Great Walks to Great Places

Great Walks to Great Places. . , WELCOME TO HYDE PARK TRAILS , The Hyde Park Trail system includes over 14 miles of trails linking parks, preserves and historic sites throughout the town. Many of our trails follow wide and gentle woods roads left by generations of farms and estates. Others are true hiking trails that can be narrow and steep. The trails combine scenic views, woodlands, gardens, Hudson Valley history and healthy physical activity., The Hyde Park Trail Committee has worked since 1988 to build and maintain these trails for local residents and visitors alike. The long term goal is to extend the trail north and south along the Hudson River, connect to the Town of Rhinebeck and the City of Poughkeepsie, and to create additional trail linkages between parks and neighborhoods throughout the town., The original Hyde Park Trail was designated a Hudson River Valley Greenway Trail 1992. The entire Hyde Park Trail system was designated a National Recreation Trail in 2006. Enjoy them all!, The symbol of the Hyde Park Trail is the leaf of the tulip tree (Liriodenron tulipifera). The tulip tree was a favorite of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who long admired an old specimen with a trunk about four feet in diameter that grew in a field near his home. Growing to a height of 100 feet, tulip trees are the tallest-growing eastern hardwood species. Also know as tulip-poplar or yellow-poplar, it takes its name from the large flowers which bloom high in the forest canopy each spring. The blooms are the size and shape of a tulip flower, greenish-yellow with an orange splotch near the base of each petal. Since the flowers bloom so high above the forest floor, glimpses of fallen petals are often all we see., THOUGHTFUL WALKS WITH FRIENDS , Naturalist and author John Burroughs lived across the Hudson River, in the hamlet of West Park. There he farmed, walked extensively amid the hills and streams, and was visited by such guests as Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Ford, John Muir and Thomas Edison. He wrote:, "I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see., BECOME A TRAIL VOLUNTEER , The Hyde Park Trails are YOURS. We welcome individuals, groups and families to help us grow and sustain the Hyde Park Trails. Here are some ways we can help you meet new people, learn new skills and have lots of fun:, . Adopt a Trail - Keep a trail well-marked and free of brush , . Build a Trail - Help maintain trail signs, benches and kiosks, or build new trails , . Programs and promotion - Help organize walks, events or public outreach , . Do you have a special skill or interest? There's probably a role for you. , . Call Hyde Park Recreation at 229-8086, and we will help you find a role.