By reubenr in January, 2011
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.
By DPDISXR4Ti in November, 2010
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.
By bicyclereporter in November, 2009
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