Ride the newly-opened Maybrook Trailway segment of the Empire State Trail; then, return via peaceful rural backroads, creating the perfect 17-mile loop for your electric bike.
Empire State Trail Routes
An Old Croton Aqueduct E-Bike Route
Start with views of the magnificent New Croton Dam before skirting the forested Croton Reservoir and returning on the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail.
Further Afield: Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
Late winter is the perfect season for this pine barrens adventure in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. Unlike other pinelands routes, this one is mostly paved, but the roads through the forest and along the wetlands are remote and isolated.
Further Afield: Stokes State Forest and Tillman Ravine
The off-season is the perfect time for this electric bike adventure in Stokes State Forest. In winter, the gated roads are off-limits to cars, but not to your electric bike. This is when the sense of isolation is deepest, and the hillsides, thick with hemlocks, provide a welcome contrast to the blahs of winter.
Further Afield: Franklin Parker Preserve
Old cranberry bogs, twisted pitch pine forests and remarkable wetlands teeming with animal life and rare plants are the enchanting backdrop for this electric bike ride through the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.
The Cary: A Mid-Hudson Route
This farmland loop through an area of quiet beauty connects the gardens of Millbrook to the Cary Institute grounds in the Mid-Hudson Valley.
The Perkins Memorial
Perkins Memorial Drive leads to the tower atop Bear Mountain, but the real pleasure is having this road to yourself when it’s closed to cars. Take your electric bike effortlessly to the top, then swing back downhill and into the Bear Mountain Inn.
The Sherman
From Sherman, Connecticut, cross into New York State and ride “The Oblong”, a slice of historic disputed territory now given to forest and farm.
The Steep Rock
This isn’t farm country, but rolling woods and dirt roads for miles. Streams and the Shepaug River flow under bridges at several turns, and in the fall, the rivers are lit from above by the golden leaves of massive sugar maples and yellow birch. 11.5 miles.
The Ashokan: A Catskills Ride
Climb High Point Mountain Road, briefly; then enjoy a mostly-downhill roll through the foothills, all while surrounded by the Catskill Mountains. This 13-mile ride is lovely in autumn.
The Garrison
Watch carefully for signs of the Revolutionary War — canon balls, milestones and markers — along this lovely wooded route in Putnam County. Bring the wide tires, and watch out for washboard rough roads.
The Vernooy Kill: A Southern Catskills Ride
A rushing stream with intermittent waterfalls follows the early part of this loop ride in Kerhonkson, in the Southern Catskills. Then the woods give way to farmland and grazing cattle.
The Whitlock
A Mid-Hudson ride past country laneways, farms and horse pastures, with a sweet diversion to Millbrook Vineyards and Winery. Start at Whitlock Preserve, in Clinton Corners.
The Craryville
Cycle Craryville, the pastoral heartland of the Upper Hudson Valley, with golden meadows and the blue foothills of the Berkshire mountains.
The Omega
Go slow on these gentle country roads. No big hills, just pretty farms and classic mid-Hudson Valley scenery.
The Fahnestock
Ride alongside a gorge and under a canopy of hemlock and pine. This ride takes you past otter ponds, a centuries-old inn and the site of an old Revolutionary War inoculation station.
The Minnewaska: A ‘Gunks Ride
Wide-open views of the Shawangunk valley, stunted pines clinging to cliffsides, pristine lakes and gently rising carriageways combine for the most spectacular ride in the collection.
The Macedonia: A Western Connecticut Ride
The Macedonia Brook tumbles alongside the start of this 16-mile ride in Kent, Connecticut. With plenty of hardpack and gravel, hybrid e-bikes are well-suited to the route.
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The Fahnestock
Ride alongside a gorge and under a canopy of hemlock and pine. This ride takes you past otter ponds, a centuries-old inn and the site of an old Revolutionary War inoculation station.
The Perkins Memorial
Perkins Memorial Drive leads to the tower atop Bear Mountain, but the real pleasure is having this road to yourself when it's closed to cars. Take your electric bike effortlessly to the top, then swing back downhill and into the Bear Mountain Inn.
The Macedonia: A Western Connecticut Ride
The Macedonia Brook tumbles alongside the start of this 16-mile ride in Kent, Connecticut. With plenty of hardpack and gravel, hybrid e-bikes are well-suited to the route.
The Whitlock
A Mid-Hudson ride past country laneways, farms and horse pastures, with a sweet diversion to Millbrook Vineyards and Winery. Start at Whitlock Preserve, in Clinton Corners.