Dutchess Rail Trail: Parking, Access Points, and a Fall Walk

The Dutchess Rail Trail, formally the William R. Steinhaus Dutchess Rail Trail, is a 13.4-mile paved county trail that runs from the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie to the restored Hopewell Depot in Hopewell Junction, through the towns of LaGrange, Wappinger and East Fishkill. It is open dawn to dusk, it is part of the 750-mile Empire State Trail, and every town along it has a trailhead lot, all of which Dutchess County lists on its own pages. October is the month for it, with cooler air and the leaves turning, so here are the county's parking directions, rules and map from dutchessny.gov, a walk that starts at the Hopewell Depot, and the drive from any of the trail towns to Farmers Choice Fishkill.

Where does the Dutchess Rail Trail start and end?

The county's FAQ puts the north end at the Walkway Over the Hudson State Park in the City of Poughkeepsie and the south end at the Old Hopewell Depot, just outside Hopewell Junction in the Town of East Fishkill, with the trail heading southeast between them. Its map counts mile markers from the Depot: stand at marker 8 in LaGrange and you are 8 miles from the Depot and about 5 from the Walkway, by the county's own example.

The route is an old railroad. The trail sits on the Maybrook Line right-of-way, a double-track line that opened in 1892 and carried the only train crossing of the Hudson River between New York City and just south of Albany, until a 1974 fire on the Poughkeepsie railroad bridge broke it. Dutchess County bought the corridor from Hopewell Junction to Morgan Lake in 1984, at first for a highway that never came, and built the trail in four phases instead; the county's history page describes the last phase as the link from Overocker Road to Old Manchester Road, with a bridge over Route 55 and the Wappinger Creek.

The surface is paved and at least ten feet wide for the full length, wider north of Route 55 in the Town of Poughkeepsie, with a parallel soft-surface path south of Diddell Road for anyone who prefers it underfoot. Road crossings range from striping and signs to warning lights and bridges. Benches sit along the way, portable toilets stand at some trailheads in peak season, and there are several bike repair stations.

Where can you park for the Dutchess Rail Trail?

Dutchess County's directions page lists these trailhead lots; here they run from the Depot end toward the Walkway. Park in designated areas; the county's rules page makes that the first rule.

• Hopewell Depot Trailhead, East Fishkill. On Railroad Avenue, just off Route 376 at the Hopewell Depot. This is the trail's mile zero.
• Van Wyck Lane, East Fishkill. Between Lake Walton Road and Route 376.
• Lake Walton Road, East Fishkill. Just south of Van Wyck Lane on Lake Walton Road.
• Diddell Road Trailhead, Wappinger. From Route 376, turn onto Diddell Road and go right at the Diddell Road and Smith Crossing Road intersection; the lot is on the right with direct trail access.
• 258 Titusville Road, LaGrange. The rear lot at Gold's Gym, which the county says provides permanent trail parking and direct access.
• Old Manchester Road, LaGrange. Two lots behind Page Home Center.
• Overocker Road Trailhead, Poughkeepsie. From Route 44, turn onto Peckham Road (Arlington Auto and Tire is at the corner), go two tenths of a mile to Overocker Road, turn right, and the lot is on the left.
• Love Road lot, Poughkeepsie. Behind the shopping plaza on Burnett Boulevard.

The county's trail map page has a downloadable PDF that also marks a Morgan Lake trailhead and the Sprout Creek bridge; the directions above are the ones the county spells out. The Walkway's own lots at 61 Parker Avenue in Poughkeepsie belong to the state park, and our Walkway Over the Hudson day trip covers them.

What are the Dutchess Rail Trail rules?

The county posts the trail rules on one page, and they are short. The trail is open dawn to dusk. Stay to the right, travel at a controlled speed, say "on your left" and pass with care, and stop and dismount at every road crossing. Cyclists must wear a helmet, and only Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are allowed; Class 3 e-bikes, motorized vehicles, Segways and hoverboards are not. Dogs stay on a leash no longer than six feet, and you clean up after them. It is a carry-in, carry-out park with no camping, fires or hunting, no cutting vegetation and no feeding wildlife, and horses are not permitted. Smoking is prohibited in all Dutchess County parks, this one included. Groups that want to hold an event on the trail need a permit from the Parks Division, reached at 845-298-4600.

A fall walk from the Hopewell Depot

For a walk rather than a ride, start at the south end. Park at the Hopewell Depot trailhead on Railroad Avenue off Route 376, and on a Saturday look in on the Hopewell Depot Museum at 36 Railroad Avenue, a volunteer-run restoration of the 1873 station, its tower and a caboose. The museum lists Saturday hours of 10AM to 2PM for its season, so check its site for the season's last day before you count on it.

From the Depot the trail heads northwest through East Fishkill, past the Van Wyck Lane and Lake Walton Road access points, and the mile markers do the math for you: turn around at marker 2 for a four-mile round trip, at marker 3 for six, and so on. A morning start in October leaves the whole day ahead and the low light for the walk back. Bring water; the trailhead portable toilets are seasonal. A leashed dog is welcome, a bike with a helmet is welcome, and the soft-surface path south of Diddell Road is there if you prefer it to pavement.

If you want the bridge instead, start at the north end and let the Walkway Over the Hudson be the first mile: it is 1.28 miles from gate to gate, 212 feet over the river, open from 7AM with closing times that step down through the fall, 6:30PM from October 5, 6PM from October 19 and 5PM from November 1. The county's Poughkeepsie lots, Overocker Road and Love Road, are the trail's own parking at that end.

The Walkway end and the Empire State Trail

The Dutchess Rail Trail is one leg of something much longer. Dutchess County calls it part of the 750-mile Empire State Trail network, and beyond the Depot the county's FAQ picks up the Empire State Trail's next section, the Maybrook Trailway, a 23-mile stretch that starts just past the Old Hopewell Depot and heads for Brewster in Putnam County. At the north end, the Walkway describes itself as a key connector between this trail, the Hudson Valley Rail Trail on the west bank and the Empire State Trail. Our Empire State Trail page covers the river crossing from the west-bank side and how the New Paltz store fits a day on that bank.

From the trail to Farmers Choice Fishkill

Three of the trail towns have their own pages on this site, each with the drive to the Fishkill store worked out:

• Hopewell Junction: about 5 miles and 11 minutes, Route 82 to Route 52 west.
• Wappingers Falls: about 6 miles and 12 minutes, Route 9 south.
• Poughkeepsie, including the Walkway end: about 11 miles and 18 minutes, Route 9 south.

All three routes end at Farmers Choice Fishkill, 18 Westage Drive, at the Route 9 and I-84 interchange, with its own lot. Sunday through Wednesday the doors are open 8AM to 10PM; Thursday, Friday and Saturday they stay open until 11PM after the same 8AM start. Bring a government-issued photo ID that proves you are 21 or older, and expect it to be checked on every visit whatever your age; adult-use New York needs no medical card. Order Now on the Fishkill menu if you would rather skip the browsing, since most orders are ready inside an hour.

Keep the walk and the shopping in separate boxes. Nothing gets opened on the trail, at the Depot or in the car: Dutchess County bans smoking in every county park, the Walkway posts itself as a non-smoking state park, and the state's rule against consuming cannabis in a vehicle applies whether the car is moving or parked. Home is the place, and our guide to New York cannabis laws lists the rest of where consumption is and is not allowed.