River-to-Ridge Trail
The free gravel loop when you want the ridge without a day-pass line.
- Food
- Main Street Bistro
- Church
- Reformed Church of New Paltz
- Farm stand
- Hudson Valley Open Market
- Sauna
- Wintersun Sauna
- Sports
- The ride itself
- Lodging
- New Paltz
Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour
Best season March through November is the practical riding season. Mud and ice close the idea in winter.
Drive About 1 hr 45 min–2 hr 15 min
Same New Paltz drive as Mohonk, general guidance from Midtown. The trailhead is on Springtown Road, not at the hotel gate.
Parking. The Springtown Road lot is the main start. Do not block a farm lane. A Preserve permit is extra if you ride past the boundary.
A gravel path from the Wallkill River up through farmland to the edge of Mohonk Preserve. Walking and biking. It is the local ridge ride. A trail named Moon Mountain did not turn up in New Paltz guides.
Worth knowing
Two tickets, maybe
The trail to the Preserve line is not the same pass as riding the Preserve carriage roads. If you cross the boundary, pay the Preserve.
The boundary
The gravel path to the Preserve line is free. Riding or walking onto Mohonk Preserve is a separate day fee.
The short version
The Open Space Institute opened the River-to-Ridge Trail in 2018 so people could reach the Shawangunk ridge without riding the shoulder of Route 299. It runs from the Wallkill toward the Preserve boundary. Continuing onto Mohonk Preserve is a separate day fee.
Food nearby
Main Street Bistro
The trailhead is not a restaurant. Main Street Bistro is at 59 Main Street in New Paltz. Their site prints breakfast and lunch Monday and Wednesday–Friday 8:00 am–3:00 pm and Saturday–Sunday 8:00 am–3:00 pm, closed Tuesday, and dinner Friday–Sunday 4:30–8:00 pm. The same page says Doug and Teresa Thompson bought it on July 1, 1993.
Their pageA game nearby
The ride itself
Gravel and carriage-road riding, not a lift-served bike park. Helmets are required if you continue onto the Preserve's bike routes. Bring the bike. Rentals have existed at the trailhead. Confirm they still do.
Farms and stands nearby
Hudson Valley Open Market
The market calls itself the farmers and makers market for New Paltz.
Season. Their site says every Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., May through October, at 196 Main Street, in the New Paltz Middle School parking lot.
The grocery stop if you are cooking in the village. The trailhead is not the market. The site does not print a cash-only rule.
Official page
Staying in New Paltz – snapshot (lodging only)
Last checked: 2026-10-16. We recommend; you book directly. Prices are nightly, low–high by season, with a source. “From” prices depend on your dates. Items we couldn't verify are marked †.
The quiet base: New Paltz for the ridge. Brookfield Farm is the farm stay, in Modena.
Inns, B&Bs, farm stays, guesthouses, campgrounds
- Gatehouse Gardens, New Paltz
- Type.
- B&B suites
- Price (low–high).
- Open 3/29–12/2 (closed in winter). 2026: $180 room / $260 4-guest / $410 6-guest suite. 2027: $190/$270/$480 (own)
- Good for.
- Strong, up to 6
- Book via.
- Booking/Expedia/Airbnb: not found
- Why we like it.
- Private entrances, pond
- Brookfield Farm B&B, Modena
- Type.
- Farm B&B
- Price (low–high).
- $210 Mon–Thu, $230 Fri–Sun, 5% off 5+ nights; no seasonal variation shown (own)
- Good for.
- Suite for 4
- Book via.
- Booking/Expedia: not found
- Why we like it.
- Highland cows, orchards
Vacation rentals
- Haywood Farmhouse, New Paltz
- Sleeps.
- 5 guests
- Price (low–high).
- No price on file
- Good for.
- 5 guests, pool
- Book via.
- Airbnb
- Why we like it.
- 5 guests, pool
Know before you book: Gatehouse Gardens is open 3/29–12/2 and closed in winter. Haywood Farmhouse has no price.
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A church
Reformed Church of New Paltz
The congregation’s history page traces the church to January 22, 1683, when Pierre Daille preached in the Huguenot settlement. Worship is at 92 Huguenot Street.
Their homepage prints Sunday worship at 10:00 am, and church school for ages 3 through 8th grade.
Schedule sourceA sauna
Wintersun Sauna
Their homepage says the sauna is now at Taliaferro Farm, 187 Plains Road, New Paltz, and that this stop begins October 24. Weekday social sessions are 90 minutes, communal, up to 8 people, and they ask for a minimum of 2.
Book ahead. The page says to wear a swimsuit or sweat-ready clothes and to bring two towels, one for the bench.
House siteShare your experience
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