Hudson River Trail

The Warren County winter trails travel over a wide variety of terrain, ranging from the flat, open golf course trails of the south to the hilly woodland slopes of the north. This network of groomed trails offers countless loop possibilities for all levels of ability. Adjacent to the Hudson River, these unique trails provide numerous opportunities for up-close observations of the serene beauty of the Adirondacks and the very active and often noisy river. Particularly interesting is the rare ice meadow, shaped by the Hudson during thousands of years, over which huge chunks of river ice are periodically driven downstream. It is common for residents to see tremendous ice jams on the river after a mid-winter thaw, sometimes congesting the river for several miles. North of Warrensburg the river is quite wide and often freezes to depths of 8 to 10 feet in winter. When the ice begins to break up, large sections float downstream in the swift river current, frequently getting caught where the river turns or narrows, blocking passage of thousands of other ice floes. Huge ice blocks and iceberg-like sheets bang into the blockage, building to a point where the river flows around the jam and over it, causing havoc for homes and roads along the banks. Years of great snow-40 fall make the situation worse, and River Road must often be closed. Winter trail users marvel at the spectacular and magnificent scenes created here by this annual show, compliments of Mother Nature. Surface quality: Groomed and tracked for classic skiing. Snowshoers must avoid damaging the classic ski trails.