the wallkill valley rail trail

You can enter this trail at a variety of spots, most with convenient parking. Suitable for all ages, and you can either walk, run, or bicycle. It's a very scenic experience, winding along the river bank at times. We enjoy family bike rides during the summer on this trail.

The Wallkill Valley Rail trail is very cool. It runs along an old RR tracks,(hence the name) and starts on Main St. in New Paltz. You can rent bikes right there or bring your own. The trail is rather long but very scenic. We saw caves and rivers and cool bridges. Great for the family just plan your distance. My wife got crazy and we almost passed out from exhaustion!!!

Walking the trail every other day seems so relaxing, and a great way to stay fit and healthy...don't want to walk on the side of the roads.

I live near this rail trail, and use it often. It is an excellent alternative to walking on the roads, where people are so distracted that pedestrians and walkers risk being hit (outside the village of New Paltz there are not sidewalks). In good weather you can use the rail trail to get to places in town easier than taking the roads. But this is not a winter trail. It is mostly unpaved, and the paved section is very rough - so rough that a friend of mine will not take her bicycle there. There are rail trails in nearby communities that are paved, and when it snows, they are plowed. We don't have the money for that, I guess. But it would be nice to be able to use the trail in the winter.

I used to use this trail from New Paltz at the Gilded Otter to the Rosendale Trestle and back to train for marathons. It's a wonderful trail that is flat and goes through towns with great restaurants and shops and then the country with cows and horses. The newly restored Rosendale Trestle adds to the adventure as you cross this beautiful, high old railroad bridge and continue north toward Kingston. This is a wonderful trail to run or ride bikes on, or simply walk. Maybe stop in Rosendale or New Paltz to grab a bite as you pass through. It would make for a great day!

With the variety of parking areas and destinations, you can make this a short trip or a day-long event. I've taken bike rides with young children as well as adult friends. Always a pleasant, safe adventure. It's a bit narrower and gravel filled than the Dutchess Rail Trail, but very scenic.

We did this trail from New Paltz up to the Rosendale trestle. It was level and wide enough, but there were sections that were very bumpy and you really need a mountain bike or a hybrid. We passed by many scenic views, horse farm and bridges. There is a section where the view is just woods on either side of you, but it is still a beautiful trip, especially when the leaves are changing color. Next time, I want to take the trail south too.

Our friends live in Rosendale and whilst visiting them we borrowed their mountain bikes for the afternoon. We rode from Rosendale to New Paltz on the trail and it was awesome. We enjoyed the trail so much that we would do it again when we return. We did about 24 miles perhaps in total as we went on an adventure looking at so e other places en route. Worth a ride!!!!

This trail runs from Kingston to shawangunk,27 miles end to end , rode it now numerous times , getting better all the time , new improved bridge in rosendale, to great views , over round out creek then to more over the platt kill creek , watch crossings, people do not yield.

The trail is a lovely way to walk in or out of town. You can walk the full way or just a part of it. They have two places where you can join the trail and if you have a car you can park at either entrance they call it a stop and ride zone. Overall the scenery is lovely well worth the effort.

We had a great bike along the Wallkill Valley Rail trail. We made a reservation in advance to rent two mountain bikes for the day from Bicycle Depot, located right off the trail in New Paltz. Just a heads up - Bicycle Depot advises putting in a reservation a few days ahead or else you might not get a rental. The guys there were super nice and helpful. The trail itself offered a great shaded gravel and stone path to bike down with minimal amounts of people. We biked an hour out to a very pretty overpass view of the mountains and underlying valley. Other than that you are mostly under the forest canopy, keeping it cool. The scenery is pretty and was thoroughly enjoyable.

The rail trail is a wonderful biking and running trail with much to see and do on the way. The closer you are to New Paltz Village the more there is to do. Dog friendly too.

If you start south of New Paltz in the town of Gardiner and head north on the Wallkill Valley railtrail, you will have some great views on your left of Millibrook Mt, Skytop Tower at Mohonk House, and Bonticou Craig, topping off those scenic views with a restful place on a bridge over water and enjoy its nice view. Most of the rest of the trail north to and through the town of New Paltz and beyond is not particularly scenic except for a long trestle bridge over the Wallkill River north of New Paltz that is quite scenic and has benches to rest on (worth the extra miles). You will have biked about 12 miles. Note that there are no toilet facilities along the railtrail, not even a job johnny, so plan accordingly for a stop in New Paltz (great restaurants with many ethnic choices). If you wish to skip the next several miles of non-descript but quite shady and cool woods-section north of the Wallkill River trestle, pedal back to Gardiner for your car (about another 12 miles) and drive to Rosendale's Binnewater Kiln parking lot with its towering face still intact; cross the street and turn right (south bound) on the Wallkill railtrail which then crosses the Roundout River on the spectacular Rosendal Trestle, with great scenic views off to either side. Turn back after crossing the trestle (or you'll be heading south toward the non-descript but shady woods section you skipped) and recross the trestle heading north on the rail-trail (double your pleasure, double your fun). Keep on the lookout for some strange caverns (actually sandstone mines remnants) on the right side down off the trail soon after passing your parked car. Continue north to the Williams Lake Project that has a lake and many historical marker-stops to learn about the visible remnants of the once flourishing kiln industry that burned the sandstone to make limestone for cement. You will have biked about 2 and 1/2 miles when you come to Hickory Bush Rd. You can continue north another mile or so to the paved NY St Thruway Underpass and continue all the way to Ulster and Kingston, but the railtrail becomes an asphalt road before the Underpass (the asphalt is the only part of the railtrail suitable for a road bike, which unfortunately is the type of bike this author actually used for this two day Wallkill railtrail ride which made it a jarring ride ending with a stiff and sore upper back and neck, not to mention the part that is most sensitive to a road bike's seat).). I am now going to skip buying a mt bike and go straight over to a comfort bike. I deserve it. I'm 70 years old.

Enjoyed this rail trail and now since it has been expanded further, from Walden to Rosendale and beyond, it's a great ride on bikes, walk with pets, a run, or stroll. Comfortable, safe, friendly - and a stop at Waterstreet market for coffee athte Mudd Puddle or at Jars (wine & tapas bar, or the restaurant upstairs (sorry, I've forgotten name - good food and outstanding servers and great views), and, almost forgot, a wonderful stop for your dog, you have all you need for a great day.

I have ran, walked and biked this trail many times. It was recently expanded past Rosendale, making the trail something like 40 miles end to end. Part of it runs along the Walkill river. there are also some nice views of the Shawangunk Mountains. The trail can be accessed at many points, including downtown New Paltz. Most of the trail is dirt/crushed rock, with a short paved section in the village of New Paltz. Check it out!