Catskills Mountain Sweep · part 2

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Pepacton Reservoir

   Pepacton Reservoir fills a long, bent valley in the western Catskills, a deep blue lake many miles long, built in the early 1950s to supply drinking water to New York City, a hundred and thirty miles away. The East Branch of the Delaware was dammed at Downsville, and the rising water drowned four villages, including Pepacton itself, along with farms, roads and a good many orchards. The old foundations, it is said, still lie beneath the surface, and in dry years the water drops enough to show a few of them.

   Read the complete Pepacton Reservoir write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Pepacton Reservoir is where the day begins. Next is Phoenicia mountain road.

2. 2. Phoenicia mountain road

   Phoenicia is a small hamlet in the Esopus Creek valley, in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, and it is the point where several of the region's best roads come together. The creek, a fast, clear trout stream, runs right through the village, and in summer, tubers in inner tubes float down it by the hundreds. Hills rise steeply on all sides, thickly wooded with hemlock, maple and beech, and the highest of the Catskills, Slide Mountain, at about 1,270 metres, stands a short way to the south.

   Read the complete Phoenicia mountain road write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Phoenicia mountain road comes up about 53 km into the recorded legs. Next is Kingston return fuel.

3. 3. Kingston return fuel

   Kingston has a good claim to be the first capital of New York State. The legislature met here in 1777, when the state's first constitution was adopted, and in October of that year British troops sailed up the Hudson and burned most of the town. The Stockade District, a neighbourhood of old stone houses, has been rebuilt on the same streets, and a number of the buildings date from the Dutch period of the 1600s. It is the kind of place where history sits on every corner, and the cafés and restaurants have taken advantage.

   Read the complete Kingston return fuel write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Fill up here — 59 km left and no pump marked after this. Next is Back to Harriman.

4. 4. Back to Harriman

   Harriman is a village you notice mostly from the highway, and its role in a riding day is simple: it is the exit. The New York Thruway runs past here, and the exit ramps lead to a cluster of fuel stations, fast-food places and a very large outlet shopping centre, which draws buses from all over the region. It is the last chance for easy fuel and coffee before the Hudson Highlands, and an early-morning stop here is a sensible way to start a ride out of the city, since prices in the small towns beyond tend to be higher and the opening hours shorter.

   Read the complete Harriman exit fuel write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back to Harriman closes the day.