Shandaken Rail Trail Project

Shandaken Rail Trail Project

In 2021, the Ulster County Transportation Council completed the Ulster and Delaware Corridor Revitalization Study with extensive public input and made recommendations for a multi-phase trail project in Shandaken.

The first phase of this trail project will convert an approximately 2.65-mile segment of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad Corridor into a multi-use non-motorized transportation and recreational corridor between the hamlets of Pine Hill and Highmount in the Town of Shandaken. This phase will include design and construction to remove existing railroad infrastructure and construct a 10- to 12-foot-wide ADA-compliant trail with 2-foot shoulders and pedestrian bridges. The new trail will improve access to adjacent lands including the Shandaken Wild Forest Area owned by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Belleayre Mountain owned by the Olympic Regional Development Authority.

Drone Photo Credit: Andrew Messinger

The project will connect from the Highmount Post Office on the access road to Belleayre Mountain to the Belleayre Beach Day Use Facility in Pine Hill. By connecting the Pine Hill local community to these established facilities, the trail can act as a regional economic driver by adding a sustainable attraction to users of all ages and abilities.

The Ulster County Planning Department secured a $3.96 million Transportation Alternatives grant from the New York State Department of Transportation to implement this first phase.

The work will be divided into seven sections (Data Collection and Analysis, Preliminary Design, Environmental, Right-of-Way, Detailed Design, Bid, and Construction), and there will be several public meetings where community members can learn about the design and give input as the design process evolves.