Croton Aqueduct - Old Croton Trail

The Old Croton Trail extends for 26.2 miles (42.2 km) in Westchester County, New York, providing public access along all but four segments – in southern Yonkers, Tarrytown, Scarborough and Ossining – of the route of the aqueduct, including across the lawn of Lyndhurst, following the acqeduct's easement. The Trail enters New York City on the eastern side of Van Cortlandt Park and runs through the Bronx alongside Aqueduct Avenue and under the southern part of University Avenue.

Both trail and the tunnel comprise the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park, which was created in 1968 and encompasses the northernmost 26 miles (42 km) of the Aqueduct and its right-of-way, from Croton Gorge Park to the Yonkers-New York City line. It lies wholly within Westchester County, but is under the jurisdiction of the Taconic Region of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The trail runs roughly parallel to Metro North's Hudson Line from northern Yonkers to Scarborough and is accessible from numerous stations on that line. The trail briefly parallels the Rockefeller State Park Preserve and its trails. Access to the trail is easiest where it crosses Route 9, known variously as Albany Post Road, Broadway or Highland Avenue.

Heading southbound into downtown Yonkers, the trail goes on-street at Bishop William J. Walls Place and N. Broadway. Follow sidewalk on N. Broadway for one block, then make a left onto Ashburton Avenue going east. At Palisades Avenue, make a right and the trail bed restarts.

Remnants of the aqueduct still exist and can be seen along the trail, including 21 stone ventilators, and three stone weirs, chambers which were used to empty the aqueduct for maintenance. A portion of the Old Croton Aqueduct, running from the Croton River to Manhattan, was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1992. The Croton Water Supply System was also designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1975.

The interior of the Old Croton Aqueduct has been explored and documented by Miru Kim and “guerrilla historian” Steve Duncan. The aqueduct also plays an important role in E. L. Doctorow's novel The Waterworks.