The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail opened officially in October 1993 as the seventeenth rail trail in New York State. NORTHERN TRAIL Hurley parking 0.3 miles south of … The trail also traverses U.S. Route 44 (concurrent with State Route 55), and state routes 299 and 213. Drive. [67] The station burned down on October 10, 2002. [98], The trail connects to the Binnewater Historic District in Rosendale. Originally constructed by the Wallkill Valley Railroad to continue its rail line from New Paltz to Kingston, the bridge rises 150 ft. above Rondout Creek, spanning both Route 213 … Another 3⁄10 mile (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. [105] Parking for the trail is provided at a municipal lot on Farmers Turnpike in Gardiner. [76] The refurbished depot had been originally built in 1870,[79] rebuilt after a 1907 fire,[80] and sold to private interests in 1959. [3], Converting the former corridor to a rail trail was first considered in a 1983 environmental report commissioned by the town of New Paltz. [94], The road between the former railroad station and Water Street Market was the first site of a new town crosswalk system that opened on March 29, 2008. When it opened to rail traffic on April 6… They’re open for lunch and dinner on Fridays and breakfast, lunch and dinners on Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting. It then crosses State Route 299 and passes La Stazione, the former railroad station. We are just off the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, about a mile and a quarter south of the Rosendale trestle bridge on Stone Mountain Farm in New Paltz, New York, 2 hours north of NYC. [76] The trail is connected to the park via a small footbridge constructed in 2010 by the Alexandria, Minnesota–based construction company Contech. We are located approx. The northern section of the trail forms part of the proposed Empire State Trail.[5]. [76], The trail continues west of the Wallkill River. The length of the trail was effectively doubled by a county land seizure in 2009. It stretches from Gardiner through New Paltz, Rosendale, and Ulster to the Kingston city line. 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. This map was created by a user. [27] The state provided an additional $5,000 to maintain the trail. Wallkill Valley Rail Trail: [9] During the 1980s, its owner, Conrail, began to salvage the former corridor's steel rails and sell off sections of the rail bed. The station was subsequently demolished by the county highway department. [89] 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 trail runs parallel to state routes 208 and 32;[107] there are two park and rides on Route 32,[108] a 63-spot lot in New Paltz,[109] and a 58-spot lot in Rosendale. The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail extends for 22 miles from the southern border of the Town of Gardiner north to the town of Ulster just south of the City of Kingston. The latest updates to the rolling trail closures on the WVRT from the contractor are as follows: 8/26-8/27 Rockwell Lane to DeWitt Mills Road 8/27-9/2 DeWitt Mills Road to Hickorybush Road 9/2-9/4 Breeze Hill to Rosendale Trestle These closures are for mowing … [101] Another historic district, the Snyder Estate, runs along the Rosendale section. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, call ahead to verify hours, and remember to practice social distancing. There are several other bridges that carry the trail, though none are as long. Rosendale Rail Trail. As the trail approaches Gardiner to the south, there are occurrences of sugar maple (Acer saccharum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) and black birch (Betula lenta). [56] Another obstruction between Rosendale and Ulster is a private swimming pool, which will be bypassed. We're on Stone Mountain Farm. [100] The Rosendale trestle has been the site of numerous picnics, barbecues, and at least one wedding. The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail is a 22+ mile trail and linear park that runs along the former Wallkill Valley railroad corridor in Ulster County, through the towns of Gardiner, New Paltz, Rosendale, and Ulster. The district was the location of several local quarries which opened throughout the region after the 1825 discovery of rocks capable of producing Rosendale cement in the nearby hamlet of High Falls. [110] There are two bicycle shops along the trail in both Gardiner and New Paltz. raise awareness. Construction on the trestle began in late 1870, and continued until early 1872. Though the section was worth $307,300, the Wallkill Valley Land Trust sold it to Gardiner for $70,000. [81] The building was in a state of disrepair by the early 1980s,[82] but renovated in 1988[83] and converted to an Italian restaurant in 1999. In the winter, you can do cross-country skiing on the trail. It has a weight limit of 5 short tons (4.5 t)[38][77] and is able to withstand earthquakes. Rosendale to Gardiner on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, 13 miles. Cars are not allowed on the trail. Travel 1/4 a mile up Binnewater Road, and you will see the parking lot on your left. [85], About 1 mile (1.6 km) from Huguenot Street, the trail reaches the 413-foot (126 m) Springtown bridge spanning the Wallkill River. The trail passes through dense vegetation, and is frequented by many types of animals and overwintering birds. The Rail Trail's web page (use Contact Information on this site) lovingly points out that: "The crown jewel of this 22-mile linear park is the famed Rosendale Trestle, with its 940 foot span over the Rondout Creek and soaring 150 feet above the water’s surface. [84] Over the next 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km), the trail passes North Front Street, Broadhead Avenue, and Mulberry Street. [102], Several shale outcrops are visible along the trail,[113] with views of the Shawangunk Ridge to the west;[114] the skytop tower of the Mohonk Mountain House is visible on one of the cliffs. [91] Restorations to the Rosendale trestle were completed, and the bridge was opened to the public in June, 2013. Flora along the northern end of the trail includes sumac (Rhus) and honeysuckle (Lonicera) shrubs, American elm (Ulmus americana), bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata) and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). [100] The Rosendale trestle has been the site of numerous picnics, barbecues, and at least one wedding. [63] Built in 1881[64] 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. Plans to create the rail trail began as early as 1983, when New Paltz considered uses for the then-defunct Wallkill Valley corridor; the railroad had ceased regular traffic in 1977, and by 1983 had begun to remove its tracks. The proposal would create a 35-mile (56 km) network of rail trails across the towns of Marbletown, Rochester, and Wawarsing. [121] Several bird species overwinter in the region and can be observed from the trail, such as the mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), bluebird (Sialia), cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), starling (Sturnus vulgaris), downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), American goldfinch (Spinus tristis), tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), sparrow (Passer) and purple finch (Carpodacus purpureus). The trail is separated from the Walden–Wallkill Rail Trail by two state prisons in Shawangunk, though there have been plans to bypass these facilities, and to connect the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail with other regional rail trails. The surface of the Rail Trail is mostly gravel, while road crossings are paved. Rosendale Rail Trail Cafe 310 River Road Ext. 2.2K likes. The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail is a 22.5-mile (36.2 km) rail trail and linear park that runs along the former Wallkill Valley Railroad rail corridor in Ulster County, New York. Mid-July through Fall 2020, the northern 9.5-mile stretch of the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail located in the Towns of Rosendale and Ulster, beginning at Cragswood Rd in New Paltz and ending at Route 32 in the City of Kingston will be under construction. The northern section of the trail forms … The Snyder Estate is a former mining site once used by all four major regional cement producers. [72] Originally made of wood, the bridge was accidentally set on fire in 1880 by ashes or sparks from a passing train. New Paltz, NY 12561 railtrailcaferosendale.com [42], Conrail sold the Rosendale section, including the bridge, in 1986 to a private businessman, John E. Rahl, for one dollar. [75] The Shawangunk Ridge is visible from the bridge. [61], Located within the hamlet are a defunct, former dairy creamery and the site of the former Gardiner railroad station. Several natural features are visible from clearing along the trail, such as the Shawangunk Ridge to the west, and the Plattekill Creek between New Paltz and Gardiner. [26][27] Portions of the New Paltz–Gardiner section were informally open since June 1991, but the formal opening ceremony of the full 12.2-mile (19.6 km)[2] trail between New Paltz and Gardiner took place on October 9, 1993. 0. news stories. [32] In November 2009, New Paltz received grants from the Greenway Conservancy, a state organization, to fund several rail trail–related projects. View detailed trail descriptions, trail maps, reviews, photos, trail itineraries, directions and more on TrailLink. [69] A little over 1⁄10 mile (0.16 km) from the bridge is the site of the former Forest Glen station. This prompted the railroad to coat its rail ties with tin while replacing its wooden bridges with ones made of stone. [35] The Wallkill Valley Railroad had considered such a connection after the bridge opened in 1889, but never built one. [95] Under the new system, pedestrians can use flags placed in roadside containers to signal traffic. Made possible by re-decking of the Rosendale Trestle. [60], The trail begins at Denniston Road, in the southern part of the town of Gardiner. About .3 miles up the road, look for the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail Parking Lot in Rosendale/ Rosendale Trestle/Binnewater Pater Parking Lot on your left. It became a sporting goods store by 1981,[65] a video store by the early 1990s,[66] and an antique store by 1995. Some of the houses date to the late 1600s. [123], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}41°44′11″N 74°05′50″W / 41.736333°N 74.097118°W / 41.736333; -74.097118, The trail in Gardiner where it crosses Route, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Board of Cooperative Educational Services, "Wallkill Valley Rail Trail Length Doubles", "2007 National Recreation Trail designations", "Rosendale link completes 24-mile stretch of rail trail", "§ 18 Acquisition of abandoned railroad transportation property", "Railroad Corridor Abandonment in New York State", "Town of Shawangunk Open Space Inventory and Analysis", "Ulster County Non-Motorized Transportation Plan", "A New Use for Prison Farmlands: Can Prison Lands Serve to Connect the Rail Trail System? 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