This 31 miles ride is a combination road(17 miles) and rail trail(14 miles), with almost all of the “on road” segment on lightly traveled Route 28 A. We highly recommend everyone consider the entire loop around the Ashokan Reservoir in order to experience the car-free paved Promenade just off Route 28A, which has unobstructed views of the mountains and the Ashokan. At this time of year, it should be pretty spectacular!
However, for those not wanting to do the on road piece, there is the 11.2 mile section of well-maintained crushed cinder RT could be done as an out and back for a total of 22+ miles
( Woodstock Trailhead to Boiceville Trailhead and back).
Gravel bikes are ideal, but a steady pace on road bikes will also work well. Several riders used their road bikes on last year’s ride with no problem.
We will start our ride at the Woodstock Dike Trailhead and head East on busy Route 28 for less than a quarter mile, at which point we will bear right off the main road to keep snug along the water (there will be a glimpse of the anticipated view!) and over the spillway to the Promenade. We will definitely be stopping for LOTS of pictures. This is not a ride-through kind of day! After the Promenade, we will continue along Route 28A, which is a much friendlier 2-lane highway (not much shoulder) until we reach the far West entrance to the rail trail at Boiceville. The last portion of the ride is on that beautiful rail trail with great views of Esopus Creek, the reservoir, and the fall foliage.
FACILITIES: There are restroom facilities at Woodstock Dike Trail Head/parking area and both the Promenade and the Boiceville entrances along the route have Porta-Sans.
LUNCH: We are not planning a restaurant lunch but instead recommend that riders pack a lunch/snack and chair for a relaxed post ride gathering at the Trailhead.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
ADDITIONAL INFO: Here’s some info links on the Ashokan:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashokan_Reservoir
https://www.traillink.com/trail/ashokan-reservoir-promenade/
http://ashokanrailtrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/AshokanRailTrailMap_print-Dec2019_AllOpen.pdf
DISTANCE: 31 miles
PACE: 12-15----Given the surrounding scenery and expected foliage, intent is for this ride to be at a comfortable pace
LEVEL: C+/B-/B
CUE SHEET/MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37460897
APPROXIMATE SCHEDULE: 9:00/9:15 Assembly at Woodstock Trail Head, 9:30 ride start. With stops, expect finish by 12:30/1PM.
NOTE: Depending on weather forecast, we could possibly delay start by up to one hour to cycle in warmer period of the day.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO WOODSTOCK TRAILHEAD (WEST HURLEY, NY):
Allow about 90 minutes for the drive from Ridgefield to West Hurley
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ridgefield+Bicycle+Company,+Danbury+Road,+Ridgefield,+CT/Ashokan+Rail+Trail-+Woodstock+Dike+Trailhead,+1285+NY-28,+West+Hurley,+NY+12491/@41.6435853,-74.0620267,10z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c2aa2f61d8f9cf:0x3563f0b5a7e4bcaf!2m2!1d-73.4935863!2d41.2911049!1m5!1m1!1s0x89dd07ddc370ae7d:0x988be20acfee110f!2m2!1d-74.0948434!2d41.9940568!3e0
RIDE LEADERS: Joe Boland and Roger Van Ausdal
MOBILE: Joe-914-450-0473 Roger 914-475-7835
EMAIL: jnboland@optonline.net vanausdr@gmail.com
