Hudson River Valley Ramble Features 92 Trails -- by the Half Moon Press

September, 2001 issue

Hudson River Valley Ramble Features 92 Trails This year's "Hudson River Valley Ramble" features 92 "trail adventures" that include kayaking and biking in addition to guided walks and hikes. The trails festival will take place on the weekend of September 22 - 23 throughout the ten counties of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, which extends from Westchester and Rockland Counties to the Capital Region on both sides of the river.

The Ramble has seen a 30 percent growth in participation in its second year, according to Barbara Kendall and Carmela Mantello, Co-directors of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, sponsor of the event with the Hudson River Valley Greenway. "We are very pleased to have so many new organizations joining the Ramble roster this year. They have added a lot to the range and diversity of events," the Co-directors said.

Among this year's new additions are a corn maze walk, a scavenger hunt on a beach, six paddles and one biking event. There is even a special woodland walk for dogs called "Romping With Rover."

The Ramble is intended to showcase the scenic landscapes, history and culture of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area which the National Park Service calls, "the landscape that defined America." The area boasts 3,000 miles of trails, including the newly designated Hudson River Valley Water Trail.

Eighty-four guided and interpreted walks and bikes will be offered on every ability level with nearly 40 rated as "family-friendly" in terms of length and terrain. Some "family-friendly" examples include a shoreline exploration walk at Croton Point Park that includes a scavenger hunt for natural objects on the beach, and a walk through a living maze in the form of Henry Hudson's Half Moon carved out of a cornfield near New Paltz.

"Footprints in Stone" lets elementary school children play detective on a treasure hunt in the 1658 Stockade District of Kingston. Families can follow the towpath of the former Delaware and Hudson Canal in High Falls, and walk on a boardwalk right into the marshlands at Constitution Marsh Sanctuary. The legends that inspired names like "Spook Rock" and "Witch's Spring" will be recounted on a walk to those very places in the Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

History buffs can retrace the flight of Benedict Arnold led by the Hudson Highlands Land Trust in Garrison, and walk the battlefield and out to the old lighthouse at Stony Point State Park. A six-mile hike in Bear Mt. State Park follows the paths the British took in 1777 to capture Forts Clinton and Montgomery. Walking tours of historic districts are being offered in Albany, Troy, Kingston, New Paltz, Newburgh, Cold Spring and Sloatsburg.

The unique geology of the Shawangunk Ridge, named one of the "world's last great places" by The Nature Conservancy, can be seen on hikes offered by the Mohonk Preserve, Sam's Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve and Minnewaska State Park Preserve. One of the most impressive geological formations in New York State can be viewed on the "Indian Ladder Walk" in John Boyd Thacher State Park. On the Tivoli Bays Trail walk, people can hear about tidal marsh ecology and original songs about the Hudson River sung by a naturalist-folk singer guide.

The Great Estates Consortium is offering a "Walks and Talks" series on eight noted Hudson Valley estates including the Franklin D. Roosevelt Home, Vanderbilt Estate and Olana, home of Hudson River School artist Frederic Church. The walks are sequentially timed so that people can progress from one to the other during the weekend.

Vigorous hikes are being offered on the heights of the Palisades, in the Hudson Highlands, Catskill Forest Preserve, the Taconics and Stissing Mountain. Fourteen events are accessible to people with physical disabilities including walks on the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, Harlem Valley Rail Trail and the Huguenot Heritage Trail in New Paltz. The Greenport Conservation Area will make golf carts available to transport people across a meadow to a scenic outlook on the Hudson.

Six "paddles" will be offered for both experienced and novice kayakers on the placid waters of the Wallkill River and the more challenging waters of the Hudson River. RiverSweeper.org is offering a paddle in the Cold Spring area and providing mesh bags for those who would like to lend a hand in reducing "floatables" on the river as they enjoy the scenic Hudson Highlands.

For those who want to try their hand at the sport for the first time, the Downtown Boathouse at Pier 26 in lower Manhattan is offering free instructions on both Saturday and Sunday anytime from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bikers can pedal with Mohawk-Hudson Cycling back the stone age and ice age on a 34-mile historic route that goes to the site of former ice houses on the Hudson passing many historic houses along the way.

Event partners include the National Park Service, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Scenic Hudson, Inc., the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, The Nature Conservancy, Open Space Institute, Historic Hudson Valley, Inc. and the Great Estates Consortium.

The Ramble is sponsored by the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and Hudson River Valley Greenway. It is sponsored in part by Hudson Valley Magazine and WHUD.

For a free booklet with descriptions of each event, start times and driving directions, call (800) 453-6665, (945) 334-9574, or e-mail: ramble @highlandflings.com. The information can also be viewed at www.hudsongreenway.state.ny.us.