Catskill Mountain Bike Trails

[catskillclimber]

I just recently purchased a mountain bike and would love some suggestions for interesting trails/rides in the Catskills area. Any ideas? thanx

 

[MichaelJ]

The Catskill Scenic Rail Trail lies on the railbed of the old Delaware & Ulster Railroad, running from Bloomville to Grand Gorge via South Kortright, Hobart, and Stamford. Click on the link, then on that page there's a link to a PDF format map of the trail.

This trail was highly recommended to me last year, but work and weather prevented me from being able to ride it.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

The four major ski centers in the Catskills: Belleayre, Hunter, Plattekill, and Windham all offer mountain biking. Many old, unpaved roads can be ridden by mountain bikes, e.g. the road up Utsayantha Mountain in Stamford. If you have a DeLorme Atlas for New York State you will find many old mountain pass roads in Delaware County that are suitable for mountain bikes.

 

[ExploreTheEast]

There's also some carriage roads just south of the catskills at Mohonk Preserve in the Gunks. But they charge you like $10 a day for a bike pass to ride there.

 

[hermit]

Minnewaska State park has some nice trails. I am going there monday. The Wallkill Rail Trail is a good easy 30 mile rt trip ride also,I am going there today. The Catskill Scenic trail is one of my favorites when I just want to zone out and listen to the birds and ride. That starts just outside of Bloomville , there is a big sign and a decent parking area.

 

[una_dogger]

Minnewaska State Preserve has ~32 miles of carriageways for mnt biking. Entry is $6 per car. Lots fill up quickly on weekends. Can be crowded, weekdays are best. Be sure to swim in Awosting Lake mid ride!

On the east side of the Hudson I highly recommend Taconic Hereford Multiple Use Area, 18 miles of dirt logging road and singletrack (moderate to technical). For singletrack training this place is GREAT! Bring plenty of water. Parking and entry is free. There is really no map, the major snowmobile trail is blazed with DEC red circles, the single track are informally blazed, sometimes not blazed. Its a fun place to get lost and then found in. Its only about a thousand acres, though, so you really can't be lost for too long! Its mountain bike training heaven in there! To reach it, take the Taconic State Parkway north to Tyrell Rd (~15 miles north of I84), park at the end of Tyrell. Oh, there are also a bunch of dirt roads next to the park.

Sabrina

 

[catskillclimber]

Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[Kevin]

Other Sources

Two other sources are at Gunks.com, they have a cycling section with information, and BikeRag.com.

Gunks.com

Bikerag.com

They both have info on everything from both road/carriage road mellow options to technical single track riding.

I will note, with the exception of a VERY small trail, less then a 1/3 of a mile; and that is being generous with the distance, there is no single track/technical riding options in the Gunks if that is what you are looking for. For some singletrack riding, there is Jockey Hill just north of the city of Kingston.

Also check out Fats in the Cats website for more Catskill information
Fats in the Cats

And I will second the suggestion of Taconic/Hereford aka 909 for riding as well!

Catch you later...
Kevin