Old Erie Path

These three contiguous trails—the Raymond G. Esposito Memorial Trail, Old Erie Path and Joseph B. Clark Trail—occupy the former right-of-way of the Erie Railroad's Nyack and Piermont Branch. Each trail is fairly short but taken together they make for a wonderful experience along the banks of the Hudson River.

The 3-mile Old Erie Path has a rougher surface than its neighboring Esposito Trail, but is suitable for walking and for hybrid or mountain biking. In contrast to the prior mile along roads and homes, this path is more remote. The railroad bed was cut into the side of steep hills that drop into the Hudson River, so trail users have a spectacular view across the wide river. Homeowners, many of them high above or downhill from the corridor, access the trail by way of creative engineering: hillside stairways with handrails fashioned from the limbs of native trees, as well as decorative archways and gates on intricate pulley systems.

In Piermont the trail curves west away from the river. Just before the trail crosses Hudson Terrace, you'll find the restored Piermont train station, which houses information on the area's railroad history. Then the Old Erie Path begins a 1-mile long, densely wooded, gentle descent into the town of Sparkill, where it meets the 2.8-mile Joseph B. Clark Trail.

Street parking is available in Nyack, Piermont, and Sparkill. The most convenient parking is at the intersection of Cedar Hill Avenue and Franklin Street in Nyack. From here, the trail travels south. You can also access the trail from the Raymond G. Esposito Trail or the Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail.