Biking Wallkill Valley and Empire State Trail

This year we’ve been so busy with hiking that we haven’t been focusing any time on biking. Last year Nihad’s bike had an issue and we didn’t get it fixed until recently. We finally decided it’s time to get back on that bike so we took them back to Wallkill Valley rail trail. When we walked the trail on Halloween we saw the Empire State trail sign and said we would come back to do that to the bridge. Well, today we came back and did it.

We parked our car by the Wallkill River parking where our friend Bekim was waiting for us. It was a chilly morning but it didn’t stop us from wanting to get back on those bikes. Not too far into the trail there were trucks laying down new gravel for the trail. We had to walk on the side of the trail until we passed the road work. After that it was smooth sailing. We rode our bikes past the Rosendale trestle had a quick break and headed back towards the Empire State trail sign.

Since the trail work was still being done we rode our bikes around the block on the street. It was decently busy but it went by fast. We crossed the small bridge that goes over the Wallkill River and continues the path to town. Once we saw the Empire State trail sign we made a left and followed it towards the street.

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750 Miles of Trails

I have to say that I’m not the best bike rider but I still enjoy it. Stopping and getting off is a challenge for this 5’2” girl that got her first bike when she was 19. And where does nihad take me on our first bike ride, you ask? To Carmel NY bike trails which are full of hills and great for mountain biking junkies. Anyway, following the empire trail signs you’re on a very busy road with cars passing by on each side. Once you pass this section and bike up and down the hill, you cross the road on 299 and are in the safe zone. This part of the trail we’ve done before and the paved road was easier to pedal on.

Once we crossed over the Walkway over the Hudson, we took a short break and headed back. Our friend Bekim decided to go ahead of us but I needed my breaks and took plenty of them. They might have been short but they were enough to stretch my legs and roll some icy hot on them.

Once we got to the car I checked my watch and it said 39.9 miles. I needed it to say 40 so I continued down the road to the public garden. We took a little break here too while I complained about my legs hurting and the tiny scrape on my knee from falling off the bike. He probably could have gone another 40 miles since the man is made out of steel but I was not having it. For my first day back on the bike after a year, it was a good ride. We will definitely be planning more bike rides on the Empire State trail. There are 750 miles of it, so plenty of choices and trails to ride on.

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You Tube Video of Bike Ride from New Paltz to Walkway over Huston

YouTube Bike Ride to Walkway Over Hudson