On October 3, 2009, the defunct Poughkeepsie-Highland Rail Bridge was opened to the public for bicycle and pedestrian use as the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park (www.walkway.org). This completed the loop route foreshadowed in Fun on Foot in New York, using the sidewalk of the Mid-Hudson Road Bridge and the new Walkway connecting through downtown Poughkeepsie and Highland in Ulster County.
To do this loop refer to our description and map for Route UN1 Poughkeepsie-Highland in Fun on Foot in New York and connect in the new Walkway, from Haviland Road in Highland to Washington Street and Parker Avenue on the north edge of downtown Poughkeepsie. The resultant loop is 3.6 miles.
Other nearby rail trail developments in Ulster County are planned including, most notably, a new linear park connecting the Town of Gardiner, the Town and Village of New Paltz, the Town of Rosendale, and the Town of Ulster. This project involves the restoration of yet another high-level railroad trestle, perched 150 feet over the Rondout Creek in Rosendale. The Wallkill Valley Land Trust is undertaking this project. We have posted an article about this development on our website. To read it see www.funonfoot.com/resources.html
These developments, in combination with each other and nearby trail developments, lead us to believe we will soon find one of the most outstanding paved trail networks in the state here in Ulster County and Duchess County. Please support the organizations leading these efforts.
Warwick Ford, March 2010