JOSEPH B. CLARKE RAIL TRAIL:
BLAUVELT-TAPPAN, NEW YORK
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Last Updated: August 19, 2018
Length: Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail; 3.8 miles
Difficulty: Easy. Flat paved rail trail.
Directions:
To start from the Blauvelt Library parking lot in Blauvelt; From the Palisades Interstate Parkway take exit 6E to Orangeburg Rd. Turn left on Western Hwy and travel 1 mile to Blauvelt. Turn right past the Library into the Post Office lot (green Rail Trail parking sign). Head right around the Library where you'll find the parking lot.
To Start from Oak Tree Road in Tappan; From the Palisades Interstate Parkway take exit 5S to Route 303 south. Turn left on Oak Tree Rd and you'll quickly come to a small parking lot on your left.
To start from the Depot Square parking lot in Sparkill; From the Palisades Interstate Parkway take exit 5S to Route 303 south. Turn left on Washington St, which becomes Main St. You pass by a playground an take an immediate left, then right on Depot Square where you'll find parking next to the trail.
The Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail, Old Erie Path and Raymond G. Esposito Trail follow the former right-of-way of the Erie Railroad's Nyack and Piermont Branch. The paved Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail travels to Depot Square, then northwest to Greenbush Rd. From Depot Square heading northeast you may also access the Old Erie Path , which in turns becomes the Raymond G. Esposito Trail . For more information visit; RAILS TO TRAILS .
Starting from Oak Tree Road parking lot in Tappan; A map board is located here. The paved Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail travels along an open corridor alongside some transmission lines. Travel underneath the Palisades Interstate Pkwy where you cross into Sparkill. Cross Washington St after a mile via the brick cross-walks. You'll travel past a small playground and another map board at the Depot Square parking lot before encountering a stone-dust trail intersection at 1.1 miles. A sign reads "Piermont-Nyack".
Note; The stone-dust trail is the start of the Old Erie Path which eventually turns into the Raymond G. Esposito Trail .
Continuing along the paved trail ("Orangeburg-Blauvelt") you follow a shaded residential corridor until you cross Kings Highway and rejoin the open corridor alongside the transmission lines. Cross Sparkill Creek at 1.9 miles and pass by the water treatment plant. Cross a bridge over Route 303 where you enter Orangeburg before coming to Greenbush Rd after 2.5 miles. Another map board located here. After crossing the road you'll encounter a slight uphill grade. Travel through a tunnel underneath Orangeburg Rd before crossing an iron arched bridge over an active RR at 2.9 miles. Cross Mt View Rd where the trail levels out as you enter Blauvelt. Pass by the Blauvelt Library parking lot before coming to the Western Hwy at 3.8 miles and the end of the trail.
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BIKE IT OR HIKE IT