The Walden-Wallkill Rail Trail is built on a former Conrail right-of-way. Conrail and its predecessors, Penn Central, New York Central, and The Wallkill Valley Railway, provided service to farmers along the route from Montgomery to Kingston by transporting their goods to wholesale markets in New York City.
The rail-trail is currently open in two disconnected sections. The longer, southern section is paved and stretches 3 miles from Woodruff Street in Walden to Route 208 in Wallkill.
A shorter section begins in Wallkill and heads north for 1.3 miles. It remains unpaved and favored by mountain bikers and horseback riders. From its northern end, trail users may connect to the scenic Wallkill Valley Rail-Trail by taking an on-road route to Denniston Road, where it begins.
Parking and Trail Access
Major highways convenient to trailheads are the NY State Thruway, Interstate Route 84, and NY State routes 208, 52, and 17K.
The Village of Walden provides parking for rail-trail users at Wooster Grove Park on East Main St. (State Route 52).
States: New York
Counties: Orange, Ulster
Length: 4.3 miles
Trail end points: Shawangunk (Rt 208 near Railroad Ave) to Walden (Main St near Highland Ave): 3.5 miles and Wallkill (C. E. Penny Dr and Railroad Ave) to Wallkill (River Rd near Birch Rd): 1 mile
Trail surfaces: Asphalt, Ballast, Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Gravel
Trail activities: Bike, Inline Skating, Wheelchair Accessible, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking, Walking, Cross Country Skiing
