Ashokan Rail Trail

Opened in fall 2019, the Ashokan Rail Trail (ART) is a shared-use recreational trail running 11.5 miles along the northern edge of the Ashokan Reservoir between Basin Road in West Hurley and Route 28A in Boiceville. The ART was developed by Ulster County through an historic partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which owns and operates the Ashokan Reservoir and adjacent lands. Open from sunrise to sunset year-round, the ART has provided public access to the county’s scenic abandoned Ulster & Delaware Railroad corridor without a DEP Access Permit for the first time since the reservoir was constructed in 1911.

Ashokan Station Trailhead located at 3045 NY-28 in Shokan.

Boiceville Bridge Trailhead located at 5080 Route 28A in Boiceville.

Woodstock Dike Trailhead located at 1285 NY-28 in West Hurley.

Boasting a variety of environs from wide-open views to quiet forest glades, rocky cliffs and deep forest valleys to rush-filled wetlands and protected ponds, the trail serves up the opportunity to encounter as many as 194 species of birds to the avid watcher.

The American Bald Eagle, which likes to soar between the Catskill Mountains and the creeks feeding into the Ashokan Reservoir, can be spotted frequently from the trail. Easily recognizable by its size and color, Great Blue Herons can be found standing in the shallows of the ponds doting the Ashokan Rail Trail, while Belted Kingfishers perch high in the tree on open branch on the lookout for fish. Scarlet Tanagers, with their stunning red feathers can be hard to spot, but they live happily in the dense forests surrounding the trail.