Explore the best rated trails in Poughkeepsie, NY. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Tannersville Bike Path (Huckleberry Multi-Use Trail) and Walkway Over The Hudson. With more than 52 trails covering 341 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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While not a "rail-trail," the Hook Mountain/Nyack Beach Bikeway is a very scenic trail along the Hudson River in Rockland County. The southern half of this trail is flat and runs right along the...
With vistas of the Catskill Mountains and a vast blue lake, the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade is a stunner. The paved pathway begins in Olivebridge, a hamlet in southeastern New York, and spans just shy...
Connecting the Walkill River and Shawangunk Ridge, the aptly named River-to-Ridge Trail, which opened in September 2018, runs from New Paltz to the Mohonk Preserve. Begin at the Carmine Liberta Bridge...
The Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park—the longest pedestrian bridge in the world at just over 1.6 miles—emerges from the trees and over the rooftops of the old riverfront town of...
The Bashakill Wildlife Management Area is located on the Orange County-Sullivan County border just south of Wurtsboro, New York. It consists of over 3,000 acres of wetlands and uplands which were...
Owned by the Metro-North Railroad, the Maybrook Trailway starts at the Connecticut state line in Farringtons Park, and spans 5 miles into the town of Brewster. The trail follows what was once part of...
The Jones Point Path occupies an abandoned motor vehicle route (old US Route 9W). The path provides bicyclists with a relatively safe bypass to a dangerous section of busy US Route 9W near Bear...
The Klara Sauer Trail (formerly known as the Beacon Riverside Trail) runs for 1 mile along the Hudson River on the west side of New York's village of Beacon. The trail occupies the same corridor as...
The old New York Central rail line that ran from the Bronx to northern bedroom communities in Westchester and Putnam Counties carried commuters during the workweek, but on the weekends tourists...
Open in several disconnected segments, the Billings Trail is a dirt path that traverses a lovely scenic and wooded landscape outside Norfolk in northern Connecticut. Built on the abandoned railbed of...
This rustic unpaved trail, just over three miles in length, runs along a route formerly used by the New York, Ontario, & Western Railway's Main Line through Parksville in Sullivan County, NY. The...
The Pequonnock River Trail is not a name you will see on the ground along this developing trail in southwestern Connecticut. Formalized in 2001 by the state, the regional trail pieced together...
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For family riding and walking, the Tannersville Bike Path offers a 2.7 mile stretch of graded dirt path starting on Clum Hill Road directly across from Cortina Valley. The opposite end is on Bloomer...
While the Wallkill Valley Railroad no longer carries fruits and vegetables from Ulster County to New York City, trail users can still discover small, family-owned farms and farmers markets serving up...
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Built on the former Erie Railroad main line, the 15-mile Heritage Trail runs through the small Orange County towns of Goshen, Chester, Monroe, and Harriman. The shaded trail runs through different...
The Middlebury Greenway provides a paved, off-road option for a self-propelled journey across suburban Middlebury. The trail touches on several business districts and parks, ending at an amusement...
When completed, the Norwalk River Valley Trail will run from Danbury to Long Island Sound in southwestern Connecticut, for a total of about 27 miles. Currently, several disconnected sections totaling...
The first phase of the New Milford River Trail runs southeast from Gaylordsville via the scenic but lightly traveled River Road, through Sega Meadows to Boardman Bridge, a distance of about 5 miles....
Coming in at just under 3 miles, the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway is anchored by the towns of Winchester to the north and Torrington to the south. It occupies the right-of-way of the Naugatuck...
The former “Old Put” commuter rail corridor that ran from the Bronx to northern bedroom communities in Westchester and Putnam Counties is popular once again, only this time it’s for people riding...
Coming in at just under 3 miles, the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway is anchored by the towns of Winchester to the north and Torrington to the south. It occupies the right-of-way of the Naugatuck...
A former right-of-way of the NY & NJ Railroad. Near historical Mount Ivy which was the center of a Quaker settlement in the 18th century. Hiking along railroad bed and wildlife observation and...
At first glance, there’s no evidence that an aqueduct ever existed along the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. The trail is often a singletrack dirt pathway that winds through communities and trees and...
The South County Trailway rolls 14.4 miles through one of the most densely populated parts of New York, but its route through pocket woodlots, parks, and golf courses and along riverbanks makes it...
For family riding and walking, the Tannersville Bike Path offers a 2.7 mile stretch of graded dirt path starting on Clum Hill Road directly across from Cortina Valley. The opposite end is on Bloomer...
The Larkin State Park Trail meanders 10.8 miles through the woods and around the lakes and low hills of southwestern Connecticut. The rail-trail follows the route of the New York & New England...
The Pequonnock River Trail is not a name you will see on the ground along this developing trail in southwestern Connecticut. Formalized in 2001 by the state, the regional trail pieced together...
The Old Erie Path reveals spectacular views of the Hudson River Valley as the rail-trail rolls along cliffs that border the river’s western shore. Although fairly short, it joins two other...
The D & H Canal towpath is nestled within the 300-acre D & H Canal Park in the New York hamlet of Cuddebackville. The crushed-stone trail, stretching just over a half mile, is one section of a larger...
The Kennedy Trail begins at the northwest corner of the 68-acre campus of John F. Kennedy Catholic High School in Somers. The town, which sits 30 miles from White Plains and 55 miles from New York...
The Raymond G. Esposito Memorial Trail travels from one end of the village of South Nyack to the other in 1 mile but greatly expands its reach by connecting with the Old Erie Path and a new shared-use...
The Walden-Wallkill Rail Trail is built on a former Conrail right-of-way. Conrail and its predecessors, Penn Central, New York Central, and The Wallkill Valley Railway, provided service to farmers...
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The Wood Duck Nature Trail, appropriately named for the secretive duck, was made possible through the hard work and dedication of refuge volunteers. This beautiful trail now extends about 1.5 miles on...
The Ramsey Bike Path is a recreational path built on the former Paterson to Suffern trolley line right-of-way. The path extends along a north-south route from one end of Ramsey to the other....
With vistas of the Catskill Mountains and a vast blue lake, the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade is a stunner. The paved pathway begins in Olivebridge, a hamlet in southeastern New York, and spans just shy...
Offering a picturesque and family-friendly adventure, the Hudson Valley Rail Trail stretches 7.1 miles through hardwood forests, over Black Creek, and under two spectacular stone-arch bridges....
The 3.1-mile Kress Family Trail in Roxbury occupies the former route of the Shepaug Valley Railroad (the Shepaug, Litchfield and Northern Railroad). The railroad was famously known as the “crookedest...
While the Wallkill Valley Railroad no longer carries fruits and vegetables from Ulster County to New York City, trail users can still discover small, family-owned farms and farmers markets serving up...
Owned by the Metro-North Railroad, the Maybrook Trailway starts at the Connecticut state line in Farringtons Park, and spans 5 miles into the town of Brewster. The trail follows what was once part of...
Connecting the Walkill River and Shawangunk Ridge, the aptly named River-to-Ridge Trail, which opened in September 2018, runs from New Paltz to the Mohonk Preserve. Begin at the Carmine Liberta Bridge...
At first glance, there’s no evidence that an aqueduct ever existed along the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. The trail is often a singletrack dirt pathway that winds through communities and trees and...
For family riding and walking, the Tannersville Bike Path offers a 2.7 mile stretch of graded dirt path starting on Clum Hill Road directly across from Cortina Valley. The opposite end is on Bloomer...
Owned by the Metro-North Railroad, the Maybrook Trailway starts at the Connecticut state line in Farringtons Park, and spans 5 miles into the town of Brewster. The trail follows what was once part of...
You might expect a 4-mile rail-trail that passes through three downtowns to be excessively urban, but the quaint town centers on the Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail are compact and surrounded by...
When completed, the Norwalk River Valley Trail will run from Danbury to Long Island Sound in southwestern Connecticut, for a total of about 27 miles. Currently, several disconnected sections totaling...
The Bronx River travels from the mouth of the East River north to the Kensico Dam, providing views of the natural history of the area. Because the trail is under development, there are several gaps...
The former “Old Put” commuter rail corridor that ran from the Bronx to northern bedroom communities in Westchester and Putnam Counties is popular once again, only this time it’s for people riding...
Tallman Mountain State Park Bike Path is partially paved and bisects the Tallman Mountain State Park. The route provides a motor-vehicle-free way for bicyclists using US Route 9W to connect with...
The Middlebury Greenway provides a paved, off-road option for a self-propelled journey across suburban Middlebury. The trail touches on several business districts and parks, ending at an amusement...
Offering a picturesque and family-friendly adventure, the Hudson Valley Rail Trail stretches 7.1 miles through hardwood forests, over Black Creek, and under two spectacular stone-arch bridges....
Connecting the Walkill River and Shawangunk Ridge, the aptly named River-to-Ridge Trail, which opened in September 2018, runs from New Paltz to the Mohonk Preserve. Begin at the Carmine Liberta Bridge...
The Jack Harrington White Plains Greenway was recently renamed to honor a long-time member of the city's conservation board. The trail's corridor follows the former New York, Westchester & Boston...
The Raymond G. Esposito Memorial Trail travels from one end of the village of South Nyack to the other in 1 mile but greatly expands its reach by connecting with the Old Erie Path and a new shared-use...
While not a "rail-trail," the Hook Mountain/Nyack Beach Bikeway is a very scenic trail along the Hudson River in Rockland County. The southern half of this trail is flat and runs right along the...
The Pequonnock River Trail is not a name you will see on the ground along this developing trail in southwestern Connecticut. Formalized in 2001 by the state, the regional trail pieced together...
With vistas of the Catskill Mountains and a vast blue lake, the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade is a stunner. The paved pathway begins in Olivebridge, a hamlet in southeastern New York, and spans just shy...
The Quarry Trail is currently a 600-foot long unimproved strip of land along what is known as Quarry Road in the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. The trail links Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic...
The Jones Point Path occupies an abandoned motor vehicle route (old US Route 9W). The path provides bicyclists with a relatively safe bypass to a dangerous section of busy US Route 9W near Bear...
Coming in at just under 3 miles, the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway is anchored by the towns of Winchester to the north and Torrington to the south. It occupies the right-of-way of the Naugatuck...
The Old Erie Path reveals spectacular views of the Hudson River Valley as the rail-trail rolls along cliffs that border the river’s western shore. Although fairly short, it joins two other...
This is a short but amazing trail on the south side of the reservoir. The word is they will be opening a longer trail on the north side. It is absolutely beautiful and, although it is only a couple of miles, it took me over an hour due to all the photo ops along the way.
You won't regret this side trip.
Beautiful in fall, but a workout going from Brewster. A few major hills.
The trail itself is beautiful, however you take your life in your hands trying to pull in/out of Rt. 299 with your vehicle as the cyclists fly past the giant stop signs. There needs to be speed bumps or a gate to force them to stop. This is a fatality waiting to happen.
I'm a local who lives just down the mountain and I often frequent the trail. I love the tracks that remain from the some of the first times our area was booming. Tourists seem to hate them, which is ironic because that's how they were able to get to the area back in the day.
We just finished riding this trail yesterday 9/9/19 and we have to say this is the best maintained paved trail we have ever rode our bikes on.
We started from the southern endpoint in Hopewell Junction and rode the trail to Poughkeepsie where we rode over the Walkway Over The Hudson on onto the Hudson Valley Rail Trail to New Paltz. There are train stations along the way where you can sit a a picnic table and eat or you can try one of the food trucks at the walkway before or after crossing the Hudson.
The trail is wide with plenty of room for three bikes to pass each other and there are not too many road crossings and none of them are busy roads. The thing that stood out to us as we rode was the trail signs directing you to the different points and the entrance and exit ramps to the many parking areas and local road access points along the way with the many benches to sit if you want to take a break. The trail is mostly wooded and there is not much to see as far as scenery but if you looking for a level smooth place to ride, this trail is a great choice.
This trail is just 1.2 miles from our home and is by far our favorite trail to ride. We enter the trail at the northern endpoint in Dutchtown in Haverstraw and ride to Nyack Beach Park and back. The 12.3 mile ride can be done in less then an hour or you can ride up the mountain and include the loop around Rockland Lake State Park where you can also park and enter the trail from. This trail winds up and down along Hook Mountain State Park with views from high over the Hudson River and then down along the rivers edge to Nyack Beach State Park. If you can get out during the week you can have the trail to yourself. Hybrid or mountain bikes are the better choice but you can make the trip on a road bike if your carful. If you live in this area you shouldn't miss this hidden gem.
We have biked this trail numerous times over the past 7 years and it's one of the trails we always go back to. We usually start at the Millwood parking lot and head north. The bridge over the Croton Reservoir is the highlight of the trip. There are horse farms and wooded sections along a rock gorge before you merge onto the Putnam Trailway. The trail is crowded on weekends so if you can get away during the week you will have this trail to yourself pretty much until the afternoon.
We had a wonderful time riding from Gardiner on the southern endpoint to Rosendale when we turned around due to the weather changing for the worse. We rode back to New Paltz and ate at "The Station" restaurant right on the trail before heading back to our car in Gardiner. The trail was level and wooded which was a blessing since the temperature was nearing 90 degrees. There are several bridges and streams to cross and beautiful scenery.
The only drawback was since its a packed dirt trail there was quite a bit of mud to evade or in some places unable to evade. The thick black mud coated our bikes and ourselves pretty good. Our advice is to avoid riding in the rain or just after a heaving rain and pick a nice dry day to ride.
Overall we loved the trail and will go back this fall and finish the northern section and adjacent trails.
I visited the walkway to roller skate, because I’d heard great things about it, and that it was super smooth. The rail trail on the Poughkeepsie side was super smooth and great, but the actual Walkway had huge cracks, some quite raised, every two feet. This made it impossible to flow and we basically had to march our skates across it, and I took two pretty bad falls (thank you, protective gear.) Soooo that was a real bummer. The rail trail on the other side was smooth for a bit but then got very rough. It was definitely worth the trip, but I wouldn’t recommend skating the walkway if you want a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
This is a beautiful ride through an area lush with lake views. The surface provides a smooth ride. The trail is well maintained with a bike repair station.
I take this trail from the reservoir to Bronxville often. I love it. Even riding on road section in Scarsdale though a residential area along Fox Meadow is lovely.
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