Happy trails coming soon to old Maybrook line

In an ongoing effort to connect rail trails throughout New York,links are being constructed throughout the state as the Empire State Trail program.nears conclusion. The 750-mile multi-use trail proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2017 is expected to be completed by the end of the year with three main segments—the Hudson Valley Greenway Trail, the Erie Canalway Trail and the Champlain Valley Trail. The trail will span the state from New York City to Canada and Buffalo to Albany.

A 23-mile connector is currently being built between Hopewell Junction and Brewster. Called the Maybrook Trailway it runs along Metro North’s existing Beacon line corridor. The new trail connects the Dutchess Rail Trail to Putnam and Northern and Southern Westchester Trailways. Going west, the Dutchess Rail Trail goes over the Walkway over the Hudson, takes the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, and eventually hooks up to the Walkill Valley Rail Trail in New Paltz.

When completed, the Maybrook Trailway, named for a major rail yard in Orange County, will open a path for walkers and bikers from Kingston to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The new trail is expected to officially open in December.

Roughly two-thirds of the trail has already been paved and graded, with the section between Poughquag, Stormville and East Fishkill ending at the Hopewell Depot trailhead scheduled for work this summer. And there’s lots of infrastructure work still to be completed, including bridges, fencing, grading and access points.

The south trailhead is located off North Main Street in Brewster, close to the Metro North Southeast station and the Putnam Trailway. A horseshoe-shaped section south of the trailhead runs several additional miles, under both Interstate 84 and 684 and ends near the Connecticut state line alongside the East Branch Reservoir.

The railroad line, once known as the Maybrook, was built in 1882, extending through Hopewell Junction, around the Stormville Mountain ridge, through the Putnam towns of Patterson and Brewster, and eventually to Danbury, CT, and beyond. At one point, shown right, the new trail crosses the Metro North tracks over an angled trestle bridge near the town of Patterson just north of Ice Pond.

The scenic trail wends its way around and past a variety of lakes, waterfalls and woods. There are several large rock cuts, the biggest of which is found in Poughquag. Just north of Whaley Lake in Holmes, the Maybrook Trailway crosses the Appalachian Trail.

This railway has a unique twist – an active but seldom used Metro North rail line runs parallel to it. The tracks are rarely used but are maintained and remain serviceable.

The original track was doubled in 1906, and passenger service continued until 1927. The secondary track was removed in 1962. Freight service prospered until the Poughkeepsie Bridge (now the Walkway) burned in 1974.

Maybrook Trailway in photos:

Winter blue rules at this small pond near Whaley Lake in Pawling.

Gazing westward across Whaley Lake.

Stretch of trail near Tonetta Lake, Brewster.

Large cut through Stormville Mountain range in Poughquag.

Frog Hollow Brook waterfall near Stormville.

Old bridge over water near Patterson and Ice Pond.

Trail near Ice Pond in Putnam County.

Appalachian Trail crossing in Pawling.

Maybrook Trailway near Whaley Lake.

---