Our History
How we got here
In the mid-1980s, after the Penn Central Railroad was abandoned, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association (HVRTA) was founded and the concept of a 46-mile trail on the abandoned railbed was proposed in Columbia and Dutchess Counties.
Here’s a snapshot of how we’ve grown over the years.
Our Future
Where the Trail Leads.
It took 37 years to build the existing 26 miles of our Trail, which goes from Wassaic to the outskirts of Hillsdale. We’re committed to raising the necessary funds to finish the final 20 miles, from Hillsdale to the Village of Chatham, in 5 years, knitting these communities together again.
Here’s our plan:
- Phase I – Build the Trail from the Village of Chatham to Bartlett House
- Phase II – Build the Trail from Bartlett House crossing Route 66 through the Village of Philmont
- Build the Hillsdale section to Taconic State Parkway
- The Golden Spike! Connect both sides of the Trail crossing of Taconic State Parkway!
Our Trail
Plan Ahead
Before you hit the Trail, plan your path.
Rules of the Trail
- Park only in designated areas.
- Carry-in, carry-out––no littering.
- No horses or motorized vehicles.
- Bikers and skaters yield to walkers.
- Electric mobility wheelchairs and Class 1 and 2 e-bikes are permitted.
- Class 3 e-bikes, electric scooters, and hover boards are prohibited.
- Stop at road crossings and dismount.
- Let people know when you’re passing.
- Keep right, so people can pass on your left.
- Pets allowed… please clean up after them.
- No cutting or removing vegetation.
- Do not bother or feed the wildlife.
- No camping or fires on the Trail.
- No alcohol on the Trail.
- Stay on the Trail and be quiet near homes.
- No hunting on the Trail.
- The Trail is open from dawn to dusk year-round.
Bathrooms
Seasonal portable toilets are open at the Millerton, Coleman Station, Amenia, and Wassaic trailheads.
Trail Associations
County and Town Government Resources
The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association was founded in 1986 and incorporated in 1996. The Trail is a joint effort between HVRTA, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, the New York State Department of Transportation, and Dutchess County. Federal highway and alternative transportation funds have paid for more than half of the rail bed acquisition and Trail construction. In Dutchess County the Trail is leased from NYS by Dutchess County. In Columbia County, the Trail is part of Taconic State Park and is maintained by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. A large group of HVRTA volunteers help with maintenance, and more, along the Trail.
- New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation (OPRHP)
- Dutchess County
- Town of Amenia
- Town of Northeast
- Village of Millerton
- Town of Copake
- Town of Hillsdale
- Village of Philmont
- Town of Ghent
- Village of Chatham
- Trust for Public Land
- Shaker Museum
- The business community of the villages of Millerton, Philmont, Chatham and the Towns of Copake, Hillsdale and Ghent
- Columbia Land Conservancy
HVRTA Board of Directors’ Responsibilities
- Financial oversight
- Government relations
- Corporate Governance
- Communications
- Fundraising
- Grant Applications
- Trail Maintenance
- Volunteers
- The HVRTA Board of Directors has between twelve and twenty directors who meet no less than five times a year.
- The board aims to include directors from the communities intersected by the Trail. Directors serve two-year terms.
- An annual membership meeting is held in late summer or early fall.
Board of Directors
Phil Meeks, Chair (Ghent)
Catherine Barufaldi, Treasurer (Ghent)
Amy Krane (Ghent)
Dan Haas (Copake)
Dick Hermans (Pine Plains)
Kyle Reed (Austerlitz)
Karen Budd (Austerlitz)
Lisa DeLeeuw, Executive Director (Gallatin)