Russ Nelson

I have a goal of riding every named Rail-Trail in New York State. There are many more railbeds not used for trains anymore which are also ridable. They are usually unnamed, unsigned, and unpublished. I speculate that this is because the owner is either indifferent or away. I've ridden some of these but I'm more interested in getting the named trails ridden first. I'm maintaining the list of NY rail-trails on my Rutland Trail website.

Rode a couple of rail-trails last weekend. Too cold for a ride here today, so I'm updating my list of unridden trails. Made a map of the unridden trails.

Trails I've ridden:

• Ballston Bike Trail,
• Black River Recreational Trail,
• Bog Meadow Brook,
• Cato Fair Haven Trail,
• Catskill Scenic Trail (2/3rds),
• Cayuga Hojack Trail,
• DnH Canal Heritage Corridor North,
• DnH Canal Heritage Corridor South, (partially)
• Dutchess Rail Trail,
• Genesee Valley Greenway (partial)
• Gorge Trail,
• Hudson Valley Rail Trail,
• Jim Schug Trail,
• Jim Tedisco Fitness Trail,
• Joseph B. Clarke Railtrail
• Maple City Trail,
• North County Trailway,
• Ontario Pathways Rail Trail,
• Orange Heritage Trailway (the unimproved eastern end),
• Oswego Recreational Trail,
• Railroad Run,
• Rivergate Trail,
• The Rutland Trail,
• South County Trailway (southern portion)
• South Hill Recreation Way,
• The Uncle Sam Bikeway,
• Wallkill Valley Rail Trail,
• Warren County Bikeway,
• Zim Smith Trail,

Trails I haven't (yet) ridden:

Allegheny River Valley Trail, Auburn Fleming Trail, Canalway Trail, Catskill Scenic Trail (still need to ride the 1/3rd), Chautauqua Alison Wells Ney, Chautauqua Brockton Area Recreational Trail, Chautauqua Brocton Area Recreational Trail, Chautauqua Laurie A. Baer Trail, Chautauqua Nadine and Paul Webb Trail, Chautauqua Nancy B. Diggs Trail, Chautauqua Ralph C. Sheldon Jr. Trail, Chautauqua Village of Mayville Trail, Cheektowaga Trail, Clarence Akron Pathway (still need to ride the other half), Corning Bike Path, Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Rail Trail, Genesee Valley Greenway (still need to ride it end-to-end), Harlem Valley Rail Trail, Lehigh Memory Trail, Lehigh Valley Linear Trail, Lehigh Valley Rail Trail, Newstead trail, Orange Heritage Trailway (still need to ride the paved portion), PatMcGeeTrail, Philip A. Rayhill Memorial Recreational Trail, Portage Trail, Putnam County Trailway, Rochester, Syracuse n Eastern Trolley Trail, Shawangunk Rail Trail, Sodus Point to Wallington Trail (doesn't really exist yet), South County Trailway (north portion), Spring Run Trail (doesn't really exist yet), Tarrytown Lakes extension, Town of Edwards Nature Trail, Vestal Rail Trail, White Plains Greenway,

War?? Again?? By a Nobel Prize Winner?? I'm simply aghast. Yes, there are problems in the world, but they're not our responsibility to fix. Not when we're broke, going broker, and have a slim chance of not being broke for the next twenty years. What ARE these idiots thinking???

20.85 km 68390.78 feet 12.95 mi 7351.00 seconds 122.52 minutes 2.04 hours 6.34 mi/hr

The second of two rides last Saturday, I rode the South County Trailway, or at least the southern portion of it. It runs from the Bronx through Van Cortlandt track on the Old Put (Putnam Branch of the New York Central). Through the park, it's an undeveloped trail. People have made a herd path off to one side of the ties, which are still there.

At the Westchester County line, it starts being a paved trail. Both have their charms. It continues for a few miles north of Tibbett's Creek Park, then runs into a section that they're working on right now. Beyond that it may be walkable (I saw people walking on it), but it's not rideable.

Further to the north, it looks like the South County Trailway becomes paved again, all the way up to the North County Trailway.

34.05 km 111723.18 feet 21.16 mi 10700.00 seconds 178.33 minutes 2.97 hours 7.12 mi/hr

Rode the Joseph B Clarke rail-trail (& friends) last Saturday. It's one of those trails which are maintained by the towns through which it runs, so it changes name every few miles. The Clarke portion is at the lower end. On the way up to Nyack, it changes name to Hadder Park, and then the Raymond G. Esposito Trail. Only the curving portion on the left is paved. The rest, including both legs of the wye, are dirt.

There is no signage, nor did I find it, but there seems to be another section that I missed on the north end of the Clarke legs. The trail runs into a missing bridge over the CSX tracks, but picks up again north of that. Like I say, no signs, so it's kinda lame if that's true.

Damn immigrants! They should go back to Bakersfield, where they came from!