Distance:
8 miles, out and back
Highlights:
Part of the Empire State Trail, this stretch is also a portion of The William R. Steinhaus Dutchess Rail Trail. It’s full of informational placards on the history of the area. Their spacing provides great opportunities to slow down, catch your breath, and learn something new:
- Stone Walls and Stone Bridges
- Brickyard Hill
- The Rural Cemetery Movement
The mile markers are based on proximity from Hopewell Junction.
Starting Line:
LaGrange trail parking and the Manchester trail parking lot are only .1 mile apart, especially convenient in case one is full (as is often the case on beautiful days).
Route:
This stretch of the Empire State Trail is entirely paved. As a former rail bed, it’s also completely flat. Accordingly, it gets a lot of community love. Dog walkers, strollers, wheelchairs, bikes, runners, rollerbladers.
As you’re dodging all of the traffic, keep an eye out for the abandoned remnants of Stone Walls along the trail, thought to date back to the early 18th century. Pieces from a historic Stone Bridge also line the trail, repurposed as benches.
In a couple miles, you’ll pass under Route 44. Nearby, is Brickyard Hill. This area was home to clay and brick manufacturing, with active yards in operation from as early as 1811 through the 1940s.
Supposedly, there is still a piece of a brick wall under the Route 44 overpass. Amongst the brush, I unfortunately couldn’t catch a glimpse of any Poughkeepsie Brick Corp. bricks, but there was some cheerful graffiti of a pineapple.
Keep going for another couple of miles. The cemetery on your right will be St. Peter’s, a relic of The Rural Cemetery Movement. It was Founded in 1853 and is Dutchess County’s oldest Catholic cemetery. From the trail, you should be able to see a giant Celtic Cross. It’s a memorial to local World War I soldiers, and it’s the largest Celtic Cross in the United States (not carved from a single rock).
Finish Line:
The trail literally continues on to the Canadian border, so a finish line is up to you and your endurance. For a flat 8 miles, though, Morgan Lake Park makes a great place to turn around because there’s a little rest area with restrooms.
