Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park

I had an awesome Rube Goldberg bike crash on the section of the path that runs through Tarrytown. I apparently scared a deer which jumped over my front wheel startling a huge red-​tailed hawk which swooped down over the trail freaking out a chipmunk that ran out under my tire. Not knowing which way in to swerve, I attempted nineteen different directions at once, flipping over the handlebars onto my face.
I love this trail even more because this happened. It was magical.
If you head south in the park, the majestic wildlife is gradually replaced by hipsters walking dogs, old people shuffling about and different chipmunks. It gets a bit crowded if you’re on a bike some days– but still fun. Unless you startle a hipster whose dog bolts under the foot of a geriatric who immediately breaks a hip and comes toppling down onto a chipmunk. Nothing fun about that my good man.

The Aqueduct is such a cool park — it’s 30 feet wide and a similar number of miles long! Great for walking with or without dogs, trail running or biking, and allows you to explore the cute towns along the way if you take detours.
Another reviewer mentions being on route 9 — that’s just a bad part of the trail. I haven’t explored the upper part of the trail much north of Tarrytown towards Croton which is supposed to be great, but the Tarrytown section just isn’t great.
The best parts in Southern Westchester are between Dobbs Cedar Street and Lyndhurst — about three miles, which makes for a great there and back or walk. You pass parks, Mercy college, water fountains, the amazing Pink Octagon house, some gorgeous homes and lovely deer-​filled woods. Go in October and you get a free look at the scarecrow installation at Lyndhurst and imagine why Washington Irving wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. You can also walk all around the Lyndhurst grounds by the Hudson and apple orchards, without paying for parking or a tour! Such a great benefit for River Towns residents.

If you live in the city and are aching for some fresh air, trees and a taste of suburbia definitely try out a day trip to the Old Crotun Aqueduct State Historic Park that spans 41 miles, from Croton on the Hudson to Manhattan (the aqueduct flowed to the New York Public Library and the Great Lawn at Central Park).
The Old Crotun Aqueduct trail is really intresting historically. In 1837 it was built in order to transport fresh water from the Crotun River to NYC, which was plagued by disease and numerous building fires. In 1968, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation purchased 26.2 miles of the original 41 mile aqueduct from New York City. Today, it is both a wonderful escape from the city as well as a beautiful park for residents leisurely weekend strolls with your puppy or on bicycle.

I walked from Beekman Ave down to Irvington Station and, while the trail itself was pleasant enough (at times), I found it poorly marked throughout. Additionally, the portion I walked was primarily along Route 9 which is not terribly scenic; more sidewalk than trail.
Since we were approaching at Beekman Ave we were instructed by a local to just take Route 9 because the trail will intersect soon enough. We picked the trail up at Prospect Ave (because there didn’t appear to be a connection at Leroy Ave, despite what the map says) and followed it for a short bit before finding ourselves at a dead end, in a neighborhood where one of the residents working in his yard pointed us back down to Route 9 because «there’s no other way around the NYS Thruway.» We stayed on Route 9 until Lyndhurst.
While walking through the grounds of Lyndhurst was lovely, we expected the whole trail to be more like that and less like walking along a highway. Because we got lost a few times due to poor signposting, we had to end our ramble in Irvington rather than at Dobbs Ferry, where we had originally planned to terminate.
For a ramble, this section in particular is not worth the trouble. However, the towns we passed through, as well as Lyndhurst, were all very cute and worth a separate visit. I do plan on returning to Tarrytown to head north on the trail though. Hopefully we just chose a poor section and the whole trail isn’t disappointing.

I love how dog friendly this trail is, and very clean!
Although I do not think there are enough garbage bags, I wish they had dog waste removal cans

Nice long trail. No garbage. Dog friendly. a great place to get some exercise and a nice sweat going with views of the Hudson and many nice homes. Great place to take in some nature on a nice day!

This place is a gem. I grew up in the area and didn’t even know this existed until last Summer. I believe this trail is extremely long, but I have only walked from Main St of Dobbs Ferry, cutting across Mercy College, and ending on Main St in Irvington. That is probably only a small portion of the whole trail, but it is still a good enough stretch to get some exercise and enjoy the nature.
It’s just an incredible stretch of nature! It runs parallel to Broadway from Dobbs Ferry to Irvington, but it’s difficult to believe that you are so close to a major road. I believe that this trail just makes people instantly happy. There are many people walking and jogging, with and without their dogs. Most people will say hi to you when you pass them, and it’s impossible to be unhappy while you’re here.
Especially in the Summer, this trail is gorgeous and you can get a good mix of the sun and the shade. There are lots of tall trees and random works of art placed throughout the trail. My favorite is passing by the huge houses… they all have so much character to them, it is very entertaining to see.

This seemingly endless fresh air artery has got to be the best level jog in Westchester. My two favorites are the (1) stretch which cuts through the Lyndhurst Estate and (2) the stretch which borders and connects up with Rockefeller State Park.

It’s hard to get a reasonable dose of Mother Nature outside of the city in half a day. This is why the Old Croton Aqueduct (OCA as they say) is so ideal. You can reach the southernmost portion of the trail in 50 minutes from Grand Central, provided your Metro North train does not delay the way mine did… but I digress.
The trail stretches along the east side of the Hudson river, near enough to civilization that you won’t get lost, but sheltered enough that if you look forward with no peripheral vision you could pretty much be in any wilderness preserve in the US. Especially on a clear day, the beauty is quite stunning (see my photos).
The trail is easy to follow, and the great thing is you can pretty much pick up and end wherever you want along the Metro North Hudson line — the nicer parts of the Southern OCA are from Greystone to Tarrytown.
Check it out if you have a day to spare!

Gather ’round, young and old
I’m going to write a review, as yet untold
I pray for guidance that it doesn’t suck
It’s about the Old Croton Aqueduct.
It all happened this Saturday past
In Hastings-​on-​Hudson the story is cast
We took Metro-​North, the Hudson Line
The gorgeous river views helped pass the time
From Manhattan we arrived in no time flat
20 mins from Marble Hill station to be exact
As we left the train, I wanted some tea
That’s good, my friend said, I need to pee
The public library sat atop the hill
There was also a Farmers’ Market — what a thrill
I wanted fresh apples, no time for chitter-​chatter
My friend agreed as she went to empty her bladder
We wandered through town in search of caffeine
While little children painted store fronts for Halloween
How cute, I exclaimed, but such a pity
At home that would be considered graffiti
I got me some tea and a bagel with butter
So much so, a heart attack I fear I shall suffer
We walked on past the Episcopal Church
For the trail, we still had to search
There were few signs leading the way
It would have been easy to go astray
But then we saw it — a fence post green
There was only 1 thing that could mean
Across it read OCA
The Old Croton Aqueduct — hip hip hooray
Now for a little history before I say more
To old New York, let’s go on a tour
2 hundred years ago the city was growing
Where would people get water, no one was knowing
To sustain our future, they copied the Romans
An aqueduct will get the water flowin’
They went upstate and built a huge dam
This would help solve their water jam
Then a big iron pipe was laid
To the Harlem River it was made
Across the High Bridge at 173^rd
To Central Park, it could be seen but not heard
Where flowers on the Great Lawn now wilt
An enormous Receiving Reservoir had been built
But, oh, how this city grows fast
The OCA just wouldn’t last
They built a new one we still use today
While the old went into disarray
No longer down the OCA does water flow
One can walk or bike above the old iron pipe below
The path is long and the vistas wide
Just be careful where you stride
My friend ended up stepping in pooh
It covered the bottom of his shoe
There is plenty of grass, though, for a quick wipe
That shit was gone without a gripe
Follow the path to your heart’s content
We walked until our legs were spent
Back onto Metro North we took a hop
3 stations down — that was our stop
What such an enjoyable way
To spend a gorgeous fall day
It’s always a pleasure to leave the city
And experience a little history
There it is all laid out
Go see for yourself if you have a doubt
If life makes you feel somewhat stuck
Amble down the Old Croton Aqueduct