O&W Rail Trail Bike Ride from Stone Ridge NY
If you are in need of a nice bike trail, this one is a great option. They have fixed the parking at the location so you are prone to see more visitors now. We usually start at Rest Plaus O&W Rail Trail in Stone Ridge NY and end up in Kingston NY, have pizza at Picnic Pizza and head back. This time we didn’t go all the way and instead stopped at the main road (Gov. Thomas E. Dewey Thruway or just put Adirondack Trailways on Google Maps). The reason we stopped short was because the last two miles were muddy and HARD! We don’t have fancy thousand dollar bikes so this ride took us around 3 hours. We took plenty of breaks taking photos around the pond and anything that looked too beautiful not to admire.
O&W Rail Trail in Stone Ridge NY Difficulty Level
The difficulty level of this trail is moderate. It’s pretty easy until you get to the part where you need to jump on the side trail. This is where you’re riding on the grass and in our case mud. The trail was very wet and muddy and at times we had to get off our bikes to maneuver around the obstacles.
O&W Rail Trail Views
What will you see on your ride from Stone Ridge NY to Kingston NY? We went early, or at least thought we went early, to catch the sunrise. We though no one would be out that early but we saw at least 3 runners on this O&W rail trail. Along the way we saw deer, geese, turtles, red cardigans, a hawk and heard an owl but didn’t see it this time. Usually, we also see grey heron by the water but I didn’t see one this time. You will also probably see a horse or two and plenty of chipmunks and squirrels. I swear those little guys live on the edge and make sure to cross the road just as you are passing by. If you are going to jump on the last two miles trail, we suggest that you take a little break by the Esopus Creek. We ate our snacks here and enjoyed the peacefulness of the water.
Total Miles
Since we didn’t go all the way to Kingston, we did about 25 miles, round trip. We both used Strava app this time and for my miles it said I did 23.8 miles. We did the same amount of riding so not sure why mine read less miles. If you are looking for more challenge and miles, keep going into Kingston and connect to the Walkill Valley Rail Trail which goes through Rosendale and New Paltz.
Conclusion
The O&W Rail Trail is historic and everyone should ride or walk the trails at least once. There is plenty to see and it will surely help clear your mind during these scary times.
