Last summer I rode the section from Eastview (Tarrytown) to the Westchester/Putnam county line and hated it - the concept is great for families and casual cyclists (10mph) but not for fast riding. A friend who lives nearby says it can get crowded on weekends with families on rollerblades, families on bikes, kids in strollers being pushed 3- or 4-abreast, etc.

It was a freight line and it's the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak. Part of it parallels the Saw Mill River Parkway - noisy. Other parts are buried between earthen berms to reduce rail noise in residential areas - like riding in a tunnel. Still other parts are behind the loading docks of malls and shopping centers - not exactly scenic. The one scenic spot of the entire 25 mile section I rode was the bridge that crossed a reservoir, unfortunately fenced in so tightly to protect us from ourselves that it largely killed the view. The final insult was the pavement - very rough and lumpy, not an enjoyable ride at all.

The section I rode was actually the North County Trailway - the Southern section is incomplete and unlikely ever to be completed because of roads and housing built on the former right-of-way, and was not recommended by my friend because the trail gets better (?) the further north you go.

A google search will turn up plenty of maps and other info if you, like myself, stubbornly insist on trying it at least once.

The South County Trailway starts at a parking lot off Farragut Avenue (I think it's Ardsley, not Yonkers at that point) and goes for about 4 miles up to route 119 in Elmsford. It's paved, quite wide, and pretty good for recreational cyclists. On weekends you can't go too fast because it gets crowded.

On the north side they are working on a connection to the North County Trailway (which right now ends at Eastview in Tarrytown as the other poster noted).

On the south side the trail continues for a little bit, but not much. It then goes unpaved all the way into Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx (great jogging trail!)

Right now I suspect both the North and South trailways are not usable. I went jogging on the North trail last week and it was all icy and there were lots of fallen trees.

Hope this helps
Rosario

1. The north country trailway, starting near Saw Mill River Road in Elmsford, and up to Mahopac, is a pretty route, about 22 miles one way. The bridge going over the Croton Resevior is the highlight, then continuing north to Yorktown hights is the best sylvan portion

2. It is not a route to go fast on. There are too many casual users that are unaware of fast moving bicyclists. For this reason, I would not recommend it for a group ride of a B-15 pace or faster, and pacelining is difficult while navigating around the general public.

3. But for a solo recovery ride, it is a nice change of pace. Plus, if you go to Mahopac, it is a gentle uphill grade (as a former railroad right of way) and the return is a nice down hill. There is a trail spur that goes west to Tarrytown, so you could start from the metro north station, and return there.

4. The gap between the North and south county trailway in Elmsford is most directly reached via route 9A, a most dissagreeable surface with NO shoulder, so it is not pretty to do. Alternatively, you could go west on route 119, and there should be a road that would allow you to turn right to get to SMRRoad, prior to reaching route 9.

5. I am certain that this is not the time of year to go on it. You may want to call Westchester county Parks and Recreation to find out when they do trail maintenace.