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Print Friendly MapConnecting 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 over the Walkill River; from the west side of the bridge, follow the gravel pathway north along the waterfront. (From the east side of the bridge, you can connect to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, which offers a scenic, 21-mile route between Gardiner and Kingston.)
After about a half mile, you'll reach the trailhead on Springtown Road, where travelers will find a number of amenities, including parking, a station for filling water bottles, and a bicycle rental concession stand. A self-service bicycle repair stand, donated by the Red Devil Bike Club, is also available which includes a tire pump, hand tools, and a scannable QR barcode that links to an app with instructions for bike repair.
From the Springtown Road trailhead, the trail heads west, paralleling State Route 299 and providing bicyclists and walkers with a safe alternative to the busy roadway. But the route is not just utilitarian, it's also a beauty with rolling foothills and picturesque farmland.
The trail currently ends at the border of the Mohonk Preserve, though a connecting 2.3-mile loop within the park is planned for completion in summer 2019. The Mohonk Preserve offers numerous outdoor activities, including rock climbing, camping, and hiking, biking, and horseback riding along 19th-century carriage roads.
On the east end of the trail, parking is available at 41 Springtown Road in New Paltz. On the west end of the trail, parking is available on Pine Road near the border of the Mohonk Preserve.
Begins okay from the river, but after riding through the field, it becomes rather steep for several hundred feet. There is no shade, since you are out in an open field.
fantastic views, wide open gravel, very hilly, so be prepared for a workout, but you can always walk up some of the hills. The views are amazing. The town of New Paltz is there, so you can enjoy lunch after. fantastic day
On the top of the hill there is a small shack on your right. If you are approached by anybody asking you for a pass or to purchase a daily pass for $20 it’s a scam!!
Great pathway to the Shawnagunk mountain area with very easy access from New Paltz and the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. There are some hilly sections where you might encounter some slippage with a road bike. It was OK on my cyclocross.
The upper loop is on a mix of gravel farm and paved rural roads.
I rode this trail a week after it opened in September 2018 because I live here. In the village of New Paltz, the east end is at the bridge over the Wallkill River with a small parklet and benches. This is very close, maybe 100 feet, to get onto the 22 mile, unpaved Wallkill Valley Rail Trail which runs from Gardiner, through New Paltz and Rosendale, to Kingston, NY. Soon to be completed is a bike lane on nearby Henry Dubois Road which will lead to a 20-something-mile fully paved trail of various names New Paltz, Highland, Poughkeepsie, Hopewell Junction. Hudson Valley Rail Trail, Walkway Over the Hudson, and Dutchess County Rail Trail. Having ridden trails all across the Northeastern states, this combined trail is in my top 3 anywhere for quality, beauty and amenities.
The River-to-Ridge is not a rail trail, it is a newly constructed gravel and dirt trail to get bikers off the main roads. There is a nice parking lot, and after you cross the road going west there is a hill and beautiful views of the Shawangunk ridge. At the west end there is access to the private lands of Mohonk Resort. Maybe (maybe not) there will be someone collect fees to ride Mohonk property. The roads also lead to Minnewaska State Park where there are many carriage roads for biking.
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