Rail trails crisscross region

By Bond Brungard
Poughkeepsie Journal

Under the rusted grandeur of the ironwork supporting a bridge across the Wallkill River, Alison Nash was taking some strides on a pair of cross-country skis along the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail.

The bridge is covered with snow now, making it ideal for skiing and other winter activities. But under the white covering is a wood deck that covers the span, enabling year-round use by walkers, bicyclists and horse enthusiasts.

The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail opened in 1991, stretching from Gardiner to the northern New Paltz town line. Another portion of the rail bed, under private ownership for public use, is also being used for a rail trail from the New Paltz town line through Rosendale and north to Kingston.

Nash lives in the Village of New Paltz, where the rail trail passes, and for her and others, it serves as convenient place to walk, relax and enjoy the vistas of the Shawangunk ridgeline.

"It's right in town and easy to walk to," she said, "without having to get into the car. That's what I like. I don't have to plan if I have an hour to spare."

Long abandoned by railroads because trucks and automobiles replaced their services, these rail beds are now serving as recreational rail trails throughout the Hudson Valley.

The popular Wallkill Valley Rail Trail is one of four rail trails that connect towns and villages, through open fields and woods, from the western boundary of the Catskill Mountains to eastern Dutchess County.

And with the season's accumulated, lasting snow pack, these trails are proving popular for cross-country skiing. When the snow is gone, the trails will again attract those interested in a nice walk through the first buds of spring, a stroll on a long summer night or a brisk bike ride through autumn's colorful wake.

Nearby in the Town of Lloyd, the Hudson Valley Rail Trail Association is working to extend its rail trail along New Paltz Road.

Currently, the trail is 2.5 miles long, but work is under way to extend its boundaries beyond Tony Williams Field on the north, along Riverside Drive to some more abandoned rail bed stretching up to Route 299.

The rail trail was partially paved in 1999, enabling easy use of baby strollers and other wheeled equipment.

"People come here and say it's the best trail for in-line skating and cross-country skiing," said Everton Henriques, a founder and president of the Hudson Valley Rail Trail.

Across the Shawangunk ridgeline in the Rondout Valley, D&H/O&W Heritage Corridor stretches nearly 35 miles from Kingston to Ellenville and offers a rail trail along parts of the abandoned D&H Canal and the Ontario & Western Railroad.

The rail trail runs along Route 209, with an access point south of Hurley, and continues through communities such as Cottekill, High Falls and Accord, where a three-mile stretch runs along the narrow confines of the Rondout Creek toward the hamlet of Kerhonkson.

"We're finding that this (rail trail) does attract new homeowners," said Sheldon Quimby, an Ulster County deputy administrator who helped create the corridor.

More on the way

In eastern Dutchess County, the first leg of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail runs between Wassaic and Millerton, more than four miles away.

There are plans to open more miles of the rail trail into Columbia County and beyond.

"Within five years, we'll have 22 continuous miles of rail trail," said David Shurfelt. He's working with the state and local governments to increase the trail's mileage.

Shurfelt said the rail trail is attracting a lot of users, between 25,000 and 30,000 a year.

"We've had as many as 350 people on a Saturday," he said.