Visitors can explore on bike, boat or foot

By Pete Colaizzo
Poughkeepsie Journal

The club may have been founded and may be based in the northern New York mountain range that’s home to the state’s highest peak — Mount Marcy. But if it’s outdoors activities in the mid-Hudson Valley — stuff to get you to break a sweat and break a smile at the beauty of it all — the first stop should be joining in the club’s many activities locally and regionally, all year long.

From hiking to kayaking, from cross-country skiing to snowshoeing — and virtually everything in between — the mid-Hudson chapter of the club offers an excellent primer to everything this region has on display from sunup until sundown.

‘‘We offer weekly activities year-round,’’ said Ben Shor, of Marlboro, Ulster County, the mid-Hudson chapter membership chair. ‘‘In the winter, if there is snow, we have cross country skiing and snowshoeing outings. Most of what we do is related to hiking, but we do have a good amount of canoe and kayak activities as well.’’
Where to start? How about with a simple walk in the woods.

Overlooked treasure

One place often overlooked as commuters whiz by it on Route 9 in the Town of Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County is Locust Grove, the historic site of Samuel Morse. Locust Grove offers miles of undulating trails with views up and down the Hudson River.

‘‘The trails are well kept and everyone seems to like it,’’ said Florence Graff, president of the Wappinger Walker’s Club. The club meets for weekly group walks from early spring through late fall.

For those seeking a bit more of a thrill, the trails in the Shawangunk Ridge and Catskill Mountains in Ulster County offer more climbing. Speaking of climbing, the ‘Gunks’ in Ulster are considered among the best rock climbing venues in the country.

When the winter wind whips, those trails do not get abandoned. Cross-country skiers take to the wide carriage paths of Minnewaska State Park in Ulster County. And when those rocks are covered with ice, some climbers are not deterred as ice climbing is a popular — albeit extreme — form of winter recreation.

But for most, cross-country skiing becomes a great way to huff and puff through the cold weather. Among the favorite places: Williams Lake in Rosendale, Ulster County; Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska, west of New Paltz, Ulster County; James Baird State Park in LaGrange, Dutchess County; Fahnestock State Park in Putnam County.

Travel by snow

Downhill skiers and snowboard enthusiasts have many options within a short drive. Catskill Mountain resorts Belleayre, Hunter and Windham mountains enjoyed long and fruitful seasons this past winter.

In the past decade, snowboarding has caught up with traditional, downhill skiing. Snowboarding is now equally as popular a method for getting down the mountain.

‘‘It’s much harder to learn initially,’’ said Georgia LoPresti of Kingston, a certified snowboard instructor at Belleayre. ‘‘But it’s much quicker to progress with it than with skiing.’’

For winter sports enthusiasts with physical and developmental disabilities, the adaptive sports foundation at Windham Mountain in Greene County services more than 1,000 people each winter. For Rebecca Seto, a 10-year-old Pleasant Valley, Dutchess County, girl with cerebral palsy, the program allows her to ski each winter. ‘‘She loves it,’’ Linda Seto, Rebecca’s mom, said.

When the snow melts and the sun stays high in the sky longer, the same folks who were gliding through Baird Park in cross country skis can be found whacking golf balls on the park’s driving range and its 18-hole course. Baird, in Dutchess County, is among the multitude of public and private courses in the area.

Two newer courses that have attracted the fancy of hard-core golfers are the ornate Links at Union Vale, Dutchess County, which opened four years ago, and Branton Woods in Stormville, Orange County, which debuted in 2001.

Trading strokes for spokes, cycling enthusiasts have so many excellent choices it’s enough to keep their heads — not to mention their tires — spinning. Rail trails are a popular cycling destination. The Harlem Valley Rail Trail in Amenia, Dutchess County, and the Wallkill River Rail Trail in Ulster County attract hundreds of pedalers each year.

Off-road, miles of mountain-bike trails lure thrill-seeking riders to the Taconic-Hereford Multiple Use Area in Pleasant Valley, Fahnestock in Putnam County and the Stewart Buffer Zone lands around the airport in Orange County.

And each year, the Mid-Hudson Bicycle Club hosts a Century Ride (100 miles) that traverses the area’s beauty.

Carlos Canadilla, of Pleasant Valley, has completed three MHBC Century Rides. ‘‘It’s my escape from life, my meditation,’’ he said after the 2002 ride.

First-class fishing

Off the road and into the water, the mid-Hudson region is awash in first-class fishing venues. In April, May and June, the Hudson River becomes a magnet for striped bass fishers near and far.

Those seeking the catch-and-release thrill of trout fishing can choose from a multitude of creeks, lakes and ponds. Wappinger Creek in Dutchess County and Morgan Lake in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, are two of the most popular sites. The Roeliff Jansen Kill, which runs through northern Dutchess and Columbia counties, is a favorite of fly fishers.

‘‘There’s plenty of good fishing in this area, whether it’s lake or stream fishing,’’ said Don Traver, of Red Hook, owner of Don’s Tackle Service for more than 50 years. ‘‘It’s all good fishing.’’