Once you get past the dog **** and the horse shit, the walkers with plugs in their ears, the talkers on cell phones, the dog walkers, some with five dogs at a time, two of whom are bigger than the walker and on 20 ft leashes, the trail is fun. It's quite long, up and back (about 30 miles), for a Mountain Bike Ride, but the grades are consistently low, so it makes for a challenging but not too challenging ride. A Cross Bike or a Fixie would work really well, too, but a front fork with a shock still is needed to handle some of the bridges along the way, unless, of course, you are good at jumping the bike. As a change of pace from road biking, it is superb, and even on the hottest days, the shade of the forest lends a break. Actually, I wish there was more like these just for variety sake, but once a week is good enough to watch the seasons progress. Warning: Don't get off your bike to pick an apple. They'll shoot you dead on the spot. Just joking, I think.

I only got to ride the southern portion today; I will return another day to do the whole thing.

I would have to disagree with the comment, "The Wallkill Valley Railroad Company Trail is directly linked to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail." I started in Walden and upon reaching the end of the paved 4 mile rail-trail, there was no direction on where to go. Eventually I found my way by going straight and found myself back on the old rail bed, but this is not the "official" rail-trail. A couple miles north, the trail ends abruptly at Birch Rd and the prison, and there is no direction on what to do from there. I tried to find my way back to the rail line and got yelled at by a prison guard. So I back-tracked to Birch, took that west for a bit, and then turned right onto Sand Hill Rd. A right onto Denniston and you'll get to the "official" start of the trail just a little way up the road.

Hope that helps someone avoid my prison encounter.

NEW PALTZ – The Hudson River Valley Greenway Friday announced the awarding of three grants to trail projects in Ulster County.

The funding is part of the 2009 Greenway Conservancy Small Grants Program.

The Southern Ulster Alliance and the Town of New Paltz were given $17,750 for the Southern Ulster Alliance Project. They will design a link between the Hudson Valley Rail Train and the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, creating a more regional trail system in Ulster County.

The County of Ulster will receive $7,000 for its Sojourner Truth County Park. This project will add 400 feet of Americans With Disabilities Act accessible trail to connect a parking area with an existing ADA accessible trail and other recreational trails.

The Hudson Valley Rail Trail Association, Inc. will receive $1,500 to create the Hudson Valley Rail Trail Brochure. The Hudson Valley Rail Trail will soon become a link to the newly opened Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, and provides a vital recreational resource to the residents and visitors of Ulster County.

The brochure will provide information to those seeking to utilize the trail and its amenities, and will be an important marketing tool for the trail.

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/November09/06/HRVG_grants-06Nov09.htm

Great job on this trail. Even on the hottest days theres so much shade. Great ride in the fall i bet !!

Another reviewer pointed out that this trail is as wide as a gravel road. True! This railroad was initially built by the Erie, which used a 6 foot gauge. I rode it last year. Blog entry is here: http://blog.russnelson.com/bicycling/1193406384.html Tried doing something new: keeping an audio record of what I saw along the trail. It's 3.5 hours along. Ask if you want it. :-) I enjoyed the ride; you will too.

"Rode south from New Paltz to end and returned.then rode north to Rosendale and back.
Several sections to the north are very wide and more of a gravel road, but this is a spectacular section with the high bride at Rosendale at the end. New Paltz has much to see along the way and the vista to the west of the Gunks is great. It is a total of 16 miles one way and worth the trip over from Mass. "

"I rode the entire length of the trail Sun 9/4/05.
Conditions were excellent. No standing water, and only a couple of slightly wet areas.
Improvements have been made between New Palts and Gardiner with crushed stone added.
Great view from the trestle at Rosendale, and from the bridge over the Wallkill just north of New Paltz.

Very easy to get to, plenty of parking at Boces on SR 32.
Plenty of food available along trail at New Paltz and at SR 55 crossing in Gardiner.
No public restrooms along the trail, but are available in the eateries (if you eat there).
Definitely a trail worth your trip, but requires mountain bike.

Have also been here in the fall, and spectacular views for foliage."

"My husband and I started at New Paltz and continued to the end of the trail. We couldn't see the bridge from the 'end' of the trail. We saw a parking lot and assumed it was a private parking area. Luckily, curiosity got the best of us and we ventured through the parking area and ended up on the Rosendale railroad trestle.

It was absolutely gorgeous! The trail is well maintained, although it is narrow. It's definitely worth the trip from wherever you are!"

"My husband and I rode this trail for the first time last weekend and we were definitely impressed! We rode from New Paltz to Rosendale and were pleasantly surprised when we reached Rosendale end at the railroad trestle.

What a beautiful view! I wish I'd brought my camera. There were a few areas where it was difficult to ride side-by-side and the path got quite narrow, but it was a beautiful ride nonetheless. I definitely recommend it!"

"I bike the Wallkill Valley Railroad Company Trail three to four times per week. The trail is great, it holds up to the weather very well. You can take short rides of 5-10 miles or longer rides of 15-30 miles. Also, there's another old railroad bridge that crosses the Wallkill River that is realy nice. It's just a great trail."

"We rode the trail from Gardiner toward New Paltz on the first of September on hybrid bikes. It was wet in places and single track at times, but in all cases easily passable. Great views. Lots of flowers. An interestng section passes through a bountiful orchard."

I've been to this trail at least 10 times due to its great views. Going south from New Paltz there is lots to do. About 6 miles to the south is a pizza shop two feet from the trail. Two yards to the right is a bike shop in case you need some repairs. Leaving the trail a couple of blocks away is an airport if you want to watch the parachuters jump from planes. Heading north from New Paltz there is much less activity but lots of views. At the end of the northern part of the trail is a bridge where the views are most breath taking.

"My wife and I did 32 miles on the trail on March 24, 2002. It was a good ride although the trail is a bit narrow on its southern end. The ride to the trestle is a real good portion of the trail; it's wider than the southern end."

" This trail is an extension of the Wallkill Valley Trail on private land that is open to foot and bike traffic only. The condition of the trail surface is excellent. Parking is only available nearby in the village of Rosendale on town streets at the northern end. Otherwise parking can be found at the Cragswood Rd and Coffey Rd crossings of the Wallkill Valley Trail, just south of this trail. From the New Paltz border to Rosendale center the trail is scenic, but nothing to compare with the final walk/ride out onto tthe high bridge at Roundout Creek! This is a truly spectacular view well worth a long trip to reach! The bridge is closed about 3/4 of the way across, but the views and the structure itself are a marvel.

Rates an 8 out of 10!

Fred"

"This is a truly amazing trail, undergoing constant improvement, in a beautiful area of the Hudson Valley. Route 299 (Main St) in New Paltz is the approximate midpoint of the trail and plentiful parking is available nearby. The section north of Main St is quite heavily used, and has frequent road crossings. It eventually crosses the Wallkill River on a reconstucted trestle and then passes through farrnland with views to the Shawangunks to the west. At the Rosendale town line, the public rail trail ends. The ROW for 4 1/2 miles beyond is privately owned, but open to hikers and bikers through the generosity of the landowner. If you use this section of trail, respect the generosity!

The farther south one goes the trail becomes more lightly utilized. This section has considerably better views of the Shawangunks and the surrounding valley. It passes though a large apple orchard, with sections in various stages of production and reclamation. Parking along the southern section is quite limited, the best being at Rte 44/55 in Gardiner. I haven't been there in the fall, but I will be back there when the leaves begin to turn this year!

Rates a 9 out of 10!

-Fred"

"The fact that this trail was purchased for exactly one dollar by its current owner is enough of a reason to plan a visit from almost anywhere. After all, how many people do you know that own a rail trail and live right next door to its trailhead?

But the real treat that this trail offers walkers and bikers is one of the most breathtaking views you could imagine. Just wait until you see the spectacular view of Rosendale from the old railroad trestle! Be sure to bring your camera.

In addition to the 4.1-mile long trail south of the Rosendale Bridge, there is a 0.9-mile long trail segment open for public use north of the bridge. However, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS THE ENTIRE BRIDGE to get to it. Detour via local Rosendale streets and make your way to Binnewater Road. It’s about a 10-minute bike ride. From there you’ll be able to access the stand-alone trail segment.

The stand-alone segment hasn’t been cleared as nicely as the major route and generally gets walking traffic only because there’s a short bridge that bikers must stop to walk across.

Since this trail is located rather far from most major population centers, it isn’t too heavily used. Many users are guests at the nearby Williams Lake Hotel Resort, which has a rail trail of its own.

This trail was well worth the 60-mile trip I made to it from northern NJ."

"I biked the entire length of this trail on 12/07/2001.

It's a great trail with plenty of spectacular views on the segment south of New Paltz. The best photo opportunity is on a bridge just south of the Cedar Lane road crossing in New Paltz.

Bikers should be cautioned that there is plentiful gravel in some spots; wide tires work best. The segment north of New Paltz is mostly a ballast base.

I saw no restroom facilities on the entire trail. There's a small antique village shopping center on Water Street in New Paltz that had public rest rooms though.

There was plenty of free parking in a Municipal Parking Lot on Water Street in downtown New Paltz.

A little known fact is that this trail connects directly with a privately owned trail (open for public use) that extends along the same former railroad ROW through to Kingston, NY. Reportedly, it's a 15 mile trip north to Kingston from where this trail ends.

Most worth the trip from almost anywhere to ride this one. "

WITH THE HIGH PRICE OF GAS HORSBACK RIDING IS THE WAY TO GO.

"Excellent rail trail, good views of the mountains and farms. Benches at very scenic locations, bike shop right next to trail, can`t wait till the trail is finished."