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.
