Cycling Through Fall Foliage in Westchester NY
Westchester is one of our favorite cycling destinations from New York City. First, the ease of access from the city is hard to beat between Metro North trains, the OCA, and the North/South County Railway. Second, ACME Bicycles in Katonah provides a friendly starting/stopping point or rest stop. And most importantly, there are the roads - paved and unpaved - that are a beautiful respite from the heavy vehicle traffic of NYC.
There is arguably no better time to take it all in than fall, when autumn colors are in full bloom. This past weekend we did just that, gathering at ACME Bicycles on Saturday morning to take on a route recommended by ACME’s own Colin Tanner. Featuring 53 miles of mixed surfaces, including a mile of single track near the midway point, it was pretty much a perfect day on the bike.
While the trees in the City are still mostly green, the colors are really starting to change around Katonah. This coming weekend may be close to peak so if you’re looking for a day trip escape from the City with beautiful riding head North to Westchester.
Our full route is embedded below and don’t miss our Katonah Cycling Guide for alternative routes and refueling recommendations.
The Route
We used ACME Bicycle’s “the Path Less Travel Route” that starts and ends in Katonah with 53 miles of mixed surface riding. This route hits some of our favorite roads in Westchester and even tosses in a stretch of single track through Mountain Lakes Park (miles 31-32). The best rest stop on the route is the Market at Union Hall at mile 33.5 and again at mile 39.8. We’re partial to the quiche and they have a full variety of coffee and pastries.
A New York City based cyclist and sometimes photographer. Part adventure rider, part crit racer, and fully obsessed with an English bulldog named Winifred.
Instagram: @photorhetoric
E-mail: matthew@tobedetermined.cc
