I rode my hybrid bike (no suspension, drop bars, 700c tires) from the trailhead at Simpson to Luciana Park in Lanesboro. I carried two 24oz water bottles, a full gallon of water in a jug, and some tools/spare parts (which were fortunately unnecessary). I tracked the ride with Strava, and all the data presented here is based on information recorded there. Before reading the rest, let me say that this is the first trail I've completed, and I plan on trying to do it again next year (unless I get too busy trying other trails)

I did the ride from south to north because the trail is a really nice crushed gravel from Simpson to Ararat. This section of the trail is 18.6 miles long and mostly uphill (starting at 1146' above sea level at Simpson, and peaking at 2057' in Ararat). All in all, I barely noticed the uphill climb for most of the length of the ride. There are some nice spots to stop and take pictures, including a few bodies of water, some bridges, and there is the sandwich shop in Union Dale that's got really good food.

North of Ararat, the trail is much rougher, and much easier to deal with going downhill (Luciana Park is 919' above sea level, 19.8 miles north of the trail's high point). There are sections that have been greatly improved from loggers leveling the trail to get their equipment through, but there were also spots I had to get off my bike and walk.

I think the northern half of the trail has much more to offer as far as the scenery goes. Especially between Ararat and Starrucca, and of course the Starrucca Viaduct (at Luciana Park) is worth seeing at least once. Hopefully the northern half of the trial is upgraded sooner rather than later.

Overall, the trip took me 5+1/2 hours, including about an hours worth of breaks spread throughout (including a meal break in Union Dale). I did end up drinking a little over a gallon of water over the course of the ride. Due to the lack of suspension or padding, my wrists were fairly sore by the end of the ride.

After reading the mixed reviews here about the trail being super bumpy and overrun by ATVs, my husband and I weren’t sure what to expect. We decided to risk it and really enjoyed the ride on our hybrids. We took a 24 mile there-and-back from Stamford to Bloomville in late October 2020. Weather was a bit chilly, and we saw a few walkers, who seemed like locals, one other biker, and one motorcyclist. No problem finding the trail in Stamford — it’s right at the Depot.

Pros: (1) The scenery is really nice and has a great variety. We also biked on the Ashkogan trail while vacationing in the Catskills, and while that trail is better maintained, there is a lot more to see on this ride. You basically go through farmland, by streams, through small communities. (2) It’s very flat and easy riding.

Cons: (1) The trail is decently maintained, and not nearly as bad as some reviewers have suggested, at least between Stamford/Bloomville. There were a few bumpy sections, and some sections overgrown with grass. It had rained the day before, and there were a couple of muddy patches. If you want to barrel through as fast as possible without watching the trail, this isn’t for you. But if you want to keep a moderate pace, the trail is just fine. At no point did we need to get off our bikes or find it so bumpy that it was not rideable. I would say that 85-90% of the trail is in quite good shape — kind of like biking on a country lane. (2) There are a few sections near Bloomville where the trail passes right by backyards of small houses with a lot of trash and junk in them. Just not the nicest vibe. (3) We encountered one guy on a motorbike cruising down the trail at probably 30 mph. From other reviews, seems like motorized vehicles might be more frequent at some times than others. If that’s the case, that would definitely have changed this from a really fun ride to one that I wouldn’t enjoy.

Trail near Amsterdam is pretty scenic and has potential to be really nice, however, the trail both East and West of Amsterdam was very bumpy in spots with many tree roots pushing thru the old pavement. Some sections need to be repaved.

The trail is absolutely beautiful and feels like I can etc with nature with a quick getaway. I used my under armour tracking app to guide my run. Sadly the trail itself is not 3.2 miles. It runs approximately somewhere in the 2.8 region. That’s joule be corrected. Aside from that, I think I’ll be running this trail very often.

My first time on the trail going towards Forest City. Started at Fiddle Lake Rd. Went about 20 miles. The trail is clean and so many cool things to see along the way!

We read the reviews about the northern end of the trail not being finished, so we decided to start at Luciana Park, hoping to avoid any unkept areas. Luciana Park itself, is pretty bleak but at least you could park your vehicle safely and the trail starts off to the right, east of the beautiful Viaduct structure.

The northern part of the trail is obviously used by ATVs, so you'll do better with a mountain or gravel bike as it's rocky and loose in certain sections. On the bright side, the bridge crossings are new and quite pristine, making for great photo opportunities. The grade is a very gentle uphill, which made the thought of riding back very pleasant.

The most negative aspect of the trail is that it crosses a major trafficked road at least twice. This was very intimidating for our novice rider and we ended up turning around at the 2 or 3 mile mark, just barely scratching the surface of the 40 mile route. My wife didn't like that it was so desolate - but on the flip side, those looking for solitude will enjoy this area.

To be fair, my wife and I (who are more experienced mountain bikers) should probably start at Carbondale and work our way up the trail to give it a fair chance. But for the near future, we will try other trails in the area first.

Do it with the nearby Parksville Trail

I rode both of them one autumn day in September 2018. This was after several days of rain, so some parts of each trail were boggy. Even in dry weather these are not for road bikes, but they are worth visiting. Neither town is highly populated and they are not really tourist destinations. So bring most of what you might need.

I love it so much

Rode from Amsterdam to Fultonville And back had a great ride on a great day. Newly paved section starting about halfway to Fultonville stopped at the Schoharie Crossing historic site very interesting and great subs in Fultonville the new bridge and park in Amsterdam is very nice too....