FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 5, 2021
Mayor Noble
Announces Opening of Hudson River Brickyard Trail
KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is
pleased to announce the 1.9 mile section of the Empire State Trail that travels
through the City of Kingston and the Town of Ulster is completed and open to
the public.
This section, called the Hudson River
Brickyard Trail, passes through 520 acres of
formerly industrial land, now known as Quarry Waters, which Scenic Hudson
protected last year. With New York State DOS funding, the City of Kingston, the
Town of Ulster, Scenic Hudson, and regional and local partners collaborated to
identify a new trail alignment, obtain local planning approvals and advance the
project into construction. The trail’s route was chosen to minimize impacts to
natural resources, maximize views of the Hudson River, and access future
recreational amenities.
All parking for the Hudson
River Brickyard Trail is located at Kingston Point Beach. From the beach,
pedestrians take a short wood-chipped path, which leads to North Street and
through the Hutton Brickyard property onto the new Hudson River Brickyard
Trail. Trail maps are posted at Kingston Point Beach and the pedestrian gate at
Hutton Brickyards. Winter hours are posted from 7:00am-5:00pm. The pedestrian
gates at the property are closed after 5:00pm through March 31, 2021. The trail
is not maintained in the winter months but is open for recreation.
“Having the Empire State Trail through the City of
Kingston will have enormous benefits for our community, and this section will
be especially dynamic,” said Mayor Noble. “The Hudson River Brickyard Trail
showcases our City’s former industrial life, yet introduces the visitor to
beautiful vistas and unique geology of the area. I want to thank all of our
partners who helped this long sought-after project come to fruition, including
Town of Ulster Supervisor Jim Quigley, NYS DOS, NYS Greenway, Scenic Hudson,
and City staff. The difficulty of this year has shown us exactly how important
parks and trails are for our health and wellbeing.”
The remainder of the Quarry
Waters property currently is closed to the public while Scenic Hudson continues
to evaluate its natural and industrial features with a team of consultants led
by the landscape architecture firm OLIN. In early 2021, the organization
plans to host opportunities for community residents and stakeholders to help
shape a vision for the future park. To learn more about the property,
visit www.quarrywatersparkinfo.org
The Empire State Trail is the largest
multi-use trail in the nation. This network of trails will contain 750-miles of
pathways for walking/hiking and bicycling along scenic vistas and through New
York’s historic communities.