The KAT will connect the Hudson Valley’s multi-use trail system to the Catskill Mountains
From Kingston, the storied Catskill Mountains loom on the horizon and beckon those seeking grander adventures than the gentle farmland and small hamlets of the Hudson Valley offer. Getting there, however, is not so easy – a 4,000 foot climb from the Hudson River to the highest peaks west of the Ashokan Reservoir.
In the late 19th century, noted Kingston entrepreneur Thomas Cornell built a railroad to bring tourists disembarking day liners from NYC to these mountains, and to bring the mountains’ resources – timber, coal, bluestone – to the big city via barges waiting on the Hudson River. At the railroad’s height, nearly 50 trains per day passed through Kingston, providing the fastest option to visit resorts like the Overlook Mountain House, the Catskill Mountain House and the Kaaterskill Hotel. Today, the days of the great Catskill resorts have faded into history and the trains are largely gone.
But the corridors remain, and they are a priceless asset for the communities through which they run. Offering a stable foundation with gentle inclines, these corridors are ideal for conversion to multi-use trails (aka rail trails!).
“The works of man dwindle, and the original features of the huge globe come out”
John burroughs
The KAT is a vision for a multi-use trail connecting from Kingston to the eastern end of the Ashokan Rail Trail, near Basin Road in the Town of Woodstock. This 6.25 mile trail would serve as the only fully-accessible non-motorized route between the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River communities of Ulster County, as well as the expansive trail system that converges in Kingston.
