PUTNAM COUNTY TRAILWAY LETTERBOX:
CARMEL, NEW YORK
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Planted: May 27, 2007
Length: Putnam County Trailway: 7 1/2 miles
Baldwin Place to Letterbox; 7 miles
Route 6 parking lot; Drive-by
Difficulty: Moderate. Paved surface along an old rail trail, however, some grades may be tough for kids on bikes.
Directions:
To start from Carmel; Take exit 19 off of I-84 to Route 312 west. Turn right when you reach Route 6. Take Route 6 west into Carmel. At the junction of Routes 6/52, turn left onto Route 6 as it travels alongside Lake Gleneida. You have two starting points. The beginning of the trail starts just up Seminary Hill Road, which is on your left, immediately after turning onto Route 6. There is limited parking alongside the trailhead. You may also start just a 1/2 mile down Route 6, near the end of the lake, where a parking lot is located. This will also give you an easy Drive-by for the Letterbox.
To start from Baldwin Place; Take exit 19 off of I-84 to Route 312 west. Turn right when you reach Route 6. Take Route 6 west into Carmel. At the junction of Routes 6/52, turn left onto Route 6 as it travels alongside Lake Gleneida. Follow Route 6 southwest until you come to Route 118 in Baldwin Place. Turn left onto Route 118 and you'll see where the trail crosses the road and becomes the North County Trailway as it travels south. Parking is available at the Baldwin Place Shopping Center between Routes 6 and 118.
The Putnam County Trailway is one of three interconnected trails, the North County Trailway and South County Trailway being the other two, that currently take you from New York City to Carmel, NY. See; North County Trailway Letterbox and South County Trailway Letterbox . They are all built on the former rail bed of the Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad. This former railroad provided freight and passenger service from 1881 to 1958 between the Bronx and Putnam County. Future plans call for extending the Putnam County Trailway another 3.9 miles from Carmel to Brewster. For more information visit; PUTNAM COUNTY TRAILWAY or NORTH COUNTY TRAILWAY .
The Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line has a stop in Southeast, which is 4 1/2 miles east of Carmel and a stop in Pleasantville, which is 1.4 miles from the Route 117 parking lot along the North County Trailway. This gives the hearty biker the option of doing a roughly 30 mile bike trip and then returning to your vehicle via the Metro-North Railroad. This is how we were able to bike so much of the trail without having to backtrack. The route to the stations are on-road and include a couple of tough hills and thus are recommended for experienced bikers only. For more information visit; Metro North Railroad . If you click on the individual stations, they have available both directions and maps.
Starting from Seminary Hill Road in Carmel; The trail is paved and includes green mileage markers all along the route. The top number is the distance from the start of the old Railroad Line in New York City, while the bottom number is used as a mile marker. The trail takes you down alongside Route 6 and across from Lake Gleneida. After a 1/2 mile you come to the Route 6 parking lot. The trail now veers away from the road and passes through a small rock cut. Looking to your right, spot green mileage marker 49/0. To your left is a high rock wall with two small double-trunked maple trees in front. Look to the right of the second maple tree, around chest high and spot a small white quartz rock in the wall. Please do not remove this rock. Instead, remove the long, flat rock to the right of it. Underneath another flat rock is the Putnam County Trailway Letterbox. Please replace the flat rock back on top of the box as this helps protect it. Continuing along the trail, you head into the woods and next come to an iron arched bridge high over a stream at 1.1 miles. Very scenic. You cross another iron arched bridge at 2 1/4 miles over a road. A tunnel at 3.3 miles takes you through some wetlands where you can still spot some of the old railroad telegraph poles. After passing through another tunnel you'll spot Lake Casse to your right. You come to the Croton Falls Road parking lot at 4.4 miles. This lot is located just east of Route 6 in the Town of Carmel. The trail travels through town and into the Mahopac section where you get a great overlook of Lake Mahopac. Good spot to grab refreshments. The trail travels along a ridgeline at 5.8 miles, then leaves the town behind at 6.8 miles and finally comes to Route 118 and the end of the Putnam County Trailway after 7 1/2 miles. The trail continues as the North County Trailway for another 20.3 miles. See; North County Trailway Letterbox .
HH
LETTERBOX LAST VERIFIED ON
JULY 21, 2008
TO EMAIL A VERIFICATION
BEFORE YOU SET OUT BE SURE TO READ THE
WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE LETTERBOXING