Not rugged but River to Ridge Trail is a gem
The clerk tip-tapped away on the computer keyboard, moved the mouse around a little, then shook his head.
“February 2022,” he said regretfully. Somewhat stunned, our tribe shuffled out of the bike shop, our hopes dashed.
After a fun week riding rented mountain bikes near Inlet last summer, my husband and I decided it would be great to explore some additional rugged trails. I’m personally not interested in hurtling down anything particularly gnarly — one trip over the handlebars was enough for me — but rolling gravel paths or old woods roads are right up my alley.
Sadly, the mountain bikes we had our eyes on are not just out of stock at Freeman’s Bridge Sports in Glenville, they’re back-ordered until next year. I’ve heard a lot of bike shops are in a similar position; with bike sales booming during the pandemic, inventory is low.
Luckily, my husband and I both have (very) old rugged bikes we can use, and we found a next-to
new option for our child through Facebook marketplace. Thus equipped, we set out last weekend on a warm spring day to check out the River to Ridge Trail in New Paltz.
We rode through the Ulster County town last year while exploring the southern end of the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, which runs 22 miles from Gardiner to the town of Ulster. Though we passed within a few hundred feet of it during that trip, we never realized the Wallkill Valley trail connects to the River to Ridge Trail in downtown New Paltz. While the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail runs north to south, the River to Ridge Trail heads west from the downtown business district to the Mohonk Preserve.
Last weekend, we parked less than a mile outside of town at a lot overflowing with cars. Though the main part of the trail heads west, we rode east into town to eat our lunches at a little river overlook before turning around for the main event.
Officially opened in the fall of 2018, the River to Ridge Trail was created by the Open Space Institute in partnership with the Mohonk Preserve, and with support from the Butler Conservation Fund. It’s technically only about 6.2 miles to complete the loop, but with its connections to other trails at either end, there are a wealth of riding possibilities. Our ride — which included the lunch stop and side trips to see the Mohonk Preserve historic gatehouse and to a nearby Stewart’s for ice cream — ended up being close to 14 miles long.
It was a beautiful, scenic trip. The trail starts down in the valley, next to the Wallkill River, and winds through open fields. The Shawangunk Ridge rises sharply in the distance and the Skytop Tower of the Mohonk Preserve is clearly visible as you ride west. The fields were still cloaked in winter’s brown last week, but in a few weeks, things should green up nicely. By summer, though, this first section, with no trees for shade, may be blazingly hot
on sunny days.
After crossing two low-traffic roads and a large open field, the gravel trail climbs steeply and views open up even more. Little signs are placed at intervals along the path, explaining how different aspects of the trail, including culverts and surface materials, were designed to preserve and protect not just the landscape but the local community.
After trail users descend the ridge, they pass seamlessly from OSI land onto lands of the Mohonk Preserve. As long as users stay on the River to Ridge Trail, they ride for free, but trail users who want to continue into the preserve on the old carriage roads there need to pay a fee ($15 for hikers, $20 for bikers, climbers, and horseback riders; kids 12 and under get in free with an adult). Passes can be purchased at preserve trailheads, including the trailhead at the gatehouse (dubbed the Testimonial Gateway on preserve maps), and at the Duck Pond contact station.
There are more trees in the Mohonk section of trail, and (I noted with relief ) a restroom at the gatehouse parking area. We also found the first spring colors at the gatehouse — the ground around the old stone building was a carpet of lavender crocuses, with a few gold blooms standing out like stars on a twilight sky.
The River to Ridge Trail is a little gem, and obviously extremely popular. It was long enough and had enough access points that it never felt crowded, though I also never felt we were alone on the trail.
In the end, we found the trail to be good enough quality that our mountain bikes were more rugged than really necessary. Hybrid tires would have been fine, and even skinny road tires might do.