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It then connects to the Walkway
Over the Hudson—the longest
elevated pedestrian bridge in the
world—which runs 212 feet above the
river along the steel cantilever truss
Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad
Bridge. Drawing a half-million visitors
annually, the walkway provides dra-
matic views of the New York country-
side and the iconic Hudson River.
The William R. Steinhaus Dutchess
Rail Trail runs through what seems
like a perpetually green landscape of
dense tree cover, linking Poughkeep-
sie at the Hudson River with smaller
towns to its southeast.
“The way that the Hudson Valley
Trail Network seamlessly connects
three unique trails is a prime exam-
ple of how integrated trail systems
can produce important benefits for
communities—for transportation,
tourism and economic develop-
ment,” said RTC President Keith
Laughlin. “We’re thrilled to induct the
Hudson Valley Trail Network as our
30th Hall of Fame rail-trail.”•
Learn more about the Hudson Valley Trail
Network in RTC’s March 2016 Trail of the
Month: .
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)
congratulates the 30th inductee into
the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame—New
York’s Hudson Valley Trail Network—
selected this past summer via a
public vote held in honor of RTC’s
30th anniversary.
Of the 19,885 votes cast, the
Hudson Valley Trail Network
received a whopping 54 percent—
demonstrating the incredible
support for the trail by the local
community and nationally. The New
York trail system vied for the honor
along with four other renowned
pathways: the Rio Grande Trail in
Colorado, Banks-Vernonia State
Trail in Oregon, GHS Swamp Rabbit
Trail in South Carolina and Shelby
Farms Greenline in Tennessee.
The Hudson Valley Trail Net-
work covers 18 miles and con-
nects three rail-trails, stretching
from Highland, over the Hudson
River and through Poughkeepsie,
to Hopewell Junction. On the west
side of the river, the flat, paved Hud-
son Valley Rail Trail travels nearly
4 miles through hardwood forests,
over Black Creek and under two
spectacular stone-arch bridges.
New York
2016 Rail-Trail Hall of Fame: We Have a Winner!
THE HUDSON
VALLEY TRAIL
NETWORK
RECEIVED ALMOST
54 PERCENT
OF THE 19,885
VOTES CAST IN THE
2016 RAIL-TRAIL
HALL OF FAME
COMPETITION!
THE TRAIL
NETWORK COVERS
18 MILES AND
CONNECTS THREE
RAIL-TRAILS: THE
HUDSON VALLEY
RAIL TRAIL,
WALKWAY OVER
THE HUDSON
AND WILLIAM
R. STEINHAUS
DUTCHESS RAIL
TRAIL.
FROM TOP: FRED SCHAEFFER; DENIKA KEEFER
Pennsylvania
Walking the Path
to Wellness
What are great paths to wellness?
Rail-trails, of course! Just ask the
walking club at Maria Joseph Con-
tinuing Care Community in Danville,
Pennsylvania, which walks every
Thursday, May through September,
on campus and once per month on
local rail-trails, including the 2.8-
mile Robbins Trail and the 1.5-mile
Bloomsburg Rail-Trail.
“My goal is to keep our residents
engaged, active and healthy while
enjoying the beauty of nature and
some of the history behind the
area,” said club creator Denika
Keefer, wellness coordinator at
Maria Joseph.
Keefer says the local rail-trails
have beautiful scenery, are of rea-
sonable distances for the residents
and are well kept, making them
popular with the 10 participants,
which are well over 70 (some are
even in their 90s!).
“We don’t do the club for people
to lose weight; rather, it’s more
for them to enhance their mood,
maintain or gain cardiovascular
fitness, maintain mobility, socialize
with their neighbors and lead more
active, healthy lifestyles.”
She adds, “They certainly feel satis-
fied after the walks. They all look
forward to going—even when the
weather may be questionable!”•
FALL 2016 RAILS TO TRAILS 23
C O MM U N I T Y C O N N E C T I O N S