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Old 09-07-2010, 11:19 AM
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Steevo Steevo is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Nyack, NY
Posts: 300
Both Minnewaska State Park and the Mohonk Preserve have many miles of carriage trails. The Mohonk Preserve trails are probably in a little better shape than the Minnewaska trails, as the Minnewaska trails have been repaired with coarse gravel. While I usually ride my MTB there, a cross bike will be fine.

Over the years, I've spent a lot of time at Minnewaska. The trails there cover tremendous scenery - from waterfalls, to cliff top views, to ravines and glacial lakes. The basic path of the routes will take you from Lake Minnewaska to Lake Awosting over different routes. In addition to cycling, one of my favorite activities is to ride out to Awosting, stash my bike in the woods and spend some time hiking / walking through the Minnewaska back country. For reasonable effort, you can take yourself to a place where you're unlikely to see another person. I recommend a set of Shawangunk hiking maps available online from the NYNJ Trail Conference, or for sale in New Paltz at Rock & Snow.

There is also a carriage trail that connects the Mohonk Preserve trails with Minnewaska Park. All the carriage trails are well marked on the hiking maps.

The Roberts site (mentioned above) also lists several very nice road rides in the New Paltz vicinity. You can stay in the valley and do many miles of rolling hills on quiet country roads, or you can cycle up into the Gunks, over the other side and up into the Catskills for some more serious climbing (The famous Rapha ride).

Lot's of road and off-road cycling opportunities and outstanding hiking there. Feel free to PM me w/ any questions. I know the area well. Have fun.
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