Find the top rated horseback riding trails in Poughkeepsie, whether you're looking for an easy short horseback riding trail or a long horseback riding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a horseback riding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_158284_st.jpg)
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...
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 Railroad Ramble occupies a corridor abandoned by the Central New England Railroad, which provided service from 1871 through 1967. In Lakeville, the trail can be found just off of Route 41 behind...
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....
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail extends more than 20 miles between Kingston and Gardiner along the route of the old Wallkill Valley Railroad, which, in the late 1800s, carried produce from Ulster...
Shawangunk, Walden, and Wallkill Rail Trail is built on a railroad right-of-way that was abandoned by Conrail in the late 1970s. Conrail and its predecessors, Penn Central, New York Central, and The...
The O&W Rail Trail follows the route of the former Ontario & Western Railroad in southern New York. In Ulster County, nearly a dozen miles of trail are available and, in Sullivan County, another 7.5...
_158284_sc.jpg)
Much of the 15-mile Heritage Trail, a.k.a. the Orange Heritage Trail, sails past wide fields of corn and wheat. The trail starts in Harriman at the Mary Harriman Park. From there, it heads northwest...
The D&H Canal Linear Park is 45 acres with a trail situated along the historic D&H Canal. Remains of the original locks, dry dock and waste weirs are visible from the towpath trail. Interpretive signs...
Much of the 15-mile Heritage Trail, a.k.a. the Orange Heritage Trail, sails past wide fields of corn and wheat. The trail starts in Harriman at the Mary Harriman Park. From there, it heads northwest...
The Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park follows the route of the Old Croton Aqueduct, which carried water to New York City from 1842 to 1955. Most of the structure lies beneath the trail and has...
The O&W Rail Trail follows the route of the former Ontario & Western Railroad in southern New York. In Ulster County, nearly a dozen miles of trail are available and, in Sullivan County, another 7.5...
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 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....
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail extends more than 20 miles between Kingston and Gardiner along the route of the old Wallkill Valley Railroad, which, in the late 1800s, carried produce from Ulster...
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...
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...
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...
Shawangunk, Walden, and Wallkill Rail Trail is built on a railroad right-of-way that was abandoned by Conrail in the late 1970s. Conrail and its predecessors, Penn Central, New York Central, and The...
The Railroad Ramble occupies a corridor abandoned by the Central New England Railroad, which provided service from 1871 through 1967. In Lakeville, the trail can be found just off of Route 41 behind...
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...
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...
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 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...
Much of the 15-mile Heritage Trail, a.k.a. the Orange Heritage Trail, sails past wide fields of corn and wheat. The trail starts in Harriman at the Mary Harriman Park. From there, it heads northwest...
The Railroad Ramble occupies a corridor abandoned by the Central New England Railroad, which provided service from 1871 through 1967. In Lakeville, the trail can be found just off of Route 41 behind...
The O&W Rail Trail follows the route of the former Ontario & Western Railroad in southern New York. In Ulster County, nearly a dozen miles of trail are available and, in Sullivan County, another 7.5...
The D&H Canal Linear Park is 45 acres with a trail situated along the historic D&H Canal. Remains of the original locks, dry dock and waste weirs are visible from the towpath trail. Interpretive signs...
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...
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...
Shawangunk, Walden, and Wallkill Rail Trail is built on a railroad right-of-way that was abandoned by Conrail in the late 1970s. Conrail and its predecessors, Penn Central, New York Central, and The...
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail extends more than 20 miles between Kingston and Gardiner along the route of the old Wallkill Valley Railroad, which, in the late 1800s, carried produce from Ulster...
The Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park follows the route of the Old Croton Aqueduct, which carried water to New York City from 1842 to 1955. Most of the structure lies beneath the trail and has...
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 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....
I have been on this trail for the last 10 years. I love this trail just for the scenery and the simple fact that its 10 minute drive away. But I recently discovered that there is a connecting rail trail. This is abandoned Erie branch line in Greycourt that passes through Washingtonville and rejoins the Erie Newburgh Shortcut at Vails Gate Junction in Vails Gate. This abandoned branch line runs directly in front of my house all the way to the orange Heritage trail. So instead of driving to this trail, I can actually can ride my bike and connect two trails.
Labor Day weekend, 2018
I had a hard time finding the entrance at Swamp Road, it is only marked “No authorized vehicles” and, more ominously, “Police are monitoring illegal activities.” My 7-yr-old son was alarmed and frightened by the signs and the broken down structures, rusty dumped machines and the lack of a path about 500 feet in. Instead it’s a broad overgrown cement yard - too broad to find the narrow throughway to continue south. We rode around a bit on the broken glass and shards, and left feeling unsafe.
I will probably return without him to try again, as I would really like to find a path off the street to get to Trumbull, but I can’t recommend this segment above Pepper.
Sunday, August 26, 2018, temperature 88F, mixed sun & clouds, moderate humidity.
This is a wonderful asphalt community trail that is a very gentle slope down from the northern village of Blauvelt. Nice scenery with a mix of open skies and shade. Near the southern end there is a public park with a side connection to the contiguous Raymond Esposito and Old Erie trails, that are unpaved and slope gently down to end at a park in Nyack. The trail looks down over streets and homes in Piermont and Nyack with occasional summer views of the Hudson River. You ride through a shady forest on a gravel road that becomes a dirt path for a short distance before getting bigger and gravelly again. It's fun.
On a warm Sunday afternoon at the end of the trail I decided to take the streets back through Nyack to Piermont and was not disappointed. Nyack along the Hudson River is lined with Victorian and old sea captain-like homes. It's a bike route so there other bikers not doing the trails and really not too much traffic, so I felt safe. The street leads to Piermont, a beautiful little tree-lined village right on the Hudson river offering piers, marinas, restaurants, coffee shops and specialty stores. It really is spectacular. Then the streets lead from a small park over a creek back to the other little park where you meet the trail again. Without signs or knowledge I just followed my instincts and and found my way. Worth a return visit.
I biked from VCP to Woodlands Lake (round trip) which is about 21 miles and highly recommend this trail. Overall the trail is well maintained with the exception of occasional bumps on the paved portions. The dirt trail in VCP has a few bumpy sections from tree roots and rail ties. I’m a casual biker and would say anyone with basic biking abilities can do this portion of the rail trail. Bring two bottles of water and throw some snacks in a backpack. I’m going to try going from VCP to Elmsford on my next.
We parked by Carmel Ave. It's a workout for the first few miles featuring hills like the Tatamy trail in Easton, PA where that crosses route 22. We were looking for a nice trail to just take it easy.
for my first time going on a long bike ride like this there was many things on the trail that surprised me along with the nature preserve along the way and and many beautiful views. I would definitely go back.
Great ride but especially by IBM and where there is an active rusty river flowing there needs to be work done.
We were driving home to PA from CT and stopped to stretch our legs on this trail, so we didn't ride the full length. We started at Goshen and there was plenty of parking in the municipal lot that sits right at the trail head; this was a Monday afternoon, but there was still plenty of parking (thank you to the town for providing free parking!).
The trail is nicely paved and very well maintained. The first two miles were a bit noisy because the trail runs parallel to a busy highway, but after that it was quiet and relaxing. We went a bit beyond Chester and turned around. (Unlike some other reviewers, we didn't find Chester particularly charming.) The trail was flat, easy, well shaded, and relaxing, and we were grateful to the people who keep it in such good condition. Our only (VERY minor) complaint was that close to Goshen the trail sometimes had the feel of riding moguls, probably because tree roots are growing beneath the asphalt. Overall, we would recommend the trail.
After riding, we left our car in the municipal lot and walked two blocks to the Sunshine Cafe. Although the signage made us think it was just a juice bar, it had a nice menu--great paninis and a long list of specialty burgers. We recommend the restaurant highly.
I completed this trail this weekend. I started at the entrance of Beardsley Park and ended at Swamp Road in Botsford. The trail is beautiful and very quite. I highly recommend this trail. I would suggest stopping at Pepper Street as a portion of the trail between Pepper Street and Swamp Road is not really a trail. The "trail" is very narrow and overgrown ( I rode through this area with my arms pressed to my sides and still could not avoid the trees/leaves brushing against me). Also, the area has a very high concentration of mosquitos. All in all the trail is AWESOME and I will be riding it (up to Pepper Street) once a week.
After reading some of the reviews I was prepared for a disastrous trail. Yes, its a little bumpy in spots but I felt it was mostly smooth. A couple of places are semi-rough but it wasnt that big of a deal.
Also, getting to it is a little tricky if youre just searching on google for directions. I found the best launch point to be at the northern most end of the South County Trail (just south-east of the Tarrytown Resovior). Drive your car to and get off at exit 23 of the Saw Mill Pkwy. There is a park and ride right there. Park your car and head south on your bike for the South County Trail and North for the North County trail.
I always attempt to start at one end of a trail and ride it to the end. According to the description the trail starts in Harriman which may have been the case at one point but as of July 2018 is not so. As others have said the trail ends abruptly at 12 miles and does not go to Harriman. I'd recommend you start at Crane Park in Monroe, it is easy to find and offers plenty of parking.
As far as the trail itself the scenery was average. The trail itself is all paved and mostly flat so it made for easy riding. The towns off of the trail are very quaint, I'd highly recommend walking around Goshen and visiting Chester for its local brewery. If you'd like to extend your ride try to find the unpaved extension in Goshen. It is single track and about two miles long so I'd take a mountain or hybrid bike.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
