CATSKILL SCENIC TRAIL:
BLOOMVILLE-ROXBURY, NEW YORK
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Last Updated: July 30, 2025
Length: Catskill Scenic Trail; 26 miles
Stamford to Bloomville; 12 miles
Stamford to Grand Gorge; 8.7 miles
Difficulty: Easy. Flat, Cinder rail trail from Bloomville to Grand Gorge. Mountain bike recommended.
Moderate. Flat, Grass & cinder rail trail from Stamford to Grand Gorge. Mountain bike recommended.
Directions:
To start from Stamford [Center Section]; From the junction of Routes 10 & 23, take Route 23 east into Stamford. Look for Railroad Ave on your right and travel down it to the old Stamford Depot where the trail crosses.
To start from Hobart [Western Section]; From the junction of Routes 10 & 23, take Route 10 west to the town of Hobart. Just before you reach Route 18 (Maple Ave/River St), take a left down Cornell Ave. Pull into the Community Center parking lot where the trail crosses.
To start from Bloomville [Western End]; From the junction of State Routes 10 & 28, take Route 10 east to Bloomville. Continue past the turnoff for CR33 (County Route) and head up the hill along Route 10. Look for Agway Rd/Feed Store Rd on your left, as you reach the crest. This dirt road is actually the parking lot for the trail which starts just across Route 10.
The Catskill Scenic Trail runs along the former rail bed of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad. This railroad crossed the Catskills from Kingston Point on the Hudson to Oneonta in the Susquehanna Valley. Chartered in 1866 and later reorganized in 1872 as the New York, Kingston & Syracuse, it finally became the Ulster & Delaware in 1875. In 1900, the line was extended to Oneonta. In 1932 it was merged into the New York Central, then into the Penn Central in 1968 and finally abandoned in 1976 after Conrail took it over. The Catskill Scenic Trail travels from Bloomville, Northeast through South Kortright, Hobart to Stamford. It then continues Southeast, to Grand Gorge, before turning Southwest to Roxbury. There is only a 400 foot change in elevation over the entire trail with the town of Stamford as the peak. The Western Section, from Stamford to Bloomville, has the best trail conditions. For more information visit; CATSKILL SCENIC TRAIL .
Catskill Scenic Trail; Western Section:
Starting from the old Stamford RR Depot in Stamford [Central Section]; Maps and info are available at the old Stamford RR Depot, which is now an information center. Cross Railroad Ave, where the hard packed cinder Catskill Scenic Trail travels Southwest. This trail runs through the valley with rolling hills on either side of you. It also intersects the West Branch Delaware River and its tributaries all along the trail. Route 10 parallels the trail to the North and CR18 parallels and occasionally intersects the trail to the South. The trail is flat and travels through open fields, some woods and windbreaks. Cross Railroad Ave again at 0.7 miles. You'll pass by a yellow signpost at 1.4 miles that the trail committee has erected, pointing out various destinations. Two miles takes you over a bridge and then past a bench. When you enter a wooded section, look for a bench made out of railroad ties on your right at 2.8 miles. On you left the river parallels the trail here. Continuing along the trail you'll pass another bench and then a yellow sign that reads "Food-Phone-Gas" and points to a side trail. After crossing another old trestle and passing by a pond you'll cross over Cornell Ave in Hobart at 3.6 miles. Community Center parking lot located here. The trail passes by Botanic Park, which overlooks a pond and has picnic tables and benches. Cross Maple Ave, Church St and Pearl St, before passing by an old RR Mileage Marker on the right at 4.1 miles, reading K78. This stands for 78 miles to Kingston Station, which was located along the Hudson River. These old RR Mileage Markers were located every mile along the railroad. You cross an old railroad trestle over Town Brook and cross CR18 at 4.7 miles and again at 6.1 miles. Cross Madison Hill Rd, before you reach South Kortright and cross over CR18 at 7.8 miles. Some nice wide open views, as you pass between a hayfield on your right and a cornfield on your left. At 9.6 miles you'll cross an old trestle bridge over the West Branch Delaware River. We were able to walk down the stone bridge abutments and go wading in the shallow part of the stream. You cross 2 more bridges over the river, before the trail takes you above the river, to your left at 10.6 miles. You come alongside Route 10 at 11.5 miles and pass a big red barn with two silos. After passing by a big white building to your right and an old foundation keep an eye out for another old RR Mileage Marker K86. The trail then crosses over Route 10 to the Agway Road/Feed Store Road parking lot in Bloomville and the end of the trail after 12.3 miles.
Catskill Scenic Trail; Eastern Section:
Starting from the old Stamford RR Depot in Stamford [Central Section]; Maps and info are available at the old Stamford RR Depot, which is now an information center. The hard packed cinder Catskill Scenic Trail travels East, past the grain silo. Come to Route 23 and head right for a cross-walk. Continue past a plaza where you'll find a Map Board. Cross Beaver St and you'll pass by a boardwalk on your left at 0.5 miles.
Note; Here a trail Loops around a marsh (Mase Cold Spring Wetlands Preserve) and rejoins the trail just ahead, at another boardwalk.
Cross Crestline Ave and leave Stamford behind, as you pass through open fields. Pass by an old RR Mileage Marker reading K73 on your left at about a mile. This stands for 73 miles to Kingston Station, which was located along the Hudson River. These old RR Mileage Marker were located every mile along the railroad. Cross Murphy Rd and spot an old RR Measured Mile Pole on your left. + See; RR Measured Mile Pole Below. Another old RR Measured Mile Pole is located about a 0.25 miles further along the trail on your right. Second, enjoy the view to your right of what I believe to be Utsayantha Mountain. The trail then travels through more of a wooded area, even when there are open fields around, the trail tends to be shaded by a ribbon of trees. Pass by Mayham Pond before crossing S Gilboa Rd at 3.1 miles as the trail turns Southeast. The trail surface contains more grass and becomes more of a double tracked trail. Pass the old South Gilboa Train Station, on your right, which appears to be in the middle of nowhere at 3.4 miles. You'll cross a few small wooden bridges as Bear Kill parallels the trail. Pass by an old cement RR Whistle Post on your right at 4.9 miles, + See; RR Whistle Post Below, followed by a second on your left, before passing by old RR Mileage Marker K69 and heading through a RR cut. Use Caution crossing some of the bridges as they are in rough shape. Cross Route 23 at 7 miles. Use Caution; No Crosswalk. Travel up a short incline to rejoin the rail trail which now follows a berm South, past old RR Mileage Marker K67. Just before crossing Jump Brook Rd, look right to spot an old RR bridge frame.
Note; This next section has a short section that still has RR ties in place making for rough travel and a rock cut with poor drainage that can be mucky. Mt bike recommended.
The hard packed cinder & grass surface is rough with some RR ties still embedded in the trail. Cross over Jump Brook at 7.5 miles. You may need to walk your bike the next 0.1 miles, as the RR ties are numerous and the trail can be mucky as it is a slight incline. The cinder surface improves at 7.8 miles as you travel alongside a ridge. Travel through a rock cut passing by old RR Mileage Marker K66 at 8.2 miles. Poor Drainage. From here the trail levels out before crossing Route 30 (Use Caution; No Crosswalk) and bringing you to the Route 30 parking lot in Grand Gorge after 8.6 miles, where you'll find a sign board.
Note; The trail continues Southwest, towards Roxbury, but I haven't checked out this section yet.
Old Railroad Equipment:
+
RR Whistle Post:
The Whistle Post,
was a post with a large "W" engraved or painted on it. This
meant the railroad engineers were to start sounding the trains Whistle.
The Whistle posts
were usually placed 0.25 miles
in advance of a road crossing,
bridges, tunnels and other points. Usually, there would be a post placed on both
sides of the crossing, covering both directions.
+ RR Measured
Mile Pole:
A RR Measured Mile Pole was
utilized by the RR to
precisely measure a
1 mile segment,
used to calibrate train speedometers and odometers
. These segments are marked with signs
or markers,
often
with a distinctive appearance (e.g., red painted tops) to indicate that it's a
"measured mile", at
the beginning and end, allowing engineers to accurately determine train speed by
timing how long it takes to travel the measured distance.
HH
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