- Where: in the Catskill mountains in northern Ulster County.
- 30 miles. Moderate hills (1900 vertical feet, hill
index 3.5).
  
- Highlights: The arts and shops and food of Woodstock,
and the surrounding houses of those who enjoy its culture. Beautiful views across the largest lake
in the Hudson Valley, and of the highest summits in the Catskill
mountains.
- Characteristics: No really big climbs, but several
moderate ones. Traffic interaction is somewhat greater
than most routes on this website.
Warning: Some of the roads and
paths of this route along the Ashokan Reservoir were closed to
bicycling for
several months in response to the 9/11 events. Since then all of
them have been re-opened for bicycling (as of November 2006). See details on Road
Condition Reports, under "Ulster County".
If those roads or paths are closed, the obvious
alternate for the main route is to stay on Route 28A East-bound for
the section near the Ashokan Reservoir.
Hill climbs: Total vertical around 1900 feet.
Five climbs of around 150-200 feet, with some sections of those
greater than 6% grade. Variation B adds two more climbs for
another 300 vertical feet of climbing, with one section over 10%
grade.
Downhills: A very steep descent on Piney Point Rd /
Cold Brook Rd down to Route 28 -- at an average grade of about 9% for
over 300 vertical feet,
including a sustained section over 12%. This can be avoided by
taking Variation A -- Winnie Rd is not quite as steep, and for only
about half as long. Variation B has a steep descent of about 100
feet with much of it over 9% grade; it ends in a curve at a
single-lane bridge.
Traffic: Not many sections on really quiet
roads -- the area is too popular, especially on weekends. Rt
212 can have significant traffic and higher speeds, and does not
have wide shoulders. Rt 28 has high-speed traffic, but pretty
reasonable shoulders in the section on this route. Rt 28A is a
reasonably wide road without marked shoulders, but some other
non-really-quiet roads are not that wide and do not have
shoulders. If you're not experienced and comfortable with
handling traffic, you should choose a different route (especially on
a popular weekend).
Route Direction "Cue" Sheet - - Map of route
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By car from
South: NY Thruway to exit 19 (Kingston). From the exit,
take Rt 28 West about 5 miles. Turn Right at traffic light
onto Rt 375 and go North about 2.4 miles. Turn Left onto Rt
212 and go about 0.4 miles into the center of Woodstock at Rock City
Rd. Turn Right on Rock City Rd for public parking.
By car from North: NY Thruway to exit
20 (Saugerties). From the exit, turn Left onto Rt 32 North,
then continue straight on Rt 212 West about 7.5 miles to the center
of Woodstock. Turn Right on Rock City Rd for public
parking.
By car from West on Rt 28: coming
from Phoenicia on Rt 28 East, go about 2.5 miles, then turn Left
onto Rt 212 and go East about 9 miles into the center of
Woodstock. Turn Left on Rock City Rd for public parking.
(Or start the route in Boiceville.)
Other starting points: Ashokan
Reservoir (see Ashokan Reservoir
Views route), Zena, Boiceville.
- You should have a detailed road map of Ulster County to do this route (see Maps).
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