail is paved and accessible to cyclists. The remaining 2.5 miles is overgrown in spots and its surface is mostly covered with large gravel. Even mountain bikers with dual suspension bikes will be in for harsh rides. Certainly hikers might find the unpaved segments enjoyable.

There are no street crossings on the paved section. This is wonderful for families with small children. The pavement is in perfect condition also. In line skaters will love this.

Beautiful mountain vistas abound for trail users. The town park at the western terminus of the paved segment offers plenty of free parking and some covered picnic benches as well.

Rail fans will delight at the many artifacts left behind from the old railroad that used this right-of-way.

Best access is via Route 299 and then south on Riverside Avenue to the park (signs clearly indicate the rail trail access point).

In summary, the trail is short but well constructed and in a very scenic area. Well worth the trip for those nearby or if you're far away combine it with a trip to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. "