You can hear all about it at the next breakfast meeting of the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce, scheduled for 7:30-9:00 a.m., May 23 at the Wiltwyck Golf Club in Kingston. The sponsor is the Ten Broeck Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing.
The breakfast meeting, “New Trails Making Ulster County a World-Class Outdoor Recreation Destination” will feature Acting Ulster County Executive Adele B. Reiter, Assistant Deputy Ulster County Executive Tim Weidemann and Deputy Director of Ulster County Planning Chris White. Kristen Wilson, director of grants management with the City of Kingston, will share progress on the Kingston Greenline trail system.
“Rail trails have been a fixture in several Ulster County communities for decades, offering residents and visitors relaxing and stunningly beautiful places to get outdoors and connect with nature. Over that time, as more and more sections of abandoned railroad beds have converted to trails, a new picture is beginning to emerge–these short, disconnected linear parks are increasingly becoming an inter-connected network that spans most of Ulster County,” Reiter said.
Looking forward, the county’s emerging trail system will comprise four primary corridors and two hubs:
The O&W Rail Trail Corridor, which follows the Rondout Creek and the former D&H Canal, extends 34 miles between Ellenville and Kingston. Along this corridor are the Hurley O&W Rail Trail, the Marbletown O&W Rail Trail and new trail sections in Wawarsing and Ellenville. Several gaps, including one linking the trail to Kingston, are in the process of design and are proceeding toward future construction.
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail Corridor extends from Kingston south, along the former railroad route that once served Rosendale, New Paltz, Gardiner and the hamlet of Wallkill in the town of Shawangunk. Along this corridor, the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail extends 21 miles, crossing over the scenic Rosendale Trestle and passing through the future home of the Williams Lake Resort. After a gap, the trail picks up again near Wallkill, where the Walden-Wallkill Rail Trail extends more than 3 miles and ends at the Village of Walden in Orange County.
The Hudson Valley Rail Trail Corridor extends from the western end of the Walkway Over the Hudson in Highland and, following the completion of two extensions in 2018, now connects all the way through the Town of Lloyd to South Street, just east of New Paltz. Construction is currently underway to extend the trail across the Thruway, where future phases will establish a link to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail.
The newest addition to the Ulster County trail system is the U&D Corridor, extending 48 miles west from Kingston to the base of Belleayre Mountain. Along this corridor, construction is underway to complete a new 11.5-mile trail along the northern shore of the Ashokan Reservoir, between Basin Road in Hurley and Route 28A in Boiceville.
Additionally, a temporary trail along a short section of the U&D was constructed by Ulster County in 2018, known as the Midtown Linear Park. This trail, which will undergo further design and construction in the coming years, will serve as a critical link between the city’s Midtown neighborhood, the Uptown/Stockade commercial district, and the western half of the County’s trail network.
In New Paltz, the state DOT is working with the Village to connect from the western end of the Hudson Valley Rail Trail to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, with routes along Main Street and Henry Dubois Drive. In Kingston, where three of the corridors converge, and where additional trails will extend to the waterfront and over the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge to Dutchess County, the Kingston Greenline serves as the connecting hub.
Chamber breakfast programs are a great way to network with local business leaders and stay on top of current events. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. For more information or to register, call the Chamber at (845) 338-5100 or go online to www.UlsterChamber.org.