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There are many ways to enjoy trails during the winter, depending on the type of activity you are interested in and the conditions of the trails. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your winter trail experience:
Dress appropriately: Make sure to wear layers of warm, moisture-wicking clothing and a good pair of winter boots to keep your feet warm and dry.
Check the weather and trail conditions: Before heading out, check the weather forecast and the conditions of the trails. Avoid going out in extreme weather, such as during a blizzard, and choose trails that are well-maintained and safe to travel on.
Stay hydrated: It’s easy to get dehydrated in the cold, dry winter air, so be sure to bring plenty of water and drink it regularly.
Use proper equipment: Depending on the activity and the conditions of the trails, you may need special equipment, such as snowshoes or cross-country skis. Make sure you have the right gear for the activity and know how to use it safely.
Take breaks: It’s important to take regular breaks to warm up and rest, especially if you are engaging in strenuous activity.
Follow Leave No Trace principles: Leave the trails as you found them, and respect the natural environment and wildlife.
By following these tips, you can have a safe and enjoyable winter trail experience.
If you’re looking for the best bike trails, there are a few things you can do. First, ask around at your local bike shop or visit online forums and see what trails other cyclists recommend. You can also search online for lists of the best bike trails in your area. Additionally, consider what kind of trail you’re looking for (e.g. a challenging mountain bike trail or a scenic trail for a leisurely ride) and seek out trails that match your preferences.
5 Tips for Finding Bike Trails
To find the best bike trails, you can try a few different things:
Ask other bikers in your area for recommendations. Biking is a popular activity, so chances are that you know someone who can point you in the right direction.
Look for local biking clubs or organizations. These groups often have information about the best trails in the area, as well as organized rides and events.
Search online for “bike trails” followed by the name of your city or region. This should bring up a list of websites and resources that can help you find trails near you.
Consider using a trail-finding app, such as Trailsnet or AllTrails. These apps allow you to search for trails based on your location and desired difficulty level, and often include reviews and ratings from other users.
Once you’ve found some potential trails, do some research to make sure they are suitable for your skill level and the type of biking you want to do. Check the trail’s length, terrain, and elevation to make sure it’s a good fit for you.
In general, the best bike trails are those that offer a combination of scenic views, challenging terrain, and a reasonable level of difficulty. It’s also important to choose trails that are well-maintained and safe for biking.
When I started Trailsnet over 14 years ago, my goal was to provide information about trails of all types to trail users of all types. As much as possible, I have fulfilled that goal and featured a diverse type of trails of all kinds from all over the world. Above all, Trailsnet has included a mix of urban and rural trails for walking and bicycling. However, considering the vast population of cities worldwide, I felt as if we needed more urban trail featured on this trails network website. So this post is dedicated to bike trails in Manhattan, New York. I wanted to specifically focus on Manhattan bike trails because I can’t do justice all hiking and biking trails in the entirety of New York City in just one blog post. That is easily enough to populate an entire travel guide and still be insufficient in scope. In fact, I’m going to focus even more specifically on (mostly) car-free bike paths in Manhattan to provide some examples of safe and enjoyable rides in this amazing city that has really done a lot to provide alternative transportation for residents and visitors.
Best Bike Routes in New York City
I have enjoyed four particularly fun bike routes in New York City. I will post trail reviews for each of these bike rides in the “Trails” section of this website. But I will briefly describe them on this page also. To get a nice overview of where each one is located, check out the bike routes function the next time you view Manhattan in Google Maps. Four of the five routes I will describe are mostly car free except when there are detours such as the ones currently happening along the East River bike route. Follow these links to find some of the best bike trails in New York City:
I have visited New York City four times in the past six months. My initial intention was to purchase a bike so that I could have easy access to it for my frequent trips to the city. I didn’t end up doing that, and I’m glad. My second plan was to rent a bike from one of the many New York City bicycle rental businesses. I only did that once, and I’m glad I found a better option. On my most recent trip to Manhattan, I ended up getting a 15 day free trial to New York Citi Bikes. I absolutely loved that option the best, and I will likely utilize CitiBike on future trips to the Largish Apple. Citi Bikes work well, and they are ALL OVER the place. I never had a problem finding Citi Bikes whenever and wherever I needed them. The only problem I occasionally had was finding open docking stations when I needed to return a bike. So here’s how it works:
First, get the Citi Bike app. (You can also use the Lyft app.)
Check to see if there are any special offers like the free 15 day offer that I found.
Each time you’re ready to bike somewhere, you just pick out one of the bikes at the docking station and scan the bar code on the handlebars.
That will unlock the bike, and you’re ready to ride.
Once you finish your ride, return the bike to a docking station. They’re easy to find using the Citi Bike app.
Dock your bike making sure the green light shows up on the station/dock.
You’ll immediately get a notification that you have successfully docked the bike. It will tell you how much you were charged. (Every time, mine said it was free except one time when I kept the bike too long, I was charged $4.90. No biggy!!)
I recently had the opportunity to try the Two Wheel Gear backpack pannier. Let me start by saying that I’m already the proud and pleased owner of a Two Wheel Gear pannier, so I was eager to try the backpack version of their panniers. Both of these panniers are incredibly easy to fit onto a bicycle, as long as you have some type of rear bike rack for them to grab ahold of. I was already impressed by the simplicity of attaching my first Two Wheel Gear pannier that I’ve had for over two years. The second one was even easier to attach.
side view of pannier
spacious interior
Spacious Interior
I am pleased by both of the Two Wheel Gear panniers that I own, but I am especially pleased by the pannier backpack. First of all, as mentioned above, it has an updated method of attaching it to most bicycle rear racks. Secondly, it is very spacious. I am able to use it both recreationally and functionally for such chores as getting groceries and picking up orders from local restaurants. Just this morning, I picked up both my breakfast pastries AND a ready-made sausage & kale lasagna order. Yum!!! And finally, I like the ability to use my pannier as a daypack/backpack as well as a bike bag. That makes it much more versatile and functional.
Old vs. New Pannier Comparison
If you already have an older version of the Two Wheel Gear panniers, you probably love it and can’t imagine anything better. I would encourage you to consider getting the new backpack style pannier. The backpack pannier has numerous advantages. First, it holds way more than the old pannier. It works especially well as a commuter pannier since it has a special compartment for a laptop computer as well as lots of thoughtful additions in the main compartment to store other office/work essentials. Secondly, as the name implies, it converts from a pannier to a daypack/backpack for easy hauling when you convert from bicyclist to pedestrian mode. Here is a list of features that you will immediately appreciate:
Converts from pannier to backpack in seconds.
Secure + fast attachment to standard racks sized 6-16 mm.
Padded 15-in laptop sleeve.
Bottle pockets with umbrella/U-lock strap.
Quick access soft pocket for phone or sunglasses.
Modular Attachment System (M.A.S) / Helmet Attachment.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference. Who would have thought that I’ve been traveling with the wrong wallet all these years? When I got a chance to try out the Allett Wallet, I must admit I was a bit skeptical. Anyone who knows me realizes that I’m willing to give anything a try, but how am I going to fit all the stuff I need for a typical trail trip into one of those little wallets? As it turns out, it’s the ‘little’ part of these wallets that make them so valuable.
Smaller is Better
It turns out that my worst fear about the Allett wallet turned out to be its #1 asset. When I first looked at the slim design of the Allett, I thought, “I’ll never fit all the stuff from my old bulky wallet into this little wallet.” I was right. And that turned out to be a good thing!! Because I didn’t actually need all the junk I had in my old wallet. At least I didn’t need it on one of my trail trips. I didn’t need my library card, my grocery store discount card, my coffee punch card, my…. Well you get the picture. It turned out that it wasn’t all that difficult to become a minimalist and still have all I needed for my trip-du-jour. So I headed off to New York to explore the Hudson Valley trails, and I did it without my usual bulging pocket stuffed full with a bulky wallet. In addition to all that, I discovered some other benefits to using a small wallet.
Benefits & Justification for Smaller Wallet
First of all, a bit of a mind-set change was needed. For those of you (us) who grew up with the old way of thinking when it comes to wallets (etc.), we needed that huge wallet to keep all of our daily necessities organized. After all, we needed cash, driver’s license, credit cards, debit cards, family photos… the list goes on. But all that stuff isn’t needed on a daily basis any more. Think about it. A lot of that stuff is now in our phones or even on our smart watches. And speaking of our phone, a good cell phone case also has space for a driver’s license, a credit card and even a little bit of cash. In fact, we may not even need the credit card when we can pay with a scan of our phone or watch. So now we can get by with a much smaller wallet, and that has some advantages:
We no longer have that unsightly bulge in our pocket.
We are not such a visually appealing target for pick-pockets.
We can travel much lighter, and this is an especially important advantage for active travelers and trail travelers. The less, the better.
With our cash and cards divided between our wallet and our phone case, we are now following the cardinal rule for travelers. Don’t keep all your eggs (or credit cards, or cash) in one basket (or wallet). I wish I would have followed that rule in Paris a few years back. Curses on those Parisian pick-pockets.
Bottom Line
I highly recommend the Allett wallet. It makes a great travel wallet and, if you’re like me, you may decide to make it your new permanent wallet. Sometimes smaller is better and less is more.
The Hudson Valley Rail Trail is ideal for human-powered vehicles of all types. It’s a great way to see fall colors and easily accessible from New York City via Amtrak to Poughkeepsie. One suggested route for enjoying this trail is to take an Ulster County bus from the Poughkeepsie train station to New Paltz. Most of the bus drivers are willing to let you off right where the trail begins near the America’s Best Value Inn hotel in New Paltz. Then, make the walk or bike ride back toward Highland, NY or the Walkway Over the Hudson. It is possible to walk the whole thing in one day and fairly easy to bike it in a day.
Empire State Trail
If you stay near the east end of the trail, you can also hike or bike the Walkill Valley Rail Trail on another day and the River to Ridge Trail on yet another day. The Walkill Valley Rail Trail goes both north and south from the eastern end of the Hudson Valley Rail Trail. If you take the Hudson Valley Rail Trail east from Poughkeepsie (actually from the east end of the Walkway Over the Hudson), then turn north on the Walkill Valley Rail Trail (just east of highway 87), you are on the Empire State Trail the entire time. The Empire State Trail is 750 miles of trail enjoyment. It runs all the way from New York City to Buffalo, NY with most of the route being off road. The northern portion of the Empire State Trail utilizes such historic pathways as the Erie Canal Trail and the Champlain Valley Trail.
