Directions: From South: Route 9A to 9 North. Exit at Welcher Avenue; turn right and follow to park entrance.
From North: Route 9 south. Exit at Welcher Avenue; turn left and follow to park entrance.
By Subway from New York City: You can take the subway to Grand Central Station, then take the train to Peekskill and the Reserve on the Metro North Railroad, you'll need a metro bike permit. (Call the Metro North Railroad 1-800-METRO-46).

General Description: Blue Mountain Reservation is a 1,600-acre park in the northwest section of Westchester County. The park isn't big but good things come in small packages. It features miles of trails for mountain biking, strolling and nature study, and offers challenging hikes to the tops of two large peaks, Mt. Spitzenberg and Blue Mountain.
The park consists of diverse habitat containing beautiful woodlands, spectacular rock outcroppings of Hudson Highlands granite, and scenic freshwater ponds and pondscapes sprinkled with geese. This region went through geologic faulting causing the Spitzenberg and the Blue Mountain to grow 700 feet above sea level. Subsquent erosion during the last ice age left distinctive rock outcroppings along the trail.

The Trails:
One of best places to ride that's located approximately 1 hour from midtown Manhattan.
The seven+ mile bike trail system at Blue Mountain Reservation is geared toward three levels of skill. Follow the color markings along the trail which best fits your riding ability: yellow for beginners, orange for intermediate and red for advanced. Official trail maps can be found at the Park website. (link provided below).
Beginners can enjoy riding along wide, gently rolling carriage roads. The more advanced riders can opt for a cardiovascular and technical challenge by climbing tough, rocky hills through dense woods. The routes travel through diverse habitat and interesting rock outcroppings can be seen along the trail.

For more information:
Blue Mountain Reservation: Welcher AvenuePeekskill, New York 10566Phone: (914) 737-2194 or (914) 242-PARKTTY: 711 (AT&T National Relay) Website: Blue Mountain Reservation

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GPS Link: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/email/accept.mb?senderPk.pkValue=90387&unitSystemPkValue=2&episodePk.pkValue=2602703

A good Start: Base miles are something that you hear everyone serious about training talk about ("You have to have a good base that we determine the quality of the rest of your season")
Base Miles are the equivelent of what runners call LSD (Long Slow Distance)
On the bike this can be some of the most enjoyable riding you do - This past weekend was the ideal day to get some much awaited time on in the saddle outside (see the ride inside)
The weather was perfect sunny and warm with just a slight wind. I picked a friend that I knew would hang for the ride (a good mechanic as well so if something went wrong far from home McGuiver would get us rolling again - foutunately a bad link was found in my chain prior to ride we were able to swap that out with a sram link and I only got a flat on the road)
Our ride was a total of 82 miles thru New Jersey and New Your with 2 considerable climbs (Skyline drive and Peter Hill) The pace was (in the words of Borat) "A Very Nice"
We rode past lakes and streams reseviors and Dams on mostly low traffic roads
A little State highway section between 17a and 17 Junction
Defininetly a good ride to get some base miles or a climbing workout if you want to push the pace a bit you could also cross back over skyline drive again by getting of off 17a at Sloatsburg to add some additional climbing and miles

GPS Link: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/email/accept.mb?senderPk.pkValue=90387&unitSystemPkValue=2&episodePk.pkValue=2537143