Maybrook Trail, Ny
 

Paved or Gravel @.

Paved! I didn't do the middle section, but I can't imagine that not being paved.
The connection to the Dutchess Trail is totally seamless, which you won't notice unless you're familiar with Hopewell Junction trailhead.
There's also a very big gravel parking lot at HWJ which is either new or I just never noticed before because I started going to Poughkeepsie after the Manchester Bridge was finished in 2013.

Thx
A buddy lives near Brewster so we'll start from there and ride till we want to turn back.

I rode the whole Maybrook about a week ago. See Touring Forum - Empire State Trail. I liked it just fine.

Got a 34 mile ride in today from Brewster north. This is a beautiful trail with all the ponds and wetlands. Next time will make it up to Hopewell and back. This is a very popular roadie route I noticed. Smooth, fast, easy grades. Saw a triathlete fly by on the bars, good place for it, great sightlines.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6c9d21b9c5.png

Rode the first 15 miles north (and back) from the Brewster trail head. So nice riding total smooth pavement had some long straight screeches

I found it interesting that they have not maintained the rails, with many gaps over streams, with deteriorated bridges and the rails removed. Means Metro North is no longer using this route to transfer cars from Harlem line Hudson and vice versa.

I thought they actually did some track work as part of building the trail, moving the rails consistently to one side.

Anyway, they've filed to abandon it.

I was among the many who formed the impression that they'd done equipment moves between the Harlem and Hudson but it turns out that's not true: what they did was move things between the New Haven and the Harlem. Only IIRC in the filing they want to abandon that (the "old" bit of Maybrook between Brewster and the CT line) too!

Basically it's the Harlem line that's the outlier, for the Hudson and New Haven you can pay someone else to move your stuff over their tracks in NE CT and possible SE MA - tracks where maintenance is funded by the fact that freight moves on them daily as that's the route through Selkirk where everything's gone since the Poughkeepsie bridge became an issue for modern weight trains and then burned (it ignited fairly frequently, there had been a fire patrol after every train, then no more fire patrol...)

Thanks for the history and insights. I knew this right-of-way was the only connection north of Melrose between Metro North's lines; didn't know Metro North now proposes to abandon it. If that happens, who owns the right-of-way?

Typically to whomever they pay the taxes. This trail is in both Putnam and Duchess counties, so I would expect they get possession.

Interestingly, it was Metro North that paid to build the trail. I wonder if they received supplemental funding from NY State.
A link on the web states the trail was made into a double track in 1906, with one track removed in 1962. Is why there was room for a trail to be constructed alongside a track.

http://www.putnamcountyny.com/wordpr...y-Brochure.pdf

I really want to ride this bikeway sometime soon. Can anybody tell me the ratio of riders who have been eaten by bears to those that haven't?

(Seriously, I've got this thing about taking my wife on a mountainous trail like this and having to outride her to save my own ass.)

You're kidding, right ?. Not likely you'll see bears. Its not that remote.

No! Believe it or not, I'm not kidding, just trying to be "light" in my presentation.

People have been posting photos and videos of bears on trails in the Catskills region and other parts of northern New York. I know I can't outride one. and I know, for sure, that my wife can't. It's a legitimate fear.

There can be bears and coyotes as far south as northern Westchester ( and Coyotes in Port Washington L.I.), but this trail goes thru a populated area and bears at least, go out of their way to avoid humans, unless theres a known food source in the area. Thus they are more likely to be going thru garbage cans at houses, not be on the trail unless crossing it. The trail is pretty busy with cyclists, runners and walkers, thus I'd be very surprised to see either a bear or coyote.

0 mauled to none ever mauled. NY has black bears which means, unless you provoke them or they happen to wander by with cubs they have zero interest in you. If there's cubs they'll want to chase you away but stop at a short distance to stay within a protective range of the cubs. Carry some halt, will work on black bears but dogs could be a bigger issue. Had bears living in the backyard of my last house, I had a big backyard, and had greater issues with the bobcats which would run through the yard and kill rabbits along the field lines, then I did with bears which never came within sight. The property backed up to a natural area that ended at lake ontario, and the game cameras that were used by the conservation officers recorded multiple bears, they're really not a concern. Now if mountain lions come back, you might have an issue.

Havent gotten to do the new Maybrook yet, and it is more out in the hills but the only conflicts I'm aware of on the Putnam line were with coyotes down in Yonkers, typically in early spring denning season or rabid.

Haven't heard much of bears there, but human habitation is no issue - they're in residential neighbourhoods here in Western MA though I'm yet to see one. Each of the previous two years I've seen them riding the trail through CT's Farmington Valley which is as dense as upper Westchester, but a pocket few acres of woods were enough for a bear to cross rt 10 at the Simsbury/Avon line and be strolling down the trail as I happened by.

He wasn't too impressed by my bell or "hey bear bear bear" but then a guy came the other way on a riding leaf blower.

Mostly the problem would be surprising a bear. One who knows you're there and doesn't care probably isn't an issue unless you get offside with respect to cubs. So human noises like talking are good, if you want to go all out in isolated stretches a back country MTB motion ringing trail bell wouldn't hurt. Don't bomb curvy descents at dawn or dusk, but that's as much for the sake of people. Bring and use lights for the same reason - bring lights even if you plan to be done long before dark. Rural dark is a whole different level of dark from urban greenway dark...

I recall relatively few phone dead spots on the Putnam, the Maybrook twisting through more remote hills could have more. Also have a specific idea where you're getting water if you ride beyond your carrying capacity.

In terms of real danger, think deer.

Also quite a few squirrels and chimpmunks zig zag avoidance of what their reflexes label avian predators bring them under wheels, and in the spokes that could really ruin your day.

+1. Rode the Maybrook for the first time last week, going north. After being lulled by the sub/exurban cuteness of the Putnam, where it seems you can see a deli or general store from the trail every few miles, it was quite a contrast how barren (and alternatingly boring & beautiful) this new section is. There's also precious little shade south of the summit, so plan accordingly with water.

​​​​​​I was worried trail construction would cut the trees back by a decade or so, sounds like it did. Recently got to eyeball some abandoned rail just into the woods from the road here in MA that's finally slated for conversion to shorten a gap and sadly expect similar will result.

So it sounds like Brewster is a stop to ride out of with three bottles. Is there any commerce along the Maybrook? I forget if Hopewell has fountains, I know I found indoor plumbing there a few times but little worse than counting on something and finding it closed.

My recollection is that on the Duchess beyween Hopewell and Poughkeepsie only time you see businesses you are elevated high above major arterials and it's not very clear how to get down.
Now that I think about it, I once found the fountains at the east end of the walkway closed and those at the west open. And once further west the human fountain off but the doggie spigot on.
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Amazing stuff to be read here.

Just don't be caught "out there" after dark. Horned beasts with demonic eyes will come for you.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...19b6567a5.jpeg

I sound like a guy from Arkansas asking if it's safe to travel to Albany, don't I?

That fits with what I learned; there's no commerce to speak of on Maybrook, and even at the tiny "park" as you cross a road (near the summit at Holmes) there's no shade nor water (nor village) evident. Hopewell Jcn has stores and restaurants if you leave the trail, but no fountain at trailhead itself (even though there are bathrooms in the old signalbox, they havent any sinks - maybe they use 'grey water' for the plumbing?). Arriving at the Poughkeepsie side of the Walkway was the first "easy" water source I found north of Brewster.

I spent no time off trail exploring what resources are avialable for food or liquids. Google maps shows a deli in Poughquag, up Rt 55 and looks like maybe a mile of detour off the trail. Pizza place in Beekman, another deli down Rt 52 on the west side of the Taconic Parkway, all of these a a short ride off one of the many road crossings on the trail.

While the trail goes thru mostly woods, there are a lot of road crossings that get you to more primary roads that lead to stores, etc..., its not the vast North Maine Woods here.

Go forth and enjoy the trail, unmolested by bears. Or demonic goats.

I will bring my light saber.

Got growled at by an angry woodchuck on the trail margin in central CT yesterday.