- Where: northeast Dutchess County and Litchfield County
Connecticut -- starting near the Metro North train station at Wassaic.
- 29 miles, moderate hills, (1600 vertical feet, hill
index 3.5)
For a much longer route, 61 miles, see Harlem
Valley Rail to Trail to Falls.
For an easier route in this area, see Amenia
to Millerton - Rail Trail and Roads.
An option of interest to riders using the Metro North trains might
be to use the "connect" at mile 24.1 to join the Quaker
Ridge route and finish at the Metro North train station in Pawling
(total 46 miles) or even Brewster (total 60 miles).
- Highlights: Rolling quiet roads with beautiful farms
in Dutchess county and Connecticut, and a section on the nicest off-road "rail trail"
around. A tour through a
different world -- but reachable by train from Manhattan.
- Characteristics: Moderate hills.
Two sections on an off-road paved "rail trail". For
both the main route and the variations, traffic interaction is typical
of (or perhaps lower than) most other routes on this
website.
Hill climbs: Total climbing around 1600 vertical feet.
Three substantial climbs: the toughest almost 150 vertical feet
at a grade
around 8% (see Measuring
Hilliness), another of 300 feet but spread gently over 2 miles,
and one of around 100 feet with a rest in the middle.
Traffic: The main route normally very little
high-speed and/or high-volume motor vehicle traffic. About 7
miles have traffic which is more than low, but often less than
moderate. The rest of the road segments often have low traffic.
4.4 miles are off-road on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.
see Road Condition
Reports - Trip Reports
more . . .
- Directions to Start at Amenia -- trailhead of Rail Trail:
by car: Coming from the west: From the Taconic
State Parkway, go East on Route 44 to its intersection with Route 22 at
the traffic light in Amenia (along the way, can use Route 44A to bypass
Millbrook). Coming from the south, can take Rt 684 to Rt 22 to its
intersection with Rt 44 in Amenia. Then from the traffic light in
Amenia, go East on Rt 343 about a quarter mile, then turn Right onto
Mechanic St and go about a quarter mile to the Amenia trailhead -- at
the corner of Mechanic St, Railroad Ave, and Depot Hill Rd.
See the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
website for more details on directions and parking.
- Directions to Start at Wassaic train station parking lot:
by train: Take Metro North (Harlem Valley line)
to Wassaic.
by car: The Wassaic train station is right
next to the east side of Route 22 in western Dutchess county. The
station is about 3 miles South from the intersection of Routes 44 and 22 in
Amenia NY. Wassaic station is about 19.5 miles North from the
intersection of Routes 55 and 22 in Pawling NY. As of November 2003, parking
is free on weekends.
Alternate starts: Millerton,
Sharon
CT.
- Maps: You should have a detailed road map of Dutchess County to do this route (see
Road Maps).
- Connections to other routes:
Quaker Ridge goes
within 0.9 mile of this route at its southern reach near the Ten Mile
River train station.
Hills and Horse Farms of NE
Dutchess meets this route in Millerton and at Sheffield Hill Rd.
Berkshire Loop goes
within about 5.4 miles of Millerton. But the shoulders on
high-speed Route 44 between Millerton and Salisbury are narrow or
non-existent at some points, though often reasonable. There are
at least two other connecting routes, between Sharon and Salisbury,
with less motor vehicle traffic.
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