The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail is a great day trip, a two to two and a half hour drive from Fairfield County. A beautiful bike path that goes over tall trestle bridges, past farms, through woods and leads you right into the center of New Paltz.
Once in New Paltz, there are plenty of bike racks to lock up your bike and grab something to eat at many restaurants right off of the bike path. My kids love The Gilded Otter and it is right off of the bike path:
new paltz otter creek brew My husband loves that they brew their own beer.
New Paltz has great art galleries, candy stores (two), antique stores and other great shops.
This bike path is for hybrid or mountain bikes. It is not a road bike trail. It may be a bit tough for really young kids as well. We started off in Rosendale, NY at a designated parking lot and there is typically plenty of parking. For directions and information, check out the webiste:
http://www.traillink.com/trail/wallkill-valley-rail-trail.aspx
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| The Parking Lot in Rosendale, NY |
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| The path is packed gravel |
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| Throughout the trail will be maps for you to take |
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| The view is amazing! |
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| Should you want to stop for a drink or small bite while on the trail (before New Paltz), this little place was adborable! |
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| Another bridge and chance for a rest |
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| When you enter New Paltz, you are right in the middle of town. Hot dog vendor right there for hungry riders. |
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| Cute little shops right by the bike trail, but walk further into town, there are great shops there as well. |
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| Great places to just sit in New Paltz and have a rest. |
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| Did we get the Maple Bacon Doughnut? Yes, of course! It was excellent. |
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| After a long bike ride, a nice game of chess. |
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| On the ride back to Rosendale, we always have to check out the cave. Its great way to cool down on a hot day |
