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Routes for bicycling
- Rhinebeck - Bard - Red Hook -- 19 miles, gentle
hills. A visit to
Bard College and the village of Red Hook, with pleasant riding on tree-lined roads and country estates
along the way. 700 vertical feet, hill
index 2.2. Start points Rhinebeck, Red Hook. [
Description | Map
]
- Rhinebeck to Tivoli -- 34 miles, gentle to
moderate hilliness. A visit to the villages of Tivoli and Rhinecliff, Bard
College, with tree-lined roads, the river, and country estates -- and return
through farm country. 1500 vertical feet, hill
index 2.5. Start points
Rhinebeck, Rhinecliff, Tivoli, Red Hook. [ Description
| Map ]
- Harlem Valley Wandering
-- 29 miles, moderate hills (shorter variations). 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. Start points Amenia,
Wassaic train station, Millerton, Sharon CT. 1600 vertical feet, hill index
3.3 [ Description
| Map |
Photos
]
- Copake Falls + Ancramdale to Wassaic one-way --
46 miles, moderate hilliness (with gentler variations of 25, 31, 43 miles). Immersion in beautiful farm country of Columbia and Dutchess counties on quiet roads
with good pavement. Food stops in two interesting hamlets -- Ancramdale and Millerton. Option to sample the prettiest paved
"rail trail" around. 2500 vertical feet,
hill index 3.1 [ Description
| Map
]
- Quaker Ridge -- 45 miles, hilly. Lots of
beautiful scenes on quiet back roads -- in southeast Dutchess County and Connecticut.
3300 vertical feet, hill
index 4.2. Start points Pawling, Dover Plains, Brewster, Kent CT.
[ Description | Map ]
- Farms of East Dutchess -- 54 miles, hilly.
Many farms, some with animals, much on pleasant roads with less traffic,
some rewarding downhills -- reachable by train from Manhattan. Start points Dover
Plains train station, Millbrook, Amenia. 4100 vertical feet, hill index
4.7 [ Description
| Map + GPS
| Cue sheet
]
- Harlem Valley Rail to Trail to Falls -- 59 miles,
moderate hilliness (shorter and longer variations). Endless rolling quiet roads with
beautiful farms in Dutchess and Columbia counties. Climb to the
biggest views from a Dutchess county road. Lunch at the two
bakeries of Ancramdale. Ride sections on
the nicest paved "rail trail" around. Start points: Wassaic train station, Amenia, Millerton, Copake Falls, Sharon CT. 3900 vertical feet, hill index
3.8 [ Description
| Map
]
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Dutchess County has three bridges across the great Hudson River, and
it's a special thing to ride across one of them. It's even more
special to ride across two of them, and each of these routes makes a
loop on both sides of the river, with two bridges.
- Bear Mountain Bridge to Newburgh-Beacon Bridge,
loop on both sides of the Hudson river -- 42 miles, hilly. Spectacular views of the Hudson River,
from every angle. Rocks, trees, castles, two great bridge crossings, and West Point.
2700 vertical feet, hill
index 4.0. Start points Beacon or Cold Spring Metro North train
stations, Bear
Mountain State Park, Newburgh. [ Description
| Map
| GPS
]
- Mid-Hudson Bridge to Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, loop on both sides of the Hudson river -- 54
miles, hilly. Pretty roads in quiet woods, two big Hudson river
bridges, shops and sights at the Rondout waterfront, some quiet riding along
the shore with a picnic park, optional side trips to Rhinebeck or New
Paltz. 3400 vertical feet (feels like 3900 feet) hill
index 4.0 -- also an easier version.
Start points Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff,
Kingston, Highland. [ Description
| Map
| GPS
]
- Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge to Rip Van Winkle
Bridge, loop on both sides of the Hudson river -- 57 miles, moderate, from Rhinecliff to
Saugerties to Catskill, then Germantown and Tivoli. Shaded roads in the
woods, two fine Hudson river bridge crossings, sweeping views of farms with
the Catskill mountains beyond.
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| East
side
routes | Tourism
Routes reached by Trains from New York City
Another special thing about Dutchess county is that it is served by
two train lines from New York City. Several of the bike routes
above can be started from train stations -- a convenient way for many
riders to reach them. See Routes
from Trains.
Other People's Routes
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| East
side
routes | Tourism
see also
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| East
side
routes | Tourism |
