Manhattan-to-the-Mountains Bike Route?
Imagine hopping on a bike at the southern tip of Manhattan and pedaling along the Hudson River to within a few miles of Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks.
Since buying a gravel bike, I seldom ride my road bike. If I want to go for a long ride, I’ll take my Trek Checkpoint on dirt roads, logging roads, old rail beds, even mellow trails--anyplace where there is little or no traffic.
Oddly, the place where I have ridden a road bike most often in recent years is New York City. That’s because the city has developed a network of bike lanes where I feel relatively safe.
As I get older, I suppose I’m more timid, but I suspect cyclists of all ages would prefer riding without cars and trucks whizzing past. Evidence of this is the popularity of the Adirondack Rail Trail, which will be completed this year. When done, it will extend 34 miles from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake.
In this column, though, I want to discuss another bike route, one that would extend 330 miles from the Big Apple to the High Peaks--nearly all of it off-road. Imagine hopping on a bike at the southern tip of Manhattan and pedaling along the Hudson River to within a few miles of Mount Marcy. What better way to show off all the state has to offer: its biggest metropolis, its highest mountain, its mightiest river, its state capital, its small towns, its farms and orchards, and its Adirondack wilderness?
The beauty of this route is that most of it already exists. From New York City, you can follow the Empire State Trail about 200 miles to Albany. Three-quarters of it is off-road. From Albany, you can continue north on the Empire State Trail to Saratoga County. The county is planning to extend its existing Zim Smith Trail north and south, connecting the Empire State Trail to Saratoga Springs. When the Zim is finished, all of the 40-mile route from Albany to Saratoga will be off-road except for a few miles on quiet streets.
That leaves the Adirondack leg. From Saratoga Springs, an underutilized rail corridor extends 90 miles through the Adirondacks, ending at Tahawus, the southern gateway to the High Peaks. If this were converted to a rail trail, the Manhattan-to-the-Mountains bikeway would be complete.
The only users of the tracks are the Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railway and Revolution Rail. The railway runs a seasonal tourist train on seven miles of track in the town of Corinth, on the southern edge of the Adirondack Park. Revolution Rail offers rail-bike rides on several parts of the corridor.
Perhaps these businesses and a rail trail can co-exist. If not, they should not be allowed to stand in the way of what would be one of the longest and most interesting bike routes in the United States.
The rail corridor is a public resource. The town of Corinth owns the southern part. Warren County owns the middle section as far as North Creek. Ownership of the northernmost 30 miles is more complicated.
The federal government created a rail line from North Creek to Tahawus during World War II, invoking eminent domain, and later extended its easement over the line until 2052. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has petitioned the federal Surface Transportation Board to declare the railroad abandoned, but so far without success. DEC wants to create some kind of recreational trail.
The easement has changed hands several times. In late 2022, the Open Space Institute gave Revolution Rail a loan to purchase the easement, with the proviso that OSI can acquire the easement if the company fails to find freight users for the railroad. The line has not seen regular freight traffic for four decades, and DEC claims that the prospects are slim.
Bottom line: the Tahawus line rightly belongs to the state, and DEC should be free to remove the tracks in favor of a trail. But officials in the department, the town of Corinth, and Warren County need to be convinced that collaborating on a bike-friendly trail is the way to go--the last stage of a world-class bike route originating in the Big Apple.
It’s safe to say that tens of thousands of cyclists would be attracted to the rail trail every year. They needn’t start in New York City. They might begin their journey in Poughkeepsie, Albany, Saratoga Springs, or North Creek, but they’d all be looking for places to stay and eat. The influx of tourist dollars would be substantial.
I posted this proposal to several cycling groups on Facebook and received enthusiastic feedback. To share just one comment: “This would be a premier bucket list ride in the U.S. Hope it works. If they approve it, we will come!”
The creation of the Adirondack Rail Trail did not happen overnight. It came about only after state-funded studies and years of lobbying by cyclists, snowmobile users and recreation advocates, including the formation of the nonprofit Adirondack Rail Trail Association. A similarly organized effort probably would be needed to create the rail trail from Saratoga to Tahawus.
For now, cyclists can contact their representatives to express support for the Manhattan-to-the-Mountains bike route and ask how they can further advocate for the feasibility of such a project.
