Old Croton Aqueduct Trail

Date: August 30, 2014

Location: Westchester County, NY

Useful links:
Old Croton Aqueduct State Park Trail Map
Croton-on-Hudson Trail System Map

Labor Day weekend, I decided to go for a hike in the area, something I had not done in around 18 months (which is sad in retrospect because I acquired my enthusiasm for hiking through early jaunts in the Hudson Valley, after I moved to the NYC area). I opted to walk a segment of the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail that traverses the Croton Gorge, and visit the New Croton Dam.

Having made my way to GCT, I caught the 11:43 to Poughkeepsie, which arrived at Croton-Harmon a bit late around 12:50 or so. From the station, I headed a block east, and turned right onto the bike/pedestrian path that parallels Route 9A (this has earned the nickname "the Crossining"  as it enables bikers/walkers to safely cross the Croton river into the village of Ossining).

Croton River from the "Crossining"

As Route 9A enters Ossining, there is a traffic light. I turned left here onto Old Albany Post Road. Shortly after, there is an overpass, just beyond which a sign indicates the presence of a GE Learning Center to the right. I turned right here, and a few feet ahead, by a black chain-linked fence, a sign indicated to me that I was on the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. I continued on this as it went along the chain-linked fence,  past a green OCA sign,  two crossings with Quaker Bridge Road, and several stone ventilators built for the aqueduct, to get to Croton Gorge Park and the very artistically designed New Croton Dam.  After walking across the dam and back, I descended to the park below to have lunch and rest a bit.

Aqueduct Ventilator

DEC sign for the Croton Gorge Unique Area

Information about how the park was created

Another ventilator

Flowers along Croton Reservoir

New Croton Dam

Artificial waterfall!

Reservoir

Falling water

Dam from Croton Gorge Park

Dam waterfall close-up

Dam wall detail

View of dam from bridge over the Croton river

On the way back, I retraced my steps along the OCA trail till the first (on the way back) crossing with Quaker Bridge Road. Here I turned right onto the road, and descended to Quaker Bridge. I crossed the bridge, and right past it, found to my left a connector trail that ascends the Gorge in a southerly direction, leading to a gravel road which is the Croton Gorge Trail. I turned left onto this and headed on. A rustling to my right startled me...it was a deer bounding through the vegetation. My first deer sighting east of the Hudson was funnily on a trail that traverses but a narrow strip of woodland surrounded by habitation.  The deer came into sight once more and then disappeared. There had been a gazelle-like graceful fluidity in its movements that kept my thoughts occupied for a few minutes as I continued on. Soon, the trail reached the Silver Lake Park and ended. I walked through the park's parking lot and then through the streets of Croton, till I got to the Croton-Harmon station around 5:30 p.m.  Thus concluded a hike that would have comprised around 8.5 miles of walking with very little elevation gain.

Quaker Bridge

Note: My hike had partial overlap with this hike and its description of landmarks on the overlapping segments proved to be accurate and helpful.