Dear Trail Enthusiasts,
Since I became County Executive in 1992, I’ve had a vision of a countywide system of trails for residents and guests to explore the beauty of Dutchess County on a variety of footpaths, gravel trails, wood chip surfaced bridal paths and boardwalks through wetlands. Combining the Greenway trails, Scenic Hudson land, County and other municipal Parks and abandoned rail beds of the Hudson Valley, my vision is rapidly becoming a reality.
This website DutchessCountyTrails.com is another aspect of our grand plan to not only create these functional amenities and opportunities for the exercise and enjoyment of users of all ages and all forms of non-motorized transportation, but also, to include the public in our planning process and keep you informed of our progress.
We are currently working on 2 major trail projects which are both federally funded projects that require a Dutchess County match of no more than 20% of the total cost of the project. They are:
- The Dutchess Rail Trail Park (DRT)- a 12-mile linear park stretching through the heart of the County from Morgan Lake on the Town/City of Poughkeepsie border through the towns of LaGrange and Wappinger, ending in East Fishkill with a trailhead in the Hamlet of Hopewell Junction.
- The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Park (HVRT)- our first linear park, built in phases since 1996. The 4th phase will connect the last 7 miles from the Village of Millerton to the Columbia County line. When completed, the HVRT will actually extend from the Wassaic Train station all the way to Copake Falls in the Taconic State Park.
We have created an opportunity for partnerships to add amenities to the rail trails and truly create a community park. We hope you will consider being a part of this collaborative effort.
More information is available on this website for you to review concerning the trails. Please keep checking back to follow our progress.
Thanks for your interest and I’ll be seeing you out in the parks.
William R. Steinhaus
Dutchess County Executive
