New Paltz to Kingston to Rhinebeck -- stage of NYC to Albany route

where: From the village of New Paltz in Ulster county to Rondout creek waterfront in the city of Kingston, then to the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge over to the east side of the Hudson River, and a little south to village of Rhinebeck in Dutchess county.

alternate for this stage is to ride the Walkway over the Hudson to Poughkeepsie and then ride the first half of the Walkway / Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge loop up the east side of the river to Rhinebeck. Which could be combined with riding the alternate Newburgh to Poughkeepsie route in the previous stage.

30 miles, with moderate hilliness.
highlights: big views from the middle of the K-R bridge (especially if look back west), farms, Rondout waterfront, water views along the Wallkill River and Rondout Creek, with some old canal locks.
route maps + directions: (see more below)

A) New Paltz to Kingston [bhvw10a]: view map Bikely | Google Earth KML | download GPX

B) Kingston to Rhinebeck [bhva6b]: view map Bikely | Google Earth KML | download GPX

variation: Poughkeepsie to Rhinebeck [bhva6c]: view map Bikely | cue sheet Bikely | Google Earth KML | download GPX

traffic: Some quiet roads, some busier streets thru Kingston, some riding on the (reasonably wide) shoulders of high-speed roads leaving Kingston and over the Kingston-Rhinecliff bridge.
hilliness: Mostly gentle, though two climbing sections in Kingston up from the Roundout waterfront (one steep-ish, the other long) and a significant climb up to the middle of the Kingston-Rhinecliff.

road maps: See route maps below. In case something unexpected blocks the route, you should also have a detailed road maps of Ulster and Dutchess counties to do this route (see Road Maps).

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 2008 -- learn more | see Reports

variation Poughkeepsie to Rhinebeck not checked by us since 2007 -- 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.

Route Directions + Maps

1) Start with first half of New Paltz to Kingston Waterfront (cue sheet) to get to the Roundout Creek waterfront in Kingston. (18 miles)

map for New Paltz to Kingston waterfront

GPS capable map on Bikely ("Share" tab exports to .GPX or .KML)

2) then use the Kingston waterfront to Rhinebeck cue sheet directions. (13 miles)

map for Kingston to Rhinebeck: on Google maps

GPS capable map on Bikely ("Share" tab exports to .GPX or .KML)

more mapping resources:

A) New Paltz to Kingston [bhvw10a]: view map Bikely | Google Earth KML | download GPX

B) Kingston to Rhinebeck [bhva6b]: view map Bikely | Google Earth KML | download GPX

(For more route ideas, see the Walkway / Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge loop)

see more of Ulster county

There's more pretty riding in this area, so here's some ideas for how to fit some of that with this section of the NYC to Albany route:

Great Shawangunk Hill Loop near its finish meets New Paltz to Kingston Waterfront just after its start. Side trip visits to Castle Point and Lake Awosting at Minnewaska State Park (on dirt-gravel) and to the Mohonk Mountain House and its lake and rock scrambles include some of the great sights of the northeast U.S.
For less miles and climbing, could ride only one of the crossings of the Shawangunk ridge -- at Minnewaska -- only the first half of the Great Shawangunk Hill Loop. After taking Tow Path Rd to Alligerville, there are several ways to go north to meet Rt 213 near High Falls, then take Rt 213 East to Rosendale to meet the New Paltz to Kingston Waterfront route.
A grand way to see the biggest lake in the Hudson valley and visit Woodstock (the very village which gave the name to the famous 1960s rock concert) is to take the first part of the New Paltz to Ashokan Reservoir route to second half of the Woodstock and around the Ashokan Reservoir route. From the Woodstock, there are several ways to connect to Kingston and Rhinebeck.

One of the prettiest (but not the shortest) would be to go back to the Reservoir and continue the New Paltz to Ashokan Reservoir loop with the fun Ashokan Rd descent, but then leave that route by taking Rt 213 East from High Falls to Rosendale and join the New Paltz to Kingston Waterfront route.

Another idea would be to omit the Rondout waterfront part of Kingston, and ride more directly from Woodstock to the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge.

to visit the city of Poughkeepsie and see the historic estates and mansions (Vanderbilt, Roosevelt) of Hyde Park, could use the New Paltz to Poughkeepsie connection to cross the Mid-Hudson Bridge over to the east side of the Hudson River, then go north to Rhinebeck by some combination of the official New York state "Bike Route 9" and the first half of the Walkway over the Hudson / Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge loop.

Route Directions + Maps

see more of Ulster county

see also