The view from the trail, just west of Butterville Rd.
A six-mile loop trail connecting the village of New Paltz to the Shawangunk Ridge will officially open Saturday, Sept. 8, with an event featuring local dignitaries and a ceremonial First Bike Ride and Walk.
The $1.7 million trail was constructed by the Open Space Institute with support of the Butler Conservation Fund, for public use and enjoyment.
The trail traverses stunning, rolling hills and runs alongside active farmland. Limited event parking will be available at the River-to-Ridge trailhead parking area at Springtown Road. Following the speakers, there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony, and a first bike ride / first hike opportunity.
An earlier version of the map we ran back in May. Ignore the dotted vs. solid lines- the whole trail is done!
Protected lands on the ridge include the 8,000-acre Mohonk Preserve and 22,275-acre Minnewaska State Park.
The opening celebration will be held at the River-to-Ridge Trail Trailhead, 41 Springtown Road, New Paltz, NY (near the intersection of Springtown Road and Route 299) from 10 a.m. to noon. Speakers include representatives of the Open Space Institute and Mohonk Preserve; and local officials including: Mike Hein, county executive; Kevin Cahill, NYS assemblyperson; Tim Rogers, mayor of the village of New Paltz; and Neil Bettez, supervisor of the Town of New Paltz.
After all the waiting, this trail is a big disappointment. The surface is loose, sharp-edged gravel. There are already washouts along the trail, I’ve seen multiple cyclists with flats and kids with training wheels are going to find it slow going. A few hard rains and the surface will be ruined. The gates at all crossings are locked, leaving just a narrow opening to pass through. These openings are so narrow that they strike my mountain bike’s handlebar, meaning I can’t ride through and have to get off the bike again and again just to continue. The designers should have looked to the Highland or Wallkill rail trails for guidance if they wanted to build something truly useful for the community. As it stands, only the location is a positive draw, the trail itself is awful.