Connecting between

Poughkeepsie trains -- Salt Point -- Northeast Dutchess county

• where:  between the Poughkeepsie train station and Salt Point, NY -- or back the other way.

• 17 miles one-way.  Moderate hilliness (1200 vertical feet, hill index 4.0 -- less going back). 

• mapping:  digital mapping resources + GPS . . .

A) Poughkeepsie to Salt Point [bhve12a]:  mostly like B but in reverse direction

B) Salt Point to Poughkeepsie [bhve12b] : on Bikely | Google Earth KML | GPX

• purpose:  This route provides some ideas for how to access routes in north and northeast Dutchess county from a convenient railroad station and from Walkway over the Hudson.  The Poughkeepsie train station has service by Metro North and Amtrak (as of 2009). 

• characteristics:  

Hilliness:  moderate hilliness -- about 1200 vertical feet of climbing West-bound (hill index 4.0) from the Poughkeepsie train station to Salt Point; and about 900 vertical feet of climbing (hill index 3.2) going back to Poughkeepsie.  (The alternate longer return through Clinton Hollow to Poughkeepsie has about 1100 vertical feet of climbing, hill index 3.2)

Traffic:  Some of the roads have high traffic volume and/or high-speed motor vehicle traffic.

• warning:  roads change -- but we have not checked much of the main route since the date below.

And it might have been a longer time since some of the Variations of the route were last checked by us.  Some roads and intersections might be different since then, or closed -- so be prepared to find alternatives -- a good reason to carry a detailed map. Other people may have more recent experiences with parts of the route which could help prepare: see the Reports page linked below.

Route not checked by us since 2005 -- learn more | see Reports

• warning:  Riding a bicycle on roads has dangers and risks that need to be taken seriously.  For more on those, see our page on risks.

more . . . 

• Metro North requires a special permit to bring a bicycle on board their trains, and this permit cannot be obtained at the Poughkeepsie station (as of July 2002).  

For more info and links about bringing a bicycle on board Metro North or Amtrak trains, see Train Stations with Bicycle Routes. 

• map:  You should have a detailed road map of Dutchess County to do this route (see Road Maps).  See also digital mapping + GPS resources above.

Connecting 

Connecting from this route to the Horses and Hills of Northeast Dutchess route calls for some thought about the options: 

• Salt Point Turnpike (Route 115) from Salt Point to Clinton Corners often gets a lot of high speed vehicle traffic, because it connects directly to an exit on the Taconic State Parkway.  And it has a curve with questionable visibility just west of the Taconic (seems to us like it's worse in the West-bound / South-bound direction). 

As of August 2004 they've paved some shoulders thru this section, but the traffic lanes are still not wide, and I still do not want to ride that curve. 

• Hibernia Road (East) to Dutchess County Route 13 / Clinton Corners Rd  requires crossing the very-high-speed Taconic State Parkway, though otherwise it is a convenient way to connect. 

In August 2002 this crossing was officially closed.  To prevent vehicles from crossing, a barrier has been erected across the median between the south-bound and north-bound lanes.  

We're not exactly sure what the legal implications of this are for bicyclists.  We've heard from some riders that it is still legal to walk across the Taconic Parkway at this point.  And from what we could see there in September 2004, it looked like a bicycle could be lifted over the barrier on the median. But we also know that the Mid-Hudson Bicycle Club has told all its ride leaders that its group rides may not cross any closed median crossings on the Taconic. 

• from Pleasant Valley, Route 44 East to Route 82 North to Hibernia Rd.  Route 44 gets lots of high-speed vehicle traffic.  It has reasonable lane width and mostly one-foot-wide shoulders for most of this section -- except around its intersection with the Taconic State Parkway, where there is a second lane in each direction for exit ramp and entrance ramps with no shoulder.  

Route 82 in this section has reasonable lane width and mostly one-foot-wide shoulders -- though perhaps there is a narrower and/or rougher section near its intersection with Dutchess County Route 13.  (We also noticed a couple of curves with questionable visibility on Route 13 between Route 82 and Clinton Corners) 

Connecting from this route to Millbrook 

• Route 44 is the shortest way, but not the only one.  For the section between Pleasant Valley and Route 82 North, see the notes above.  We saw these conditions as off September 2002:  Between Route 82 North and Route 44A, it mostly has a one-foot-wide shoulder.  From Route 44A to the turn North into Millbrook, Route 44 has mostly a wide shoulder.  Going through the village of Millbrook, it is mostly wide, but expect some parked cars.  

Route 44A is a short-cut to bypass the village of Millbrook, so it tends to get some high-speed vehicle traffic.  As of September 2002, we saw reasonable lane width and mostly a one-foot-wide shoulder. 

East of Millbrook, we have some memories of parts of Route 44 with no shoulders. 

see also

• Cue Sheets :: West-bound :: East-bound

• detail Map for Poughkeepsie section

• Train stations with bicycle routes