CATSKILL MOUNTAINS BACKROADS RIDING
The text message came through from my buddy, Mark. He and some friends were going to a Catskill Mountains motorcycle ride destination. They would be heading south out of Tupper Lake, NY; some 200 miles north in The Adirondack Mountains. I was at home, some 200 miles south. The plan becomes instantly obvious.
I pack a small bag with a few things for an “overnighter” and fill the BMW’s top case with camera gear. I wheel out of the driveway at sunrise and make quick stop at the public beach around the corner from my home. I say goodbye to the waters of Long Island and head for the mountains.
Time To Kill
It’s been over a month since I’ve been out on the road. Sure, I’ve taken a few local rides with friends; but I’m aching to stretch the bike’s legs a bit. According to Google Maps my destination lies just 185 miles away. I will almost double that distance by the time I arrive this evening.
I’ve got all day to reach the little hamlet of Pine Hill, NY and I plan on getting lost a number of times on the way. After blowing through the boundaries of the New York metropolitan area I hop on the Taconic State Parkway heading north. Some Long Island riders I know have told me that Route 202 heading west out of Peekskill is a fun ride. I take their recommendation and leave the parkway there.
Heading Towards Bear Mountain
It’s a bit of a drag heading west through the city of Peekskill with all of its traffic lights. But once you’re out of town the road becomes an absolute blast to ride. Pass the historical Bear Mountain Bridge Tollhouse on the right and tight twisty curves start to wrap around the side of of the hills on the east side of The Hudson River.
A fun stretch of Route 202 west of Peekskill, NY
My Long Island friends were right. This is a fun stretch of road. What they didn’t mention is that it is barely two miles in length! At the highest elevation on this road you arrive at a nice little scenic overlook. I pull in alongside a dozen or so sport bikes and café racers parked there and take a quick photograph overlooking The Hudson River.
The Hudson River’s Scenic Western Bank
Less than a mile later I cross The Hudson River via The Bear Mountain Bridge. Arriving almost immediately at a traffic circle I choose to head north on NY Route 9W. This is highly underrated road. Sure it’s a divided highway and is easy to navigate. It also offers some incredible scenic views. I pull off at a convenient parking area and pull out my Nikon for one of those photo ops.
Photo captured from a scenic overlook on Route 9W north of Bear Mountain
I know that this road will soon intersect with NY Route 218 near West Point, NY. New York motorcyclists will recognize that numbered route as “Storm King Highway”. It winds around the steep rocky slopes of Storm King Mountain along the west side of the Hudson River. It reaches a height of 420 feet above the water, offering panoramic views of the river and surrounding mountains. It’s only a couple of miles long, but is worth the detour for its scenic beauty.
A blast along Storm King Highway is not going to happen today. The road was closed just two days earlier. Apparently there was a serious rock slide that littered and damaged the road surface. I highly recommend taking a ride down this short stretch of road some day. Make sure it’s reopened before you head that way. Be sure to stop at one of the many scenic pull offs to take in the sights. Below is a picture I took on a previous ride up this way.
Image of NY Route 218, Storm King Highway, from a prior road trip
Riding The Backroads?
I continue north on Route 9W through the city of Newburgh and onto NY Route 52 west. This is another “back road” that was recommended by a Long Island acquaintance. It’s a nice enough road, but not my idea of a backroad. Some riders seem to think that once they’ve left the interstate they’re riding on back roads. Me??? Not so much.
If a road has a 55MPH speed limit, is divided by a double yellow line and has substantial shoulders I don’t consider it a back road. Is it a secondary road? Yes, by government and map maker standards. But by this biker’s standards it’s not a backroad. I follow Route 52 for a little while and pull off at the same overlook where everyone else stops to take the same picture. It’s time to get lost on some real backroads now.
A scenic overlook on NY Route 52 near Cragsmoor, NY
Next stop: Neversink
I’m still not fully immersed in my Catskill Mountains motorcycle riding adventure yet. Somewhere near Ellenville I turn off on a little narrow road that intersected with Route 52. Now the fun begins. Using just the compass I head on narrow two lane roads in a north and west direction. Don’t ask for copies of my route. I didn’t keep track. These roads do not have numbers…only local names. It’s starting to feel like that Catskill Mountains Backroads riding that I set out to do.
Now THIS is a backroad!
These rural roads have no lines painted up the middle of them. There are no fog stripes painted on the shoulder. Heck…there are no shoulders. We’re talking Backroads.
About 20 miles later I emerge from the woods at NY Route 55. The Neversink Reservoir, part of the New York City water supply system, is in front of me. I stop to take a quick photograph before continuing on my day’s journey.
I take Route 55 west for about a mile then take a right onto a tiny narrow road with no markings. This turns out to be Aden Road and it wraps all along the western shore of The Neversink Reservoir. It then intersects with Aden Hill Road. At the intersection of Parksville Road I turn right heading northeast.
Finally I arrive at a road which points me back in my intended westerly direction. This turns out to be named Willowemoc Road. This little gem wraps itself along the banks of Willowmoc Creek. It is crafted of beautifully paved twisty curves through the forest. I follow it for twelve miles and don’t pass another single vehicle along the way!
Willowmoc Road near the town of Anderson, NY
The Old, The New and the Ugly
Willowmoc Road ends in the town of Livingston Manor. I make a right hand turn here and follow Old Route 17 continuing in a generally north and west direction. Do not confuse this with NY Route 17, The New York Quickway. That one is a four lane superhighway. This one is the original route that dates back to 1908. The two roads converge in Roscoe, NY (home of the legendary Roscoe Diner) and intersects with NY Route 206.
I hop on 206 north knowing that it will soon intersect with one of my favorite motorcycling roads anywhere. Before I reach that spot I navigate over a stretch of road infested with “Tar Snakes”. I swear, some stretches seemed to have more slippery tar than actual pavement on their surface! This is not what I had in mind when I set out on this Catskill Mountains backroads riding adventure.
NY Route 30 • My New Favorite Road
Fifteen miles in The Tar Snake Jungle leads me out to NY Route 30 at Cat Hollow. Every motorcyclist has their favorite roads and every road on that list is subject to change. NY Route 30 at The Pepacton Reservoir is my current 2022 favorite road. I have ridden around the southern perimeter of the reservoir twice this season already. It is a wonderful motorcycling road. Fast sweeping curves with a few challenging tight ones. Great pavement. Fabulous scenery. So little traffic that I’m forced to wonder why they even built this road in the first place.
NY Route 30 can be seen in the foreground of this aerial image of The Pepacton Reservoir
Today I’m going to travel around the north side of the reservoir on roads labeled NYC Road No 1, NYC Road No 6 and BWS Road No 4…uninspiring names that have something to do with the New York City water supply system fed by the reservoir. These roads are not as “fast” as NY Route 30, but are more technically challenging. A map of the entire route circling the reservoir is below.
Riding the entire perimeter of the reservoir will add 32 miles to your odometer. They are 32 of the finest miles you can lay down on your Catskill Mountains backroads riding trip. You’ll only encounter one stop sign in the entire 32 mile loop. Ride it clockwise or ride it counter-clockwise. But ride it! It’s a gem.
Another view of The Pepacton Reservoir
The Western Range
Leaving the reservoir area I head north on a backroad called Tremperskill road to the village of Andes, NY. In Andes you’ll intersect with NY Route 28 where I turned right, heading south. NY Route 28 is not a “backroad” by any stretch of the imagination. It is a major secondary road with a 55MPH speed limit. One could easily find themself doing 80MPH or more. Don’t ask me how I know that.
Keep your speed down because just 2 miles out of town you will find one of the most beautiful spots in your Catskill Mountains backroads riding journey. The Palmer Hill Trail overlook. Its location will be marked by a tiny little sign on the side of the road which you could easily miss. Don’t miss it!
Turn onto the unpaved road on the north side of Route 28. A hundred feet later you’ll be staring at the most wonderful view of the western range of The Catskill Mountains. The featured photo at the head of this post shows my motorcycle parked there. The photo below is a panoramic view without my bike spoiling the scene.
Backroads Or Not?
Leaving Palmer Hill you could continue south on Route 28 to my evenings destination in Pine Hill, NY. But why would you want to stay on this major road? Running parallel to Route 28 you will find Old Route 28…alternately named Fair Street and Main Street. This will take you through the lovely little towns of Margaretville, Arkville and Fleischmanns.
Parked on Main Street in Margaretville, NY
It’s in these little towns that you’ll really get a taste of what life in The Catskills is all about. You won’t catch this local vibe at the typical Catskill tourist traps.
Why ride a major road when there are gems like this out there?
If you need to fuel up take advantage of the service stations you’ll find in these small towns. There are surprisingly few gas stations out on Route 28.
Should I be concerned about fueling up here?
Top Of The Catskills
Just before arriving in Pine Hill, NY you will pass the entrance to Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort. Turn right and take a ride to the top of the mountain. It’s a well-paved route designed for skiers and is easily traversed by motorcycle.
Near the top of the road follow the signs to the “Observation Level” parking area. You’ll be rewarded with another great scenic view of the western range of The Catskills.
At the Observation Level parking area at Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort
Pine Hill At Last!
So Google Maps said it was a 180 mile, 3-1/2 hour run from my driveway to Pine Hill, NY. I’ve been on the road for about 9 hours and have put 320 miles on the clock. Backroad riding at its best!
I pull up in front of The Colonial Inn where I’ll rendezvous with my friends from The Adirondacks. The picture below reminds me of one of those standardized tests I took as a teenager. The multiple choice question would probably say something like: “One of these motorcycles does not belong with the others.”
The Colonial Inn is quite a place. Those who have read my book, “Road Work: Images and Insights of a Modern Day Explorer” have heard all about it already. Suffice it to say that this is not a five star resort. But it’s a great place for a bunch of bikers to meet, drink and socialize around the fire pit ’til all hours of the morning. Brotherhood. As an added bonus, my dear friend Neil and his wife Lorraine rode up from their home in The Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania to spend some time with us.
The Colonial Inn at Pine Hill, NY • Built in 1790
This would be my third stay at The Colonial Inn and it never ceases to amaze me. Every visit I walk away with new friends, from all walks of life, that I’ve had the pleasure of spending a wonderful evening with.
Saying “Goodbye” to old friends…until next time
Post Script
The plan today was to ride back down home through more remote backroads in The Hudson Valley of New York. I wanted to document that part of this adventure in a blog post, too. Sadly, Mother Nature had different plans for me. She had blessed me with ideal weather conditions yesterday but this morning she changed her tune.
As you can tell from the radar images, today would not be a great day for riding twisty back roads and capturing glorious photographic images. I turned on the GPS unit, continued on NY Route 28 to The New York State Thruway and headed south into the rain. Hardly the worst stuff I’ve ever ridden in. Just bad enough to ruin the day. It didn’t even bother me. It was a small price to pay for the amazing ride I had yesterday. Four hours later I was safe at home, hanging up my rain gear to dry and still smiling from ear to ear.
More To Come
This post barely scratches the surface of Catskill Mountains backroads riding opportunities. In a future post we’ll take you along on rides through the areas around Hunter Mountain, Woodstock, NY and beyond. What are your favorite Catskill Mountains roads? Please feel free to comment below. Be sure to subscribe to Roadcraft USA to receive alerts when new posts hit the blog. Ride safe everyone!
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Really enjoy reading your write-ups of rides — I love getting the hell out of the NY metro area, and upstate or into New England as well. Definitely gonna remember your mention of Rt. 30! Thanks for the insights, and the pix! My only regret is people like you and me can’t do this all year round, in these parts! Ride safe!
Thank you, Rudy. Route 30 is a gem…put it on your list of roads to ride. Ride safe!