By jmnewsweek in January, 2012
Even on a sub-freezing January day, the Heritage Trail is a pleasant place to ride. The asphalt surface between Monroe and Goshen is in excellent condition and is exceptionally wide. I would have had no difficulty passing three pedestrians walking abreast on my trike -- had there been any pedestrians to pass. And I wasn't starting and stopping for street crossings either. There were only a handful of crossings on the entire trail -- and most of these were little-used country lanes.
The trail connects three small villages located in the foothills of the Catskill mountains. Goshen and Monroe are on hilltops, while Chester Depot is in a valley about mid-way between. The trail grade is gradual -- probably no more than 2 percent -- but beware that the uphill ride from Chester Depot to Monroe is about six miles long with only a couple of brief level reprieves.
Between Chester Depot and Monroe, you'll also find yourself in an upland hardwood forest. In the vicinity of Chester Depot the trail passes alongside several dairy farms and, then, for about two miles on the outskirts of Goshen it runs adjacent to NY 17, a heavily travelled divided highway that is soon to become an Interstate. There are sweeping vistas -- some quite spectacular -- at numerous points along the way.
Goshen, with a well-defined village center, seemed the most interesting of the three villages. Chester Depot had a classic Upstate "town time forgot" feel. What I saw of Monroe was mostly parking lots, strip malls and highway overpasses -- punctuated by several minimally-landscaped parks. There may be more to Monroe, but the Heritage Trail doesn't take you there.
The absence of road crossings is something of a mixed blessing, in that access options are limited. Here's what I observed:
1. There were perhaps three dozen, 24-hour parking spots in the lot adjacent to the Goshen trailhead. The majority of these were empty -- but, hey, it was a weekday in January.
2. Chester Depot seemed to be the best place to park. The trail passes in front of the old rail depot in the center of town. There was a ton of parking and the only active businesses I noticed in the vicinity of the rail depot now a museum) were a sports bar ($2 well drinks for ladies on Tuesday night) and an outdoor clothing store.
3. At Airplane Park in Monroe, there're ample 2-hour parking spaces, plus what appears to be a brand-new commuter parking lot. But you'll need a Google map and the skills of a private detective to find the Heritage Trail.
The trail head is, in fact, at the top of the embankment behind the fighter jet from which the park takes it name. But there are no signs, no paved access, and the Village Fathers have planted evergreen trees along the park boundary so that even in winter, you can't see the trail. I've only visited one other trail head that has been so completely and deliberately concealed.
What's more, if you start at Airplane Park, don't be deceived by the "Bike Route" signs you'll see as you enter the park. Those are for an on-road bike route, and have nothing to do with the Heritage Trail. Follow them, as I did, and you simply end up on the shoulder of a busy highway sucking truck exhaust.
4. Two miles past Airplane Park, the trail bisects a complex of New York State commuter parking lots. On a Thursday, these were filled beyond capacity with every visible space filled and cars left on the grass barriers. On weekends, however, there should be ample parking available.
Bottom line: For mountain bikes and hybrids, there are several vastly more interesting non-paved trails to be found within a 45-minutes drive of the Heritage Trail -- including the immensely popular Minnewaska State Park Preserve near New Paltz. But for skinny tires and trikes, the Heritage Trail is a worthwhile off-road destination with gentle grades, sweeping vistas and several interesting villages to explore.
By mommag in October, 2011
We enjoyed our ride on this trail on September 8, 20011. Weather was gorgeous and the trail was in really good shape. We tried to follow the traillinks directions to the trail head in Goshen, but that was pretty worthless. Ended up parking in Chester, which had ample parking (at least on a Saturday). Traillink directions were pretty good to that spot. Wish I'd reading the post from previous reviewer, Lionel, a little closer to find the trailhead in Goshen (reposting just in case my review knocks him off the bottom of the reviewers list: "If you are new to this trail and parking on the Goshen side, simply go to the center of town where the Presbeterian church is and look for the Berkshire bank. The parking lot for the trail is along the side of it and the trail is right there. A sign is now posted indicating that this is where the trail terminates." Fall colors were nearing full bloom. Not a lot to see on this trail other than the trees, though we did find an old Packard in someone's yard and a cemetery from the mid-1800s right along the trail. Nice benches for resting on the northern part of the trail. Portajohns are placed often enough along the trail. Previous reviewer said the trail continues beyond the 'end of the trail' sign in Goshen, but we didn't find it, so our ride was only 20 miles RT instead of the 23 we thought we'd get. Still, it was a great, ride with just enough variation in grade to make it interesting for a couple old folks on hybrids.
By aortiz778 in March, 2011
My first time on the trial and I was extremely impressed!!! I started in Monroe and before I knew it I was in Chester. The ride there was awesome! it was I slight downhill all the way there. I coasted all the was. The ride back hurt. It was all uphill, but it was a very slight incline. All in all, between my house, the trial and my return trip I did roughly 25 miles.... Great ride!!!