The views from the Promenade are not to be missed! Although the trail itself is very short, at 2.5 miles it makes for a lovely stroll. But the views here are better than the 29 mile Rail Trail, so I’m glad we went here first before our exhausting Rail Trail Ride.
Starting at the Promenade, we joined many families and little toddlers learning to ride out onto a large cement embankment. The views were stunning and we gained new appreciation for the Catskills. As one of the largest sources of New York City’s drinking water, no public access is available but we did spot patrol boats on the water.
After driving another 8 or more miles back to the Ashokan Reservoir’s trailhead, we met all of New York City there as the parking lot was near capacity. Lucky for us, 80% of the people were on foot so we were able to don our masks and quickly bypass all the pedestrians. The trail was newly developed and the day was gorgeous, so I imagine many people were seeking out a way to get out of their pandemic lockdown and out into nature. We were on a quest to ride some miles in gorgeous area.
Early on in the trail is a education station with a new resin composite bench and a little of the former rail trail.
Soon we were pounding down the gravel as this trail was very flat, no potholes nor roots, being that it was newly graded and had new gravel. Since it followed an actual old railroad line, there was a noisy busy road on one side and thicket on the other hugging the edge of the reservoir. Wasn’t very calming nor peaceful nor challenging (i.e., no hills). Thankfully it was mostly in the shade as it was near 90 degrees the day we went.
We saw the goats munching poison ivy and enjoying the fresh air. I love that they keep the weeds down and provide some entertainment. Such a better solution than mowing or insecticides.
There is at least two smaller parking lots with some restrooms, water fountains, and park benches. We didn’t stop due to the crowds but it was nice to see some amenities if we needed them.
It turned out to be a very monotonous training ride and had few views of the mountains. When there was a break in the trees at around mile 13, I took some pictures.
We turned around near mile 12.5 but there were about 2 miles left before the terminus. Total roundtrip of trail is 29 miles but we completed around 27 miles.
We parked at the pavilion in Hobart, which offers creekside parking and nearby amenities if you need food or drinks. Hobart is a small mecca of antiques and bookstores (who knew?) and I was surprised at this sudden burst of culture in the middle of farmland. We could see one of the many bookstores across the creek, with its large windows revealings its books lining its shelves and cozy tables and chairs.
The trail for the most part is flat and well-maintained gravel or hard pack. Unlike other sections, it was not overrun with bushes and the grass and weeds were mowed. It was a tree-covered trail, with a creek nearby most of the time. This segment of the trail was the best of all three we’ve ridden this summer.
There’s a barn near Hobart where a cute equine threesome were huddled to escape the sun. Can you see the mini-pony’s rump, who was shy and didn’t want to be photographed? cute.
The trail continues but a side trail reveals a little hidden structure.
A nice creek crossing invites you to take a swim.
We crossed a street in South Kortright and to our left a large, white imposing house and its lawn had cleared away a lot of the brush and trees. There was a sign at the road, from which I made a mental note of and looked up Belle Terre when we got home. Turns out it is a former aristocrat’s house, then became a drug rehab center, and now it is a private home. White stucco, austere and boxy, the house is such an affluent and sudden departure from a usual scenery and housing, and the architecture is European, so it is hard to miss and makes an impression.
Turns out I had a green filter on for all my pictures so everything has a little bit of greenish-tinge and a mystical or psychedelic quality. It lends itself to the fairy-tale like way I experienced the day but none of the colors are accurate.
The trail crosses a wide field, goes under the trees near what appears to be an old mill, and ends in a small dirt parking area. Across the street is a sign for Bloomville. You can cross the street and use an gravel alley to get closer to downtown, which we did but didn’t go into town. The sign on Bloomville boasts that it was the first site of pasteurization in the US, so of course I start noticing all the Holstein dairy cows in fields and signs for dairy on the way back. Funny how that works.
We rode at a unhurried, leisurely pace so our 18-mile bike ride took nearly three hours. The weather was low 70’s, and we only were briefly sprinkled on by a sudden shower. It was a lovely, beautiful ride, and I would gladly return.
The Fonda-Johnstown-Gloverville trail (F J & G trail) is a multiuse path. Nine miles long, the path hugs Cayadutta and Yost creeks and travels through many neighborhoods. There are side paths for creek-side enjoyment. We rode it in May when the forget-me-nots were in their spring time glory. In fact, it is such a nice trail, we rode it two weekends in a row.
Reading the Moon Books guide book The Hudson Valley and the Catskills by Nikki Goth Ioki, I stumbled upon the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. Paralleling the New York-Conneticut border, the Trail follows an old railroad line that originated out of Harlem, New York. Riding my Gary Fisher hybrid with a trunk bag, we parked in the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association‘s parking lot in Millerton and headed south towards Wasaaic.
The trail begins in my most beloved way: Cool, shady trees criss-crossing a babbling rocky creek lined with gorgeous homes.
Later there are moss-covered “cliffs” where rocks were dynamited to make room for the railroad. It is truly beautiful and so unique, how the layers of rock are visible.
Eventually pastoral greenery sandwiches you through green farmlands and forested hillsides. There were lots of honeysuckle, which at the time was all berries, but I imagined it to be a glorious perfumery in the spring.
Just over the hill is Connecticut.
There are lots of plaques and benches to inform you about the different former railroad stations. Copeland Station is well-developed with a large parking lot, signs, and a wheel-chair accessible porta-potty.
The trail meets up with Wasaaic Station at about mile 11. Contrary to what you might expect at a train station, there are no amenities. There was an operational pop machine (coin-operated) but no drinking fountains nor restrooms. Just a train platform. We noticed that a new bridge and trail extended past the train station that had not been noted anywhere (not even on Google maps yet!) so we continued on it for a bit before realizing it probably connects the town of Wasaaic to the train station. It was a lovely, cedar-smelling bridge.
Leaving this segment of trail for another time, we headed back. The scenery seemed more green.
Ending our ride, the milepost marker for the parking lot at the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association is 92.5.
I noticed that active construction was taking place north of Millerton, so I’m hopeful that the segment south of Taconic State Park will soon be connected to this segment. If so, that will be a stellar ride. Don’t forget that the short trail on the New York side for Bish Bash Falls is at Taconic State Park.
Technical Notes: 22 miles round trip on a well-maintained asphalt trail. Despite a weekday during the pandemic, the trail was fairly busy with cyclists touring (with panniers), joggers, and pedestrians. Besides Copeland Station and a couple of other spots, there are not facilities directly on the trail. No bike maintenance kiosks. We didn’t investigate offerings in other towns, but it didn’t appear promising. Fairly flat, no elevation gain. Shaded for the most part. Street crossings have stop signs, but no flashing warning signals. We ate at Irving Farms coffee shop in Millerton which could have been great but they messed up Michael’s turkey sandwich by leaving off the turkey.
I’d read that the Zim Smith Trail had been recently paved. We’d ridden part of the trail in 2016 and many segments had been gravel hard pack, so I was eager to bike on fresh black top for a smooth ride.
The total trail is 13 miles end-to-end. Last time we’d started at Shentantaha Park and ridden about 17 or 18 miles, turning around at Coons Crossing in Mechanicsville. I only remembered the park where we’d unloaded the bicycles. So for me it would be like riding a new trail.
This time we parked the van at the northern end point, on Oak Street, which a lonely side street in Ballston Spa. Despite what Google maps indicates, there’s no designated parking lot but designated parking spaces along the street. Luckily, it was empty and we had a choice of shady spots. From this end point until Shenantaha Creek park (about 4 miles), the trail is quiet, shady, scenic. I really enjoyed this segment.
At Shentantaha park, there is more pedestrians and street crossings. About a mile outside of the park is where the new pavement begins. It is still very black and smooth as satin. It was a joy to ride on this new blacktop.
There is Ulster State Forest and side trails coming off the bike path.
There is an unmarked body of water that provides opportunity to hear frogs and watch for birds.
The end point at Coons Crossing Road has some parking spaces and a covered information sign. If you take a right and go over the railroad crossing, a new parking lot with picnic tables, bathrooms, and bike rack have been installed.
This is where the Zim Smith Trail and the Zim Smith East Trail meet. Somehow by looking at the Google maps this eventually connects to the Old Champlain Trail, that heads to Peebles Island State Park outside of Troy. Still working on the exact details. We rode a few miles down the Zim Smith East Trail.
Technical Notes: this trail is flat and with the new pavement very easy for a road bike to pick up so miles and maintain a high RPM. I’d say it is a great training trail since you’re off the street and it goes for miles. Once businesses open back up after the pandemic, there will be lots of places to refuel and rest. Not as scenic as other trails but lots of shade, at least on the Zim Smith portion.
We loved our bike ride on the Warren County Bikeway but it was very crowded and busy. Searching for a trail that was less popular but in the same area, I stumbled upon the Feeder Canal Trail. Just like the Warren County Bikeway, one end of the path is located at trail head in Queensbury at a small park, the Feeder Canal Park off of Richardson Street. As you can see, there’s a a large parking lot and covered picnic benches facing the river. Unfortunately there are no amenities and no stores nearby.
In anticipation of biking through towns on relatively flat terrain I’m riding my hybrid bike with a rack and trunk bag. We unloaded our bikes and immediately noticed that there is a huge lock or some kind of built infrastructure next to the river—The Erie Canal!
There’s a short but steep embankment leading to the trail….but they’ve also have a more gradual ascent/descent that takes you by the canoe/kayak launch and beach.
Sure enough, there were lots of non-motorized water vehicles on this stretch of the river. It is very calm and wide, so there’s lots of room for everyone. Especially at this end, it is very quiet….although I can imagine on very hot days, this particular access point is crowded since it is free.
We began our bike ride by turning left at the river and crossing the canal bridge. I knew the path was going to be eventually passing agricultural areas later because an enormous, stinky cow patty was clogging the canal. It was massive and smelly. But once we passed it I was delighted to see other pedestrians enjoying this wide, well-maintained crushed stone path.
There were lots of trees shading the path. Many homeowners in Queensbury had landscaped their section of the canal’s banks, set up chairs and planted flowers. So it was more like biking through a garden. Very nice section of path.
At Haviland Cove Beach, the river widens and calms even further. I was so impressed with the accessibility and beauty of this park. I took a mental note to come back and enjoy it in a kayak. The bike path is well marked through this park, and has lots of signage to steer and control both bikes and cars.
Eventually passing through industrialized parts of the area you will pass both defunct and currently operating mills and other chemical plants. Before you know it you are in Glens Falls where the path abruptly intersects with Main Street. Had we known it, we could have take an quick detour down Main Street to look at Cooper’s Cave, the supposed inspiration for the famous cave scene in James Fenimore Cooper’s book, The Last of the Mohicans. There’s a free observational point on the bridge that we could have just wandered over and taken a gander. But we didn’t know about it.
Anyway, we crossed the street and followed another cyclist down Oakland street. This wasn’t in accordance to the path delineated by Google Maps, but we could tell that this side street would be safer and quieter than the street mapped out by the app on the phone. Sure enough, on the sidewalk, we passed another active mill, leisurely chugging out steam. We passed very few cars, and then took a right at the stoplight and resumed Google map’s path.
We passed The Hyde Collection, a museum and art gallery that we’d already visited last year. The Hyde Collection is the former home of three sisters who were part of wealthy family and founders of Glens Falls. The three sisters bequeathed their massive and impressive art collection to Glens Falls. You can see Rembrandt and Picasso among their collection. It really is quite impressive given that Glens Falls by most standards is not a mecca for art enthusiasts. My favorite was a painting done by Frieske and of course the Rembrandt, which had been stolen and buried by the Nazis prior to coming to Glens Falls. At the time of our visit, Coco by Renoir was being borrowed by a museum in London and unavailable for viewing, so that was disappointing since I love Renoir. Due to the pandemic, the museum was closed when we passed it on our bikes. I did enjoy remembering that all those wonderful works of art were purchased using money generated by cutting down trees in the Adirondacks and milled in a mill that is still active behind the house.
Soon we were hungry and began scouting out restaurants that were not closed due to the pandemic. Coincidentally, and fortunately for us, where the path turns right on Sherman Road is Rachel’s Cafe and Spice Company. Open and selling sandwiches, we stopped by and got ourselves some food. She wasn’t selling any drinks that were appropriate for putting in our drink cages on our bikes, so we didn’t get any there but I liked the idea of not selling any soda or fizzy drinks of any kind. Rachel had said soda “wasn’t part of their brand.”
The path has a number of green metal sitting benches, and we wanted to eat our lunch in a nice spot on a bench. Eventually we found a quiet, shady spot to park our bikes and take a break. I am grateful for riding my bike with a touring trunk bag today since I had wipes, and I was able to carry our sandwiches hands-free. Also glad for the insulated bike bottle full of Gatorade.
The path continues out past Glens Falls and continues for quite a ways through neighborhoods and open industrial parks. There are a number of businesses and ice cream shops along the way, where under normal circumstances you can take a break and get something cool to eat or drink. We were riding this during the lockdown due to COVID-19 so nothing was open.
Towards the end of the path and where we turned around, at about mile 7, large, watery structures called The Combines cascade water down a large hill. It is reminscent to a waterfall except that it is all grassy covered concrete with steep walls. Cool relic of the past, but I’m scared of heights and didn’t look down into the water. I just listened; it was nice break from the unrelenting sun.
After The Combines the path turns off onto a creepy backroad and for the last two miles follows a road that leads to an industrial park. The path ends at the Feeder Canal Towpath parking area and park. Here, we turned around and headed back.
Technical notes: It is 19 miles round trip. Crush stone, well-maintained, and flat. Michael overheard a racial epithet being said as he passed, so we wondered if there’s open bigotry in the area; made us feel unwelcome. Certain sections could be nice for strolling on foot.
The temperature was predicted for over 90 degrees today. Just way too hot for me. So we headed up to the hills to cycle part of the Catskill Scenic Trail. We like to make a base camp at a large public parking lot in Stamford. It is behind TP’s cafe, which makes terrific sandwiches and great homemade lemonade. You can read my Yelp review here.
We made a short ride of it today as we headed east for 6.5 miles to Old Forge–13 miles round trip. There was a thunderstorm predicted for later in the day, and we didn’t want to get stuck out in a storm in open terrain.
The trail is an old railroad of the Ulster and Delaware railroad. A wide two-lane road, it is also used by local farmers to access their fields.
Today’s ride was a leisurely lovely ride, perfumed by honeysuckle and blue skies.
The chipmunks were scurrying about and seemed oblivious the danger my wheels imposed, as they’d attempt to cross the trail right underneath me! It was nerve wracking but I loved seeing all the wildlife activity. Rockets were blooming in long tracts everywhere, and I regret not taking a photo since the colors were amazing.
The trail crosses the Delaware River (it’s mostly just a creek) via well-maintained bridges.
The rolling hills of farms and fields was beautiful; I found a new appreciation for these very old mountains.
I became intrigued with this old railroad depot. Some one should make it an air-conditioned rest stop with snacks, coffee and restrooms for trail users!
Four guys passed us on the way back. They had their touring packs and sleeping bags mounted on their bikes so I guessed they were touring. They were going very fast so I imagined they had a lot of ground to cover. Impressive!
Technical Notes: The Catskill Scenic Trail spans from Roxbury to Bloomville of over 22 miles of gravel path, with towns along the way, and lots of benches. It follows the Delaware River and there are many, many picnic areas with public access to get into the water. I found my mountain bike comfortable to ride this trail due to the culverts, loose gravel and roots. My husband was grateful for his city hybrid bike’s fenders in the muddy patches.
In some places the trail is not clear and were rode through large mud puddles or high grass–both kinds of terrain can cause you to get stuck. Due to the weeds in some places, and buggy nature of the more wet creek sides, bug spray is recommend. I just use the commercially available lemon eucalyptus spray since it is less toxic to beneficial insects.
Unless you stop in towns, there are no bike maintenance kiosks or port-a-potties along the trail.
There are signs to mark the way when you must cross traffic as well as for culverts.
One of my newly discovered areas that I love! Head to this link for more information.
I was naive to think that my whiteness and privilege would inoculate my marriage from racism. Instead, I must now also be aware of what Ta-Nehisi Coates calls “the violence against the black body” and be hyper-vigilant to secure our safety. It has changed my values and outlook on life. Today I’m sad because the reality is finally dawning on me on the similar but separate spheres that are literally black and white. This sadness is a privilege also since I can choose which sphere to operate; for my husband this choice is not optional.
‘The history is what the history is. And it is disrespectful, to white people, to soften the history.’
The New York Times published an article today discussing a recent study that seems to expose discrimination against the disabled during the hiring process. While this is no surprise to me, I am a little concerned that New York state is simultaneously planning to shut down sheltered workshops. This means that there will be more push for integration into the workplace. I welcome this initiative and think it is a compassionate way for those who have disabilities to find work and for employers to find exemplary employees.
My concern lies in the way the integration occurs. My experience is that after initial job coaching, the disabled employee, who had autism, was left with little supervision. She ended up not fully understanding job tasks and created a huge archiving catastrophe by misfiling hundreds of files. She even took files that were filed correctly and misfiled them. In the break room she ended up being shunned since her social skills made her a pariah. If she was gently redirected or reminded she was being rude, she placed you on her black list and ignored you in the future. Eventually everyone rearranged their schedules to avoid her in the break room and no one would talk to her.
I believe she needed more supervision than was given and more social skill coaching than a regular employee required. This would be accommodation beyond the cliche of a ramp and modified restroom and therefore a program is needed for this type of integration. I am not reading about this types of workplace integration programs and this absence concerns me.
Employers were less likely to respond to applicants who said they had a disability, researchers show.
Notes from the Trail 