D & H CANAL
HERITAGE CORRIDOR;
NORTH LETTERBOX:
HURLEY, NEW YORK
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Planted:
July 14, 2008
Length:
Total; 9.3 miles. Paved: 2 ¼ miles. Stone-dust: 6.3 miles. Hard packed
dirt: ¾ miles.
Marbletown
parking lot to Letterbox; 0.3 miles
Hurley
to Letterbox; 2.6 miles.
High Falls D & H Canal Trail; ½ mile
Difficulty:
Hurley section; Easy. Flat, paved rail trail.
Marbletown section: Easy. Flat, stone-dust rail trail.
Directions:
To start from Hurley; From
I-87 (NY State Thruway) take exit 19 to Route 28 west. Exit onto Route
209 south and follow for about a mile. Just after crossing over Esopus Creek,
on your left will be a parking lot for the trail.
To start from the Marbletown parking lot; From
I-87 (NY State Thruway) take exit 19 to Route 28 west. Exit onto Route
209 south and follow for about 4 miles. Just after the paved trail enters the
woods on your left will be a road leading to the parking area. The stone-dust
section of trail starts here.
To visit
High
Falls
;
Follow Route
209 to the junction of Route 213. Take Route 213 into
High
Falls
.
The D & H Canal Heritage Corridor
runs for thirty-five miles in central
Ulster
County
. This route traces the Delaware & Hudson Canal, the New York,
Ontario & Western Railroad, and the scenic Rondout Creek. Most of
the northern section of trail that I describe follows the old route of the
abandoned O&W Railroad, while the southern route contains bits of the
old D&H Canal towpaths and locks, as well as, the O&W Railroad.
There are two letterboxes planted, one along the northern section and a second
along the southern section. See; D
& H Canal Heritage Corridor South Letterbox . For more
information visit; D
& H CANAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR .
Starting from Hurley; This
section of the trail is paved as it follows the old rail bed of the former O&W
Railroad south. This railway continued into
Kinston
heading north. You may have noticed some old railcars, still on their tracks on
opposite sides of Route 209, as you headed south down Route 209 from
Kingston
. There are informational signs scattered along this paved section of trail as
it parallels Route 209. However, a nice buffer of plantings helps separate you
from the road. After traveling under a bridge at 0.9 miles, a spur on your left
will take you up and over Route 209 if you wish to visit Hurley. One mile brings
you to a signboard and road crossing. Keep an eye out to your left at 1.4 miles
to spot an old railroad mileage marker that reads K3/E24,
meaning 3 miles to
Kingston
or 24 miles to Ellenville. These
markers occur every mile along the trail. The paved trail then heads into the
woods and ends after 2 ¼ miles at the Marbletown parking lot. This is
the start of the stone-dust section of trail along what the map board refers to
as the Marbletown Rail Trail. The trail here is wide as you cross a
wooden bridge and head into the woods. Keep a sharp eye out to your right for a
small path at 2.6 miles. A small sign nailed to a tree reads “Little Red
Riding Hood Bridge”. The path takes you over a 2 planked bridge along a dirt
path. The trail veers left when you come to a large hole, however, you need to
head to the right and up towards the boulders. Spot a boulder with a tree
growing out of its backside to your left. Heading right along the base of
boulders you’ll come to another boulder with a tree growing on it. From here,
continue right along the base of boulders for 7 paces (2 steps = 1 pace) and
you’ll notice a large fissure through the boulders. Not done yet. Continue
another 4 paces along the base of the boulders and look down. You should spot 2
moss covered rocks under the boulders ledge. In between is a non-moss covered
rock. Remove this one rock to reveal the D & H Canal Heritage Corridor
North Letterbox under a flat rock. Please replace the flat rock as it helps
protect the box. Continuing along the trail you’ll pass by a ½ mile marker on
your right. These markers start from the parking lot and continue every ½ mile,
although they eventually disappear. The trail travels along a ridgeline with a
steep drop along your right. You travel alongside a large marsh with several
beaver lodges at 4.4 miles. You reach the
Marcott Road
parking lot after 5.6 miles. Here you’ll find a map board and bench.
After crossing the road, the trail gets a bit narrower. Keep an eye to your
right at 6.4 miles after crossing a wooden bridge and spot an old cement
railroad Whistle marker. This let the train conductor know a road
crossing was approaching so he could blow the trains whistle. The trail soon
veers to the left off the old rail bed and brings you around the Cottekill
Firehouse and past the old Cottekill Train Station, now a private
residence. You next cross over
Cottekill Road
and rejoin the trail. You come to an old bridge abutment at 7.1 miles and have
to head downhill to a wooden bridge across a creek and then head back up the
other side. Very scenic area. Must have been a long railroad bridge at one time.
You cross another wooden bridge at 8.1 miles and come to the
Leggett Road
parking lot at 8.6 miles. Here you’ll find another map board and
picnic tables. The trail continues across the road but is undeveloped and a
mountain bike is recommended. This is a single track dirt trail with some roots.
You cross a wooden bridge at 8.8 miles and soon pass by the old High Falls
Train Station which is now a residential home. This brings you to Route 213.
Note;
A quick ½ mile detour from here is highly recommended. If you head left on-road
down Route 213 you’ll first cross Lucas Turnpike (Route 1) and then Rondout
Creek. Soon you’ll come to
High
Falls
. The
D & H
Canal
passed through here and you can take a short ½ mile trail along the old locks.
You can also visit the D & H Canal Museum. For operating hours visit;
D & H CANAL MUSEUM .
The trail starts just off of 2nd Street, next to the old Depuy
Canal House which was built in 1797 and is now a restaurant. A sign
indicates the start of the stone-dust trail that takes you up to a wooden bridge
and over one of the locks. The trail then takes you past 3 more locks and ends
after just a ½ mile. Directly across from the old Canal House is a
platform overlooking an 1825 stone aqueduct. If you continue up Route 213 and
take a right onto
Mohonk Road
, this will bring you to the museum. For more information on
High
Falls
visit; HIGH
FALLS .
HH
CLICK
HERE FOR MAP
LETTERBOX LAST VERIFIED
ON
JUNE 20, 2009
TO EMAIL A VERIFICATION
CLICK
HERE
BEFORE YOU SET OUT BE
SURE TO READ THE
WAIVER
OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE IT
LETTERBOXING
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