Bike-Packing Brooklyn to Croton Point

October 29 2022 | Brooklyn: At 8AM on a brisk Saturday morning, a crew of 16 from the NYC Adventure Cycling Club, loaded up their tents, sleeping bags, and cooking utensils, and whatever else they could attach to their bikes, and pedaled north toward Croton Point Park — a 50 mile haul. The crew crossed north Manhattan and entered the beautiful South County Trailway, a scenic 12.5 mile stretch of paved paradise, at Van Cortlandt Park.

We joined up with a larger group at Van Cortlandt Lake, some decked out in their finest Halloween attire (e.g., a taco, a ballerina dancer, a bike carrying everyone’s favorite interplanetary traveler, E.T.). Riding north, we passed by the quaint town of Hastings-on-Hudson, and what seemed like an endless array of decorative birdhouses and wooded scenery along the trail.

Riding north on South County Trailway — Van Cortlandt Park

Next stop was Elmsford, for a quick parking lot lunch outside the Elmsford Deli, before riding up the North County Trailway past Rockefeller State Park Preserve to Briarcliff Manor. Winding down Pleasantville Road, we made our way to the historic village of Ossining. With the help of some friendly local passersby, we found the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail, joined the others at North Highland Avenue, and pedaled over the Croton River bridge into the town of Croton-On-Hudson.

We passed a cyclocross event riding into Croton Point Park. Racers spun fast laps around a closed course with the Hudson River and blue skies as a stunning backdrop. Our crew had expanded to nearly 30 by the time we settled in at the Croton Point Park Campground.

With the evening quickly approaching, a group of us hopped on our bikes and cruised down to an undisclosed enclave near Tellers Point for a celebratory imbibe and a rock skipping contest, and to catch a perfect sunset.

Back at camp, the crew had fired up a toasty campfire. With drinks and snacks on the ready, our resident chef who I will refer to as “Taco” (he was dressed as a taco) had started grilling sausages, corn on the cob, and “steaks for the people”. The storytelling, laughter, and the forging of community and new friendships stretched into the wee hours of the night.

After a meeting the crew for coffee and a mountain of pancakes at the Croton Colonial, we parted ways for our individual journeys back to the city. I decided to take a route through Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown, crossing over the Mario Cuomo bridge into Nyack, made a quick stop in Piermont village, and long pedaled up and down the rolling hills of the 9W back to Manhattan.