Amtrak station in Kent CT?

Allow me to link a posting I made some nine years ago:

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Somehow, I doubt if Mr. Moore will have issues with my underlying thought.

Yes, I guess it would be an experience to hop off somebody's train at Woodrow and hoof it up Spooner Hill to School for my 55th Reunion next June.

CPSK wrote:It was Google that led me to believe that Amtrak once served Kent CT. It seems that when you Google anything, it spits your words back at you like an ad. I could Google "dog poop on the lawn", and it would spit back "buy dog poop on the lawn on Google". Anyway, I do plan to take Uber from the trail on CT 55 to Wingdale, which seems to be the best place to get a train back to NYC. Fortunately, Uber is allowed to pick up fares in CT and drop off in NY, but not the other way around. So, when I begin another AT section hike from that point, I am probably going to need a local taxi service out of Wingdale.
I do suppose that hiking from Manitou to the AT station in Pawling would be a better option, but there is the problem with service to both of those stops; it's weekend only of course, and I do not expect it to take me a week to get from Manitou to Pawling, and I couldn't do it in a single day. There are other options, but eventually, as I get farther away from NYC, I won't have the commuter trains to rely on, and will have to plan longer hikes between Amtrak stations, or take a combination of taxi/bus/train.

So far as the trains go; I pine for the 'good ol' days' of railroading, although I'm not old enough to remember them myself. I can't understand how people prefer sitting in their automobiles stuck in traffic to sitting comfortably on a moving train - even if a transfer is necessary. I prefer trains over automobile and buses. I could get a bus from NYC to Bear Mountain, but I prefer the train. The ride is about the same time, but whenever there is a choice I will take the train - so long as it doesn't take me out of my way.

I am annoyed by people who complain about the noise and pollution from trains in their towns, but say nothing about those blasted leaf blowers that are so ubiquitous, and are far worse polluters than diesel trains.

Manitou might be weekend-only, but Peekskill is 7-days/wk, and the Hudson Highlands State Park trail map shows a side trail that leads up to the top of Anthony's Nose from Annsville Creek just north of downtown Peekskill. That might be a better bet- it's slightly longer in terms of distance but since it's also a more gradual ascent of Anthony's Nose it probably washes out time-wise.

I hiked that trail; the Camp Smith trail, from Anthony's Nose to the parking lot on route 6 (actually, there are two parking lots on route 6 - one is about halfway down the mountain, the other is at the trailhead, also on US 6). I somehow came to believe that there was a bike/walking path along US 6 from that th to the city of Peekskill, so I figured it would be fine. But when I arrived at the th - after dark - there was no bike path. I walked along the road on the wide shoulder for a few hundred yards, only to be confronted with a narrowing shoulder. I crossed the highway to get into the weeds and be on the safe side of the barrier, but could only get a few hundred feet farther.
I would up between a rock and a hard place - literally - a rock cliff on my left, and the highway on my right. There wasn't any safe place to walk. I was considering going back to the th and calling a taxi, when someone pulled up in a car in a turnout across the road and offered me a ride. I accepted same, and was driven in safety to the Peekskill train station. That is what we on the trail call "trail magic", and the person doing the magic is referred to as a "trail angel". My experience certainly fit into that category. Had I not been able to get a taxi (Uber isn't allowed to work anywhere in NY except NYC), I probably would have called the police, and asked them for a suggestion. Perhaps a wrecker could have been sent - but I probably would have had to pay the standard towing charge - even though I didn't have a vehicle to tow.
My other option would have been to hike back up the mountain to Anthony's Nose, then another 1.5 miles north to a campsite where I could have slept the night, then hiked down to Manitou the next day.
The worst part about this story is that I could have jumped on the train at Manitou without any of the trouble, but I wanted to hike the Camp Smith trail, and really believed there was a safe pathway to town of Peekskill.

As for my next section of the AT, I am thinking that I could just hike between Manitou and the AT station on the Harlem line - both of which operate weekends/holidays only. I guess I could stretch the 40 mile hike into a 6-day crawl, but I might have to improvise a tent site one or two nights, unless I want to spend two nights in the same location.

Going forward, I am going to hike the sections of the AT where I can get Amtrak service. For example, from Killington (Rutland) VT to White River Jct VT. I believe Uber works in VT, so I should be able to get transportation from the train station to the trailhead at both ends.

It's too bad about the loss of passenger service to many cities/towns that once had it. But I can see the railroad's pov - why run a service that can't make you money, and instead costs you lots of it.
If it were not for the state of Vermont, the Vermonter and Ethan Allen would not be running - at least not into Vermont.

CP

If you like starting and ending with rail service, try and go south from Manitou. I've done Manitou-Harriman, NY is three days on the AT. It isn't that easy to make mileage on the hills. Nice views, several places with shelters. NJ Transit has service daily from Harriman (just north of Arden on the AT).

Dave Mackay

I hear there are rattlers around Anthony's Nose / Bear Mountain.

In FACT for sure there are a lot of both RATTLESNAKES and COPPERHEADS in that part of the Hudson Valley on both sides of the river. Be very careful where you put your hands or feet, wear good high shoes and have a sharp look at all times. Don't be without a cell phone and know just where you are at all times. Be especially aware of the odor of cucumbers as this is an indication of the presence of dangerous snakes. Rattlesnake bites (strikes) can be fatal if they are not treated ASAP after the occurrence. I remember the strong oder of cucumbers around the Bear Mountain and Cornwall area almost any time we were stopped in this area or moving slow. Train watching is the best ever in this area but the snakes are still there.
Noel Weaver

I have done Harriman Park from the Harriman station to Peekskill. I think I will do Manitou to AT Pawling next, but perhaps, since both stations are only weekend/holiday, I may do some back-trekking past Pawling, since 6 days is a bit long for that section. I can trek farther north, then return back to Pawling, or continue to Wingdale and see how that works.

I have never even seen a snake on the AT at Bear or Anthony's. I am aware that they are there though. I always carry my cell phone, and a snake-bite kit. I think that as a rule, snakes will avoid humans, and only strike when they are cornered. If a snake bites an animal that is too large for it to eat, it won't have another meal until it restores its venom, which I understand could take a week or more.

CPSK wrote:I hiked that trail; the Camp Smith trail, from Anthony's Nose to the parking lot on route 6 (actually, there are two parking lots on route 6 - one is about halfway down the mountain, the other is at the trailhead, also on US 6). I somehow came to believe that there was a bike/walking path along US 6 from that th to the city of Peekskill, so I figured it would be fine. But when I arrived at the th - after dark - there was no bike path. I walked along the road on the wide shoulder for a few hundred yards, only to be confronted with a narrowing shoulder. I crossed the highway to get into the weeds and be on the safe side of the barrier, but could only get a few hundred feet farther.

That's really unpleasant, and I'm sorry as I think I'm one of the sources of bad information. I was planning on hiking the Camp Smith trail myself as a day hike, and getting there on MNRR to Peekskill. Google Maps shows a bike path that crosses Annsville Creek on the US6 bridge, and since the official map of the Hudson Highlands state park showed a parking area off 6 just north of the creek, I figured it was possible to walk along the road up the mountain to the trail head.

Ridgefielder wrote:

CPSK wrote:I hiked that trail; the Camp Smith trail, from Anthony's Nose to the parking lot on route 6 (actually, there are two parking lots on route 6 - one is about halfway down the mountain, the other is at the trailhead, also on US 6). I somehow came to believe that there was a bike/walking path along US 6 from that th to the city of Peekskill, so I figured it would be fine. But when I arrived at the th - after dark - there was no bike path. I walked along the road on the wide shoulder for a few hundred yards, only to be confronted with a narrowing shoulder. I crossed the highway to get into the weeds and be on the safe side of the barrier, but could only get a few hundred feet farther.

That's really unpleasant, and I'm sorry as I think I'm one of the sources of bad information. I was planning on hiking the Camp Smith trail myself as a day hike, and getting there on MNRR to Peekskill. Google Maps shows a bike path that crosses Annsville Creek on the US6 bridge, and since the official map of the Hudson Highlands state park showed a parking area off 6 just north of the creek, I figured it was possible to walk along the road up the mountain to the trail head.

I don't think you were the source of bad info; I assumed that the bike path continued all the way to the trailhead because a running group I belong to has done several 60 mile runs from Bryant park in Manhattan (behind the main library) to Bear Mtn via the Old Croton Aqueduct trail (OCA), starting out on Broadway, then cutting onto the Hudson River Greenway and back to B'way at Dykman st, then up Broadway into Van Cortlandt Park, and onto the OCA trail from there.
The OCA ends at the Croton Reservoir dam, which is an easy hike on secondary roads to the Croton/Harmon MNCR station. I have done that part of the route a couple times - but instead of from Bryant Park, I start at my home in Teaneck NJ - which is just about the same distance from Van Cortlandt park that Bryant park is. I enjoy the run, and the train ride heading home.

There is another pathway that starts near the Croton dam, and continues - more or less - to Peekskill. The guys must have run along US 6 from the end of the bike path to the trailhead. By the time many of the runners reach that point, it is already dark - or nearly - and dangerous to run along the road.
I suppose that running on route 6 is much safer in daylight, and when traffic is at a minimum. When I reached that point, it was Saturday evening - full dark. It was pretty stupid of me to be hiking along the road like that.
I would expect that if you take the train to Peekskill, you could get a local taxi to take you to the TH. I know that Uber and Lyft don't (aren't permitted to) work in upstate NY, so it would need to be a licensed taxi service, or a friend. I don't believe hitchiking is permitted in NY, but I don't think I would go that route anyway.

Getting back to trains; I notice that some of the Amtrak Empire service trains make stops at Yonkers, and Croton-Harmon. I would have assumed that Amtrak would not service local passengers (from Croton to NYP), but when I set up an itinerary for that trip, I got results. The cost is almost double what an MNCR off-peak ticket purchased at the station is, and it looks like the time to destination is about the same to NYP as it is to GCT on MNCR. In addition, Amtrak is reserved only, and being that I will be running to Croton, I don't know when I will be arriving there. It's a bit silly to take Amtrak for such a short distance. Maybe if I were traveling to/from Poughkeepsie I would consider it.
I took the Adirondack from Port Kent NY in 2005, and I don't recall making stops at Croton-Harmon or Yonkers - but that was a while ago, and I could easily have forgotten that small detail. The train was completely full after we stopped at Poughkeepsie. Lots of college kids boarding there.

Amtrak has a notice up for up to 20 minute delays on Empire service trains between Schenectady and Poughkeepsie due to "significant track and infrastructure improvements" effective through December 2015.