From the high peaks and vast forests of the Adirondacks to the ocean beaches of Long Island, New York State offers a wide variety of outdoor adventures on miles of scenic recreational multi-use trails.
Spring is one of the best times to bike or hike the fabled New York State Canal trail system. Try the Old Erie Canal State Park or Erie Canal Heritage Trail for a scenic, historic spring cycling adventure.
Everyone will enjoy a bike ride on the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail located in the heart of Central New York’s wine country. Beautiful scenery, gorgeous waterfalls and unusual plants makes for an excellent spring bike ride.
Experience mountain biking at Minnewaska State Park Preserve on over forty miles of well-drained gravel carriage trails edged by thick stands of mountain laurel and rhododendron (shown right) when they bloom in late spring. The trails wind around two glacial lakes and along the dramatic Shawangunk Mountain ridges offering fantastic views of the Hudson Valley below.
For a spectacular spring backcountry road mountain biking in the Catskill Mountain Preserve, Spruceton Road features views of many mountain peaks over 3,000 feet and access to Diamond Notch Falls.
For trails near New York City, try Historic Caumsett State Park, one of our favorite places to ride, on a beautiful spring day. Awesome views of the Long Island Sound, wildlife spotting opportunities, fifteen miles of wide, well maintained dirt roads, bridle trails and paved bike paths make this ideal for a day of biking with the family.
With such a diverse landscape from mountain peaks to pine barrens, lakes and forests to the New Jersey National Seashore, Spring has its own special flavor for visitors with a love for wildlife, the environment and outdoor activities. It's an exciting experience to watch New Jersey change with the seasons and reconnect with nature.
The D&R Canal State Park trail, is a fabulous spring bike ride for both families and history lovers. Bridges, bridgetender houses, locks, cobblestone spillways, stone-arched culverts and mills are seen all along the trail. There are plenty of places to stop and eat, shop, or sight-see along the way.
Late Spring, when just about everything is in bloom is one of the best times to ride at Tatum Park in Monmouth County. 4 miles of secluded multi-use trails wind through impressive groves of tulip trees and forests of red and chestnut oak trees. After your bike ride take a romantic walk through the Deep Cut Gardens Arboretum.
Cyslists will enjoy fantastic views while riding the The Columbia Rail Trail across the South Branch of the Raritan River river 80 feet above the Ken Lockwood Gorge. Stop here and watch the river tumble. This is a popular whitewater river run in the Spring, for kayakers, canoers and trout fishermen.
Hartshorne Woods Park (pictured right), in the Atlantic Highlands, features steep slopes covered with Mountain Laurel (blooms in May) and cliffs adjacent to the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers. A network of multi-use trails for hiking and mountain biking traverse the ridges and provide scenic views of the Navesink River Valley between the trees. From the park you can also access the trails at Huber Woods Park. This small, cozy county park is a romantic place to ride with your significant other. Take time amid the scenic beauty and panoramic views to observe small things -- sounds, smells, light and shadow, subtle hints of seasonal changes.
Miles of trails and old woods roads wind through stands of pine, oak and mountain laurel in both Allaire State Park and Wharton State Forest in southern New Jersey. Over 200 species of wildflowers, trees and plants, many of which are not typical of the Jersey Shore Region can be found here. Mountain bikers will have plenty of wildlife spotting opportunities as the state parks are situated along the Atlantic flyway which provide a resting and feeding place for birds on their spring migration paths.
