Thanks to the relatively mild Winter so far, as of late January the North County Trailway remains in great shape for cycling.

The rail trail between Millwood, NY and the Putnam County border has been remarkably clear of fallen branches and debris all Winter. Yesterday (Jan. 24) I discovered why.

Westchester County has a two-man tree crew with a leased cherry picker working along the trail to clear overhanging deadwood. From a brief conversation, I got the impression this was mainly a safety/liability issue -- the County is (rightfully) concerned someone could be clocked by a potentially deadly falling tree limb. But it's also a boon to cyclists!

The chronic flooding north of Route 35 seems to have been solved by placing a drain pipe about 18"-inches below the top of the beaver dam. The water level remains high alongside the trail, but even after 6" inches of snow on Sunday and a heavy rain on Monday, there was no flooding on Tuesday.

In fact, there was only one significant icy patch to be found on the entire 12 mile ride between Millwood and the Putnam County border. Ride on!

The complete off-road section of the North County Trailway from Milwood, NY to the Puntam County Border (at the Route 118 Trailhead and Mirabella's Cafe) is now completely open--as well as the Putnam County Trailway from the Route 118 Trailhead to the Brewster Trailhead.

HOWEVER, following a heavy rain there is a short section -- about 200 feet -- of the North Country Trailway which floods thanks to the work of eager beavers (literally!!!!) that have built a dam at a low spot along side the trail. The flooded area is about a mile north of Route 35 (between Yorktown Heights and the Putnam County Border).

When flooding happens, the Westchester authorities post a "Trail Closed" sign on the north side of the Route 35 crossing -- as was the case several weeks ago when we cycled the trail after a heavy rainfall the previous night.

We ignored the signs -- along with most other cyclists -- and found the flooded stretch to be passable at slow speed with only about 4 to 5 inches of water over the asphalt in the deepest area. Not even a problem for our Terra Trikes with 20" wheels.

The trail is especially beautiful right now as the Fall foliage is nearing its peak--although the presence of wet leaves and fallen branches may pose problems for road bikes.

As of my ride on Sept. 8, there were still barricades with "Path Closed" signs on a portion of the trail between Millwood and Yorktown Heights.

The barricades were being universally ignored -- and even on the officially "closed" section, all fallen trees had been cut and cleared at least enough to open the full width of the trail.

There were, however, many dead branches, and even several trees, still hanging precariously overhead.

There was also some flooding and lots of debris--mud, gravel and branches--on the trail. In a few spots, the trail shoulders were eroded. And in several places the asphalt had partially collapsed, effectively narrowing the trail to one lane. However, these were all well marked with orange cones and the trail was passable -- even for my recumbent trike.

I didn't travel north of Yorktown Heights -- although while driving home, I could see yet another "Path Closed" barricade on the north side of Route 35.

On Sept 9, I triked the Putnam County Trailway between downtown Mahopac and the trailhead at Putnam Ave. in Brewster. The trail was open with minor debris and flooding along with a few fallen, but cleared, trees in the heavily wooded section of rail trail between Mahopac and Willow Road. The new bike path extension between Willow Road and Putnam Ave. in Brewster showed very few signs of storm damage.

On Friday July 5th I rode 18 and a half miles up form the park and ride at Saw Mill Parkway at exit 23 37 miles round trip. The first eight miles where great and then there is a very bad spot at rt 9a where you have to cross the road and then ride next to cars where the speed limit is 55 mph. The second spot is on rt 100 where you are also next to cars going over 55 mph, not a family friendly ride. If I was going to do this trail again i would start at echo lake and go north. From that point on this is a very good trail. I was on my road bike and the pavement is not always the best but it is a great ride. The bridge over New Croton Reservoir was the high light of the trip. There are a number of old train stations on this ride and lots of historical markers along the trip, I could picture the trains running though this valley. Mile markers are hit and miss but over all it is well marked. Again north of Echo Lake it is family friendly. Lot of shade most of the way. I am looking forward to doing the Putnam trail on my next trip up to New England.

Now that the trail has been extended 2.5 miles, we figured out how to start from the new part of the trail. Take the Metro North to Brewster, NY, make a left out of the train station onto N. Main St and then bear left onto Rt. 6. After a couple of miles go under a tressle; make a left onto Tilly Foster Rd, a left onto Old Mine Rd. and a right onto the trail. The new section is beautiful - scenic & much more hilly than the rest. There are hiking trails to the right after the lake too. From Brewster to Brooklyn is about 80 miles so we stay at either the Budget Motor Inn on Rt. 6 in Mahopac (1 block from the trail) or the Ardsley Acres Hotel Court - just open the door in the fence to get there!. This way we can enjoy the trail for a couple of days, including the wood bridge over Croton Reservoir, the towns of Brewster, Carmel, Mahopac, Yorktown Heights, Millwood, Pleasantville, Tarrytown, Ardsley, and of course the peace & quiet of the woods, bunnies, ponds & deer. This trail keeps getting better!

Ann

This trail has been extended! It now starts in carmel and runs 3+ miles into Maophac. Great job on the trail construction and lets hope more trails get funding for more miles. This whole trail is beautiful and goes through some nice towns. The weekend of May 22 there were Boy Souts volentering their time to construct bike racks on the trail parking lots. Great community job boys!!! The lemonade was good and i hope you raised alot of money.
Geoff Miller, ride a trail, write a review!!

The trail bits are very beautiful. The trail is pretty well shelterd from the wind. The bit where the trail is shared with NY 100, from Briarcliff towards Millwood, is a bit challenging. Traffic moves at 55+ along this bit and there are two crossings of this road required. If I were to do it again I would start in Millwood and ride north to miss the bit shared with NY 100. YMMV.

We road this trail in the beginnig of October. The leaves were just starting to turn and the trail was perfect for a fall ride. We started in Mahopac and road 17 miles to the Croton Reservior. Along the way there were other bridges to cross that went over rivers and streams. Many pretty sites to see and being in the woods that time of the yr was the best! The trail goes through little towns that have great eateries and planty of places to rest your legs. We stoped at a bar/resturant and had a late lunch with some good friends. The condition of the trail was very good and easy to ride. Many intersection w/ auto traffic but those intersection are safe and clearly marked. You ride on the trail the whole time and only hit the roads when going into the towns for some eats. The trail has many nice benches to sit and have a brown paper bag lunch if you like. Beatiful views and ride. Go ride this one!! Ride a trail, write a review. Geoff Miller

We road this trail in the beginnig of October. The leaves were just starting to turn and the trail was perfect for a fall ride. We started in Mahopac and road 17 miles to the Croton Reservior. Along the way there were other bridges to cross that went over rivers and streams. Many pretty sites to see and being in the woods that time of the yr was the best! The trail goes through little towns that have great eateries and planty of places to rest your legs. We stoped at a bar/resturant and had a late lunch with some good friends. The condition of the trail was very good and easy to ride. Many intersection w/ auto traffic but those intersection are safe and clearly marked. You ride on the trail the whole time and only hit the roads when going into the towns for some eats. The trail has many nice benches to sit and have a brown paper bag lunch if you like. Beatiful views and ride. Go ride this one!! Ride a trail, write a review. Geoff Miller

Great October ride for 67 yr old granny w/6 & 8 yr old grandsons and their mom & dad! Beautifully surfaced and maintained with easy access at several points. 10/05

"We drove up from Brooklyn on a beautiful day to ride the trail for the first time. We parked at Eastview and headed north. We had a great lunch at the Moonbean Cafe on Pleasantville Road in Briarcliff Manor. You exit the trail at the old Briarcliff Manor Station (now a library), go right out of the parking lot, right again at the T-intersection, and it's a short bike to town. North of the New Croton Reservoir Bridge, in a marshy area, we saw frogs, a turtle, and a beaver. At the end of the trail, in Mahopac in Putnam County, the OTB located on the main drag near the trail has restrooms."

"Except for a sign reading ""EAST/WEST"" with no other explanation the trail from the 118 trailhead was great. A sign with directions at Warehouse Lane would have been nice."

"I road the trail today with my wife and 2 kids (12 and 9). What an awesome trail - a great way to spend a spring day. It's a ""10""."

"My friend and I first rode this on 6/18/2003. We rode it again on 7/18/2003 and made really good time (since we saved over 45 minutes reading the historical markers). We did the north and south trailway of 36.2 miles in 3 hours.

As you can tell by the posted pictures on here, the scenery is plentiful and full of history.

You enter off Route 6 in Mahopac next to Wallouer's Paint (on the left) and the parking lot is just behind it to the right. The trailhead is right there and the first 1.5 miles is downhill, so just coast. You will go over the Putnam Division Bridge over the Croton Reservoir. The bridge was built in 1905.

A good rest stop to take is in New Castle around mile 11.5 or so just before you hit the old Millwood Station (which looks like an old Foto-Mat).

It's a small suburb of Millwood and has a small deli on the right.

Then it's back on the trail and from mile 12-18 it basically hugs and follows Saw Mill River Road.

The trail will first share the road with Saw Mill River Road for .5 to .75 miles on the right shoulder and it's a wide shoulder so you're safe and there are plenty of ""Bike Route"" signs.
The only DANGER is you do ride through an exit lane and there's no marking for cars to watch out or for bikes. That was a little scary as the speed limit does exceed 55mph.

Then the trail crosses over for 2 or so miles on the left shoulder behind the guardrail. Then it crosses over to the right again around mile 18.

You will then come to the old Briarcliff Manor Depot which is very beautiful and has been converted to the Briarcliff Manor Public Library. Behind it is a picnic pavilion, parking and recreation fields.

The next 4 or so miles is all woods with some benches and it's real quiet.

The trail ends at with 2 bike signs reading east and west.
Straight ahead is a bridge with stone sides and it's scenic.

It should be noted that straight is obviously south. To the left it goes down to street level and ends at a Con Edison plant. (If you happen to cross the road, it's their parking lot.) If you cross and go under the overpass, you can ride up the on ramp to the Taconic and stay on the grass and there will be an exit/service road that enters a small lot and you can get back on the bridge).

If you continue south past the bridge there is an orange fence blocking you but to the right is a small opening, so get off your bike.

It does not make sense for it to be there as it is paved for a bit before switching to gravel and dirt. Maybe a sign saying, ""Unpaved, ride at own risk"" would be better.

If you go to the right, it will take you further to Tarrytown on a feeder trail near Sunnyside Road near a reservoir. This feeder trail will connect you on the trail a few miles south.

Read my review on the South County Trailway to get exact details after the orange fence. It's titled South County Trailway from 6/18 and the the path continuation starts at paragraph 9.

Happy riding and remember, after the South County Trailway ends in Yonkers, it does connect to the John Kieran Nature Trail in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx around 234th street, about 7 miles further. Read my review about that excursion under the New York City section for John Kieran Nature Trail."

"I rode the south county and the north county trails from beginning to end during the fall on my way up to Brewster. I wait with anticipation for the completion of the additional leg through Mahopac and into Brewster.

I tried it again this past weekend only to find -- to my disappointment -- that the trail is not cleared of snow in the winter. After four miles through snow, I quit. Oh well, I will wait until spring."

There are lots of deer around this trail. Over a one week period I saw three bucks and a few blue herons. The northern section is quieter then the southern section. The trail is stunning in the fall when the canopy turns golden yellow. It's very well maitained I saw them blowing leaves off the trail twice this fall.

"As well as the Eastview/Rt 100C to Rt 117 section of the NCTW now being opened, you can go even further. Putnam County is finishing the remainder.

Currently the Baldwin Place/Rt 6 terminus ends the Westchester County segment. You can continue 1.8 miles to Mahopac on a newly complete section.

Eventually they will have the 5.7 mile section to Carmel completed (construction is under way) and are bidding the carmel to Brewster segment at 3.9 miles. Total length in Putnam - 11.4 miles

So says the Putnam County Planning Office."

This trail is the best for non-experienced riders and families looking for a great day of biking. The best starting point is at Millwood due to lots of parking and an easy town to find and get to. Heading north is your best bet. Make sure you stop at Yorktown for some lunch; this little town is great place to hang out for a few hours. I highly recommend this trail for a nice day w/your wife and kids or girlfriend.

"The long awaited ""missing link"" between Hawthorne and Pleasantville is now open.

As of this date, the surface is unpaved but is suited for walkers and mountain bikers. Westchester County Parks and Recreation advises that the surface should be paved by the end of April.

The remaining missing link, a connection to the South County Trailway, will soon be going out for bid. Expectations are that this project will take at least 2-3 years to design and build. For now, you're able to travel through to Warehouse Lane in Elmsford on an unpaved surface."

"I biked the round-trip route northbound from Millwood to Baldwin Place for the first time today. Total round trip distance was 25.8 miles.

The northbound ride was somewhat strenuous, as there is a significant difference in ground elevation (height about sea level) between the start and end points. The return trip ride was a breeze. Keep this in mind when planning your expedition; better to go from south to north and have the easy leg on the way back to your car when you might be tired.

Pavement surfaces were all in excellent condition. All damage caused by this past winter’s numerous snowstorms has been repaired. Many scenic views will be in store for trail users, particularly near the New Croton Reservoir in Kitchawan. However, be ready for some not so scenic views of sewerage treatment plants and industrial buildings as well.

There was plenty of free parking at my starting point in Millwood. However, I noticed no parking at the trailhead in Baldwin Place.

The Railroad Park in Yorktown Heights looked like an excellent place to stop for a picnic. There were plenty of tables and benches.

This is a great trail that everyone should bike at least once.
"

"On Sunday, 03/25/01 I biked the non-paved section from Eastview to Warehouse Lane in Elmsford.

A nice trip for experienced off-road bikers. Watch for glass near the Coca-Cola bottling plant though.

Westchester County Parks says that this section should be paved by the Summer of this year. Evidence of survey markings and pre-construction activity was noted."

"very good, but any plans to continue into Putnam County? Very wild area free from roads etc, it would be GREAT! Thanks."

10/10/2000It was great to discover that the damage this trail experienced in the fall of 99 has been repaired.I first dicoverd this trail in 1998 and have ridden it in length over 20 times. Caution should be used by bikers as this trail has many other recreational uses though most people using it are recreational bikers. As a deversion when riding up to Baldwin I have found that taking the main road east to Rt.212 and south to Rt. 35 and turning right back to the trail is a nice ride with little traffic.