The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail is a much-loved Hudson Valley path that follows the former Wallkill Valley Railroad through Ulster County, passing directly through the college town of New Paltz beneath the dramatic cliffs of the Shawangunk Ridge. Its signature feature is a long, high former railroad trestle over the Wallkill River, restored with a trail deck that gives walkers and cyclists one of the best views in the valley.
The Wallkill Valley Railroad
The railroad was built after the Civil War to connect the Erie Railroad's network with Kingston and the Hudson River, running north–south through the fertile Wallkill Valley. It carried fruit, cement, and passengers for generations before through service ended in the twentieth century. When the line was abandoned, community groups worked to acquire and preserve the corridor and open it as a trail — the same kind of grassroots conversion described across this site's pages on abandoned railroads. The result is now one continuous route stretching for miles through the heart of the county.
The Trestle and the Ridge
Just north of New Paltz, the trail crosses the Wallkill River on the restored steel trestle, high above the water, with the Shawangunk cliffs rising to the west. The bridge's restoration — a substantial engineering project funded by local supporters — turned a derelict crossing into the trail's centerpiece, and it is now one of the most photographed spots on any New York rail-trail. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has highlighted crossings like this as models of what corridor preservation can achieve when a community commits to saving its infrastructure.
Riding and Walking
The trail's surface is smooth crushed stone, easy for hybrid bikes, runners, and families. In New Paltz it passes cafes, farm stands, and the trailheads for the Shawangunks' famous hiking and rock climbing, so it is easy to combine a ride with a day on the ridge. North and south of town the trail runs quietly through orchards, hayfields, and river woods, and the flat grade makes it a favorite for an easy family outing or a training run.
A Year-Round Destination
Because it is close to a lively town and stunning scenery, the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail sees use in every season: cyclists and runners in the warm months, leaf-peepers in autumn, and snowshoers and skiers when the valley is white. The trail's popularity has, in turn, helped anchor New Paltz as one of the Hudson Valley's outdoor-recreation hubs, showing how a preserved corridor can become an economic asset as well as a recreational one.
Access and Trailheads
New Paltz is the natural hub, with parking and easy access to the trail right in the village, steps from restaurants and bike shops. Additional trailheads north and south of town let riders and walkers start closer to whichever stretch they want, and the flat, well-marked route makes navigation simple even for first-time visitors. Because so much of the trail lies within an easy walk of town amenities, it is an unusually low-friction outing — you can arrive, park, and be on the trestle within minutes.
A Hudson Valley Network
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail is one node in a growing Hudson Valley network. It sits near the Hudson Valley Rail Trail and the celebrated walkway over the Hudson, and it connects in spirit to the broader Empire State Trail system. Browse the full rail-trails directory to plan a Hudson Valley trip that links several of these corridors together, or read about the Harlem Valley Rail Trail just to the east.