Welcome to the Ashokan Rail Trail

The Ashokan Rail Trail is open to the public from sunrise to sunset year-round. The 11.5-mile recreational trail runs along Ashokan Reservoir between West Hurley and Boiceville. The ART trail surface is 12 feet in width and surfaced with highly compacted fine crushed stone. Both the trail and trailhead parking areas (including the portable restrooms) are ADA compliant and accessible for persons with disabilities. The ART is open for non-motorized uses, including hiking, walking dogs on leash, bicycling, running, nature observation, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. The ART trailheads are plowed in winter, but the trail itself is not.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES

NYC DEP Forest Management Project

NYC DEP has a forest management project that is resuming between Glenford Dike and milepost marker # K12. The project goal is to improve the vigor and resiliency of the forest cover surrounding the Ashokan Reservoir by diversifying the composition of tree species and ages. During periods of suitable weather and good ground conditions, timber harvesting may occur on weekdays from November 1st to March 31, 2022. Although the rail trail will remain open for your use, adjacent NYC DEP lands are temporarily closed to all activities (even for valid DEP Access Pass holders) until the project is complete. A truck crossing of the rail trail has been installed and marked with “STOP” signs; please use caution at the crossing making sure you and everyone in your group are alert for passing trucks or equipment.

Boiceville Trailhead and the Five Arches Bridge

As of November 2021, site preparation work has begun for the Five Arches Bridge replacement. As a result, the number of parking spaces at the Boiceville Trailhead has been reduced. Please consider alternate trail access, specifically by using the Ashokan Station, during holidays and peak trail usage times.

The ART can be accessed from three public trailheads:

Woodstock Dike Trailhead is located at 1285 NY-28 in West Hurley. The Trailhead entrance is 5.3 miles west of the NYS Thruway Exit 19 Traffic Circle and approximately 1,500 feet west of the Stewart’s Shop (by Zena Road).

Ashokan Station Trailhead is located at 3045 NY-28 in Shokan. The Trailhead entrance is 11.3 miles west of the NYS Thruway Exit 19 Traffic Circle across from Mountain Road.

Boiceville Bridge Trailhead is located at 5080 Route 28A in Boiceville. The Trailhead entrance is off Route 28A approximately 16.5 miles west of the NYS Thruway Exit 19 Traffic Circle. Cold Brook Road is direct across Route 28A from this entrance.

Please follow CDC guidelines for masks and social distancing when using the Ashokan Rail and always follow the trail rules:

  • Keep to the Right on Trail/ Pass On The Left
  • Leash and Clean Up After Dogs (Use Dog Waste Stations at Trailheads)
  • Stay On The Trail – Do Not Trespass
  • Park Only In Designated Areas
  • Leave No Trace – Take With You All Garbage

Project Background

The ART was planned and constructed by Ulster County through a historic partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”), which owns and operates the Ashokan Reservoir. The project was funded by Ulster County with significant grant assistance from DEP, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Environmental Protection Fund), New York State Parks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Catskill Watershed Corporation. The ART was designed by engineering consultant, Barton & Loguidice, DPC, and was constructed from January 2018 through December 2019 (with a partial trail opening in October 2019).

The ART has provided public access to the County’s scenic former Ulster & Delaware Railroad right-of-way along Ashokan Reservoir without a DEP Access Permit for the first time since the Reservoir was constructed in the early 1900s. The ART is operated by Ulster County with support from DEP, which maintains the public trailheads, and in cooperation with volunteer Trail Stewards organized by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and the Woodstock Land Conservancy.

About

Opened in the fall of 2019, the Ashokan Rail Trail (“ART”) is a shared-use recreational trail running 11.5 miles along the northern edge of the Ashokan Reservoir between Basin Road in West Hurley and Route 28A in Boiceville. The ART was developed by the County of Ulster through an historic partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”), which owns and operates the Ashokan Reservoir and adjacent lands. Open from sunrise to sunset year-round, the ART has provided public access to the County’s scenic abandoned Ulster & Delaware Railroad corridor without a DEP Access Permit for the first time since the Reservoir was constructed in 1911.

The ART trail surface is highly compacted crushed stone ranging from 10 to 12 feet in width, and this flat trail is ADA compliant and accessible for persons with disabilities. The ART is open for non-motorized uses, including hiking, bicycling, running, nature observation, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing and offers three large public trailheads from which the trail can be accessed.

Contact

For more information – Ulster County Planning Department

Email: ashokanrailtrail@gmail.com.