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The Ashokan Rail Trail is an 11.5-mile multi-use trail that traces the northern edge of the Ashokan Reservoir, which provides a large proportion of New York City's drinking water. The trail sits on the historical right-of-way of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad, which ceased operations in 1978 and was purchased by Ulster County the following year.
About the Route
Travelers on the trail will enjoy spectacular views of the Catskill Mountains and the nearly 123 billion-gallon reservoir. The area abounds with red maples, birch and eastern white pine trees, and the pathway features protected wetlands and a 525-foot boardwalk. The route also crosses the 2,850-foot long, 60-foot tall Glenford Dike, an engineering marvel completed in 1912 to allow passage of trains bringing supplies to and tourists from New York City via the railroad.
The trail’s crushed-stone trail surface, measuring 10 to 12 feet in width at various points, is so compacted that thin-tired bikes can safely travel on it. The pathway is also ADA compliant and features no crossing streets. In winter, the unplowed trail can be enjoyed for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and fat-tire bike riding.
Parking and Trail Access
The Ashokan Rail Trail runs between New York City Rd (Boiceville) and Basin Rd (West Hurley).
Parking is available at:
Please see TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
My experience did not match the glowing description and reviews for this trail. While I agree it can be ridden with a road bike as I did it makes for a very rough ride. The surface is clearly not crushed stone as advertised but rather gravel with 1/4 to 1/2” pebbles. Furthermore with the exception of a few hundred feet at the beginning (West Hurley) you don’t see the lake, the rest of the way you are in the forest, which on a hot day is nice but also almost completely blocks the view of the water. I ended up riding back via route 28A, which makes for a loop of a little over 30 miles and was not too busy with cars. If you do go this route make sure to take the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade, which parallels route 28A along the shore of the lake for about three miles. The only difficulty is crossing busy route 28 at the end to get back to the parking lot in West Hurley.
While short at 11 miles one way, this trail has a lot to offer. The view of the reservoir with the green Catskill Mountains in the distance is quite enchanting. Much of the ride is through the woods with plenty of shade. The surface is packed cinders and the ride is generally flat. There are plenty of port-a-potties at the trail heads. This is our second time on the trail, so we did view it as worth returning too. Our first trip, during a summer weekend, was quite busy. This time we were there on a rainy weekday in June, and there were minimal people.
We extended the ride by travelling an additional 20 miles on the rode to ride around the reservoir. Starting at the Woodstock Dike Trailhead, we headed east on a very busy Route 28, but only for less than a quarter mile. The rest of the trip had minimal traffic, although I should note it was a rainy weekday. I ‘m unsure how different it would be on a sunny weekend.
We then followed Basin Road to Dike Road where we enjoyed amazing views. Dike Road is on what I believe is the dam at the east end of the Reservoir, offering unobstructed views of the water. From there, we continued on Route 28A. We were a short distance from the Promenade when we encountered a rain storm approaching in from the west. We turned back, managing to get to the car right before the rain began. In total the trip covered 40 miles on hybrid bikes.
While we did not reach the Promenade on this trip, I would highly recommend visiting it. During a previous visit, we took a short drive from the Rail Trail to the Promenade. It was well worth the hassle of loading and unloading the bikes on the car. You will find gorgeous views of the revisor with the mountains in the distance. We even spotted a bald eagle soaring over the water.
It takes us 2.5 hours to drive from our home to the western trailhead. The journey is well worth it. We definitely will be visiting again.
This trail has beautiful scenery. While it’s lose gravel most road bikes with skinny tires are good. This is an awesome ride!!!
i've biked sections of this trail end to end on many occasions.
parking is plentiful at any of the 3 trailheads. the surface is well maintained crushed gravel and pretty level from end to end.
the views of the ashokan resevoir are beautiful, and the stream and woodland views along the entire length of the trail are also lovely.
the three trailheads are also convenient to charming towns, restaurants, and other nature attractions.
recommended!
Great ride with beautiful fall colors. Flat crushed gravel. Mostly through the woods but a few sections you could see the reservoir. Lots of historical signage and benches along the way. I really enjoyed it!
Very consistent trail with a variety of lake, stream and Mountain View’s. A short jaunt from a mid-way entrance takes you to Fruition, a nice chocolate/ ice cream spot. Saw a snapping turtle, deer and a beaver dam & lodge. Nice information signs along the way. Given a nice Saturday, trail was thinly traveled. Did ride with E-Bikes.
We drove 5 hours round trip to ride this trail. It was totally worth it. The views were stunning. Rode the shorter trail across the reservoir after, and stopped for a bite to eat in Woodstock. Had no issues on hybrid bikes.
We biked this round trip , going East to west on a Sunday in May 2021. There was plenty of parking when we arrived at 10 am. As the trail went west it went uphill but the scenery became more and more beautiful. We are looking forward to skiing and or biking it again!
Well Maintained trail as we biked the central to western end. We would have biked the eastren side but it was closed for a maintenance reason. Turned out all the better as most of the scenic overlooks were on side we biked. Our hybrid bikes handled the packed stone trail very well. Would certainly return again
Rode the full trail today on hybrid, would not recommend road bike, beautiful scenery, weekday was not crowded. Found it on this app when passing through area in camper.
After all the hype I was disappointed. So I’m in the minority, I can live with that but perhaps the realistic preview will be valuable to some. I’ve been on other non-asphalt smooth paths but this was was really crunchy in a hybrid bike. Might do again on a mountain or gravel bike. Or just walk.
Lovely trail, basically new, along the Ashokan reservoir. Flat with crushed asphalt surface that is well maintained and not particularly crowded. Good parking areas at either end and in the middle. Most of the trail is slightly hidden from the reservoir and travels through dense forest. This is what all rail trails should be. The highlight of my 300 mile Catskill bike trip last summer!
Amazing ride in mid-October! Nice wide trail, mostly flat, plenty of benches to take breaks. Saw a beaver by its dam not far from the middle parking area
Beautiful Ride!!
Rode this trail on 7/6/20, from the West Hurley trailhead to the end and back…about 23 miles. Trail is cinder/gravel, basically brand new since it was opened only last Fall. We were riding road bikes, one with 32c tires, one with 25 c… very doable, but I would say wider tires (trail or mountain bikes) are best here. It’s in pristine shape…about 80% shaded, nice diversity of trees on either side including pine, birch, oak. I counted four absolutely beautiful sections where you can see the reservoir (probably can see more in the Fall/Spring) and there are some nice raised boardwalks plus 2 or 3 bridges. My favorite parts of the trail were a long section along the water near the West Hurley trailhead, and the last section at the other end where you have expansive views of the water. So happy that this is now available to us all – kudos to everyone involved! Please also note that there is a wonderful waterfront walk/bike path, called the Promenade, on the other side of the reservoir…gorgeous views of the surrounding hills. Worth checking out as well!
I rode this trail end to end today and it's in great shape. Suitable for any bike type but optimized for any tires more robust than "skinny" road types. It is mostly in heavily wooded terrain with occasional views of the Ashokan Resevoir and the Catskill Mountains. There is informative signage on the history and natural history of the area. You can do a loop ride utilizing quiet roads on the south side of the Resevoir (can get hilly) or Route 28 (busy but with decent shoulders for the most part). Or you can, as I did, continue north west on Route 28 into the heart of the Catskill Mountains. A word of caution: the Port-a-Pottys at the three trailheads are all closed due to the Coronavirus.
I have ridden my bike there twice, once in the fall, once in spring. The trail itself is hard-crushed gravel, very firm and nice. I think all but the skinniest racing tires would be fine on this trail. It is very popular with families, couples, singles, fisher folks and birdwatchers, whether walking, biking, or X-country skiing. There are signs explaining the historical development of the reservoir and area. Bring binoculars and snacks. All 3 parking lots are close to local attractions and amenities.
It is a mostly a flat trail with scenery to take your breath away. At the eastern end, with the largest parking lot near the Stewarts shop on Route 28, one is closest to the waters of the Ashokan reservoir. The western end has a steel bridge over the Esopus creek that fills the reservoir, and further on a wooden bridge that crosses a marsh filled with wildlife. The parking lot for the western end is on a side road after crossing a bridge. Between them a good parking lot is visible right on Route 28 and the straight trail is sometimes close to Rt 28, sometimes closer to the meandering shore of the reservoir, visible at varying distances through the trees.
Now, with the Covid-19 shutdown there is less land and sky traffic so it can be very quiet when out hiking and biking.
The Boiceville trailhead is beautiful however the parking lot is too small
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