Wallkill Valley Rail Trail - Route

Route

The trail begins at Denniston Road, in the southern part of the town of Gardiner. Movement farther south is impossible, because the corridor south of Denniston Road is fenced off by barbed wire. After roughly 1+1⁄₂ miles (2.4 km), it crosses Sand Hill Road before approaching the hamlet of Gardiner at the 2+1⁄₂-mile (4.0 km) mark. Once in the hamlet, the trail intersects U.S. Route 44 (concurrent with State Route 55).

Located within the hamlet are a defunct, former dairy creamery and the site of the former Gardiner railroad station. Built in 1881 and opened the following year, the creamery was one of the dairies that transported its products to New York City by way of the Wallkill Valley Railroad. It was originally the property of the Borden family, but closed in the 1920s, and has since been renovated as an apartment complex. The former Gardiner railroad station ceased operations when the rail line closed. It became a sporting goods store by 1981, a video store by the early 1990s, and an antique store by 1995. The station burned down on October 10, 2002.

The trail crosses Phillies Bridge Road 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the hamlet, with an overpass carrying the trail over Forest Glen Road 3⁄₄ miles (1.2 km) farther. The road overlies the Catskill Aqueduct and Delaware Aqueduct. Originally supported by trestles and a stone foundation, the overpass was rebuilt in 1910 during the construction of the Catskill Aqueduct. The reconstruction removed the trestles and added a cement foundation. Though a local legend holds that the bridge was originally built in response to the death of a prominent woman at the Forest Glen railroad crossing, it is more likely that it was built to maintain the rail line at a consistent grade. A little over 1⁄₁₀ miles (0.16 km) from the bridge is the site of the former Forest Glen station. The trail crosses Bridge Creek Road and Old Ford Road about 1⁄₄ and 1 mile (0.40 and 1.6 km) from the Forest Glen bridge, respectively, before entering the town of New Paltz.

Shortly after entering New Paltz, the trail crosses a bridge over Plattekill Creek. The masonry for the bridge was completed by late June 1870, and trestle work was done by July. Originally made of wood, the bridge was accidentally set on fire in 1880 by ashes or sparks from a passing train. This prompted the railroad to coat its rail ties with tin while replacing its wooden bridges with ones made of stone. The bridge's original abutments were made of Shawangunk conglomerate. It was rebuilt in 1912, and crosses the Plattekill Creek at a height of 35 feet (11 m). The Shawangunk Ridge is visible from the bridge.

Plains Road is shortly after the bridge, and the trail continues for 3⁄₁₀ miles (0.48 km) before crossing Cedar Lane. It crosses Plains Road again after another 1+1⁄₅ miles (1.9 km), reaching the Sojourner Truth park in the village of New Paltz. The trail is connected to the park via a small footbridge constructed in 2010 by the Alexandria, Minnesota–based construction company Contech. It has a weight limit of 5 short tons (4.5 t) and is able to withstand earthquakes.

At the edge of the park, the trail crosses Water Street and enters the Water Street Market, a "restored area of boutiques, galleries, and cafés". It then crosses State Route 299 and passes La Stazione, the former railroad station. The refurbished depot had been originally built in 1870, rebuilt after a 1907 fire, and sold to private interests in 1959. The building was in a state of disrepair by the early 1980s, but renovated in 1988 and converted to an Italian restaurant in 1999. Over the next 1⁄₂ miles (0.80 km), the trail passes North Front Street, Broadhead Avenue, and Mulberry Street. After another 1⁄₂ miles (0.80 km) the trail traverses Huguenot Street, a historic district containing colonial-era stone houses. Some of the houses date to the late 1600s.

About 1 mile (1.6 km) from Huguenot Street, the trail reaches the 413-foot (126 m) Springtown bridge spanning the Wallkill River. The bridge was originally made of wood and completed by the middle of December 1870, but was rebuilt between 1880 and 1881, using iron, by Clark, Reeves & Co. It was rated by the superintendent of the Wallkill Valley Railroad to be safe for rail traffic as fast as 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). The bridge's decking and benches were put in place in 1993 by volunteers and members of the nearby Hutterite community in the hamlet of Rifton. The design of the bridge's railings was influenced by equestrians to better accommodate horses. Immediately after the bridge is Springtown Road.

The trail continues west of the Wallkill River. Roughly 1+1⁄₂ miles (2.4 km) from the Springtown bridge, the trail crosses Cragswood Road. Another 3⁄₁₀ miles (0.48 km) farther, it reaches the New Paltz–Rosendale boundary line, continuing another 3 miles (4.8 km) on formerly private property to Mountain Road in the hamlet of Rosendale. The nearby Rosendale trestle was shut down for repairs in June 2010. When renovations are complete, the trail will continue an additional 8+1⁄₂ miles (14 km) over the Rondout Creek to Kingston, crossing Interstate 87 and terminating by State Route 32. The extension passes through the town of Ulster and includes four small bridges between Rosendale and Kingston.