Hitting the Trails With the Sound Shore Runners
Westchester has a number of excellent running trails, and the Sound Shore Runners & Multisport Club is
delighted to use them for group long runs (and marathon training) Sunday mornings in the spring, summer and fall,
led by our trail master, Eric Turkewitz. Watch this space for the announcement of the season opener this spring!
RUNNING TRAILS IN WESTCHESTER
Club member Joe Garland has put together a terrific website, WestchesterTrails.com, that orients you to the various running trails that Westchester County has to offer.
Coming Soon . . .
THE COLONIAL GREENWAY LINKING ALL OUR FAVORITE TRAILS!
The Sound Shore Runners, led by Eric, are a key member of the inter-jurisdictional team working to create the
Colonial Greenway, a network of more than 14 miles of trails that loops through wooded areas in numerous
communities in southeast Westchester, just north of New York City. It comprises three major park systems -
the Leatherstocking Trail, Saxon Woods County Park and the Hutchinson River Trail, and one smaller park, the
Weinberg Nature Center. There is one paved section that runs for about a mile, and a smaller half-mile paved
section that connects two parks. The park runs through, and can be directly accessed from: New Rochelle, Larchmont,
Mamaroneck, White Plains, Scarsdale and Eastchester. It can also be accessed from Harrison by coming down the
Hutchinson River Trail.
Here are some of our favorite local running trails that will make up the Colonial Greenway:
Leatherstocking Trail
A linear park that starts on Pinebrook Boulevard in New Rochelle and runs northeast for 2.7 miles through
Larchmont and Mamaroneck ending at Rockridge Road, just past Old White Plains Road and just north of I-95.
There is currently minimal signage and no known maps, but it is almost impossible to get seriously lost due to
the linear nature of the park. While there are many short spurs that go to local houses, here is only one real
spot to make a choice, about 1/2 mile west of the Weaver Street crossing ... go left (north) toward the very long,
L-shaped, catwalk that goes over the marshy area. At the end of the catwalk, go straight (not to the right) and on
to Weaver.
The only parking is on side streets where the trail crosses roadways. This park can be accessed at the following street crossings: Pinebrook Boulevard, Weaver Street (Rt. 125), Highland Road, Ormond Road, Fenimore Road, Country Road, Old White Plains Road and Rockridge Road, the trail’s terminus. To access Saxon Woods from the Leatherstocking trail (a formal connector is planned, but has not yet been built from Rockridge – an easement probably exists but is disputed by a homeowner) go left up the steep hill (Rockridge and then Deerfield) and then right on Old White Plains Road. This is a narrow, windy road with no shoulder and the utmost caution is needed. You will pass the Winged Foot Country Club on the left. The entrance to Saxon Woods is about 1/2 mile away on the right.
Saxon Woods County Park
This large park has numerous trails and is subdivided by the Hutchinson River Parkway. It is sandwiched between
Mamaroneck Road (a continuation of Old White Plains Road) and Mamaroneck Avenue. There is some signage in the park
at trail junctions. The "lower section" - below the Hutch - is connected to the upper section in two spots.
The first is via the Mamaroneck Road overpass, on the far western edge leading toward the Saxon Woods Golf Course,
where there is public parking. The second is via a tunnel on the eastern edge of the park, just north of the
Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) campground that can also be accessed via a parking lot off of
Mamaroneck Avenue. It is indicated with a “P” on the map linked above.
The county-owned golf course clubhouse in the upper part of the park is the only place for water, food and bathrooms in this area, though it may be closed in winter. The CCC campground on the lower section of the park has a bathroom facility that is currently undergoing rehabilitation.
Access in the lower portion is also at the unmarked entrance off of Old White Plains Road noted above. Proceed on the trail as it moves left (north) until you hit a larger trail by the ruins of an old house. This is one of the main trails though the park. Going left will eventually bring you to the CCC campground noted above. Going right (south) will bring you around the southern edge of the park, and the trail will eventually curve left and north and also bring you up to the CCC campground. If you go "the long way" simply stay to the right at all trail junctions so that you are moving on the western edge of the park. Eventually you come to a dirt/gravel service road/trail that leads to the campground.
Weinberg Nature Center
Scarsdale’s Weinberg Nature Center on Mamaroneck Road, just south of the Hutch and the Saxon Woods Golf Club,
provides another entrance to the Saxon Woods trails. Another entrance to the park is via the Hutchinson River
Trail approach that comes down from Harrison at North Street.
The trail runs next to the Hutch on the northbound side, then behind Kentucky Stables on the north side of
Mamaroneck Avenue. Moving south past Mamaroneck Avenue, proceed along the sidewalk next to an exit ramp off the
Hutch, which will lead you into Saxon Woods, and on to a junction near the trail tunnel. Going left a short ways
and up the hill will take you to the CCC campground. Going right takes you through the tunnel to the upper section
of the park.
To hike or run the loop, you must go north from the CCC camp to the golf clubhouse. The short way is to head
west through the Weinberg Nature Center to Mamaroneck Road, and then go north (right) on the footpath next to the
road over the Hutch to the clubhouse. A longer way is to go through the tunnel in the eastern section of park and
make a left at one of the trails that runs east parallel to the Hutch. These trails will eventually take you past
the golf course on a dirt road past the 18th fairway leaving you on the south side of the clubhouse. The longest
way is to go through the tunnel that is north beyond the CCC camp, going past a small house in the park on your
left and past the large Saxon Woods pool on your right, and use one of the many trails through that area that head
west toward the golf course. The trail farthest to the north has the poorest drainage and goes past stables, and
lets you out on the north side of the clubhouse.
Hutchinson River Trail
This runs parallel to the Hutch down to New Rochelle and is sometimes used by horses. If you are running or hiking
the loop and heading south toward New Rochelle, you will find the trail
directly across the street from Saxon Woods Golf Course, right by the entrance to the Hutch (on the southbound side).
This trail runs 5 3/4 miles to its main exit at Webster Avenue and Flandreau Road in New Rochelle. The trail
crosses Weaver Street (at 1.07 miles from Saxon Woods), Pinebrook Blvd. (.17 miles from Weaver), Wilmot Road
(1.33 miles from Pinebrook), Mill Road (.55 miles from Wilmot), the Webster Avenue entrance to the Hutch
(via an overpass - approx 1 miles from Mill Road depending on which trail is taken in this section) and then a
final 1.45 miles to the Webster/Flandreau exit of the park. The condition of the trail is not always very good, as
it is very narrow in spots and often overgrown. A map, in booklet form filled with history, can be obtained from
the Westchester County Parks Department.
Twin Lakes Park and Nature Study Woods
The last two sections of the trail run through Eastchester's Twin Lakes Park and New Rochelle's Nature Study Woods.
Twin Lakes has a few trails, which have a variety of blazes that unfortunately do not correspond to maps.
Since the park is linear, and you can always hear the Hutch to orient yourself, you really can't get lost. There
are stables in the park. Horses have the right of way. The park is framed on its north side by California Road,
running through Eastchester, and runs for one mile from Mill Road to the footbridge over the Webster Avenue
entrance to the Hutch. At the southwestern end is a beautiful lake with the trails running on both sides of it.
Nature Study Woods, Continue moving southeast from Twin Lakes on a footbridge over the Webster Avenue entrance to
the southbound Hutch, down the switchback, and then through a tunnel under the Hutch to reach Nature Study Woods.
Stay on the ) New York, Westchester & Boston Railway, which once ran
tracks through here. While the trail goes a short distance further south, it will take you away from your ultimate
connection back to the Leatherstocking Trail.
On this street map,
the High School is located in Huguenot Park. Then keep making rights as you skirt the High School construction and
go down the hill to North Avenue (.2M). Delis and restaurants can be found down North Avenue to the right (south)
if needed, as this is the only place on the loop other than Saxon Woods to obtain provisions. In front of you is a
statue of colonial governor revolutionary patriot Thomas Paine. Proceed up Broadview (.7 mile), through a neighborhood of beautiful old homes that was once part of Paine’s 300-acre farm. The road changes names to Lyncroft and bends to the left. Go through the public right of way to the left of 316 Lyncroft, bringing you out to Hillside Crescent. While Lyncroft and Hillside appear to connect on some
) maps, it is little more than a grassy right of way next to a private home. Proceed down Hillside Crescent
(.2 miles) back to the Leatherstocking Trail.
The Colonial Greenway Route is available for download as a google earth file.
(Info provided by Eric Turkewitz)
|
|
