If riding dirt roads is your thing, you don’t have to go far from New York City to pursue your passion. Our region has dozens of miles of often scenic, usually challenging unpaved public roads easily accessible via commuter rail. Wonderful dirt multi-use trails can be found in the Bronx and just over the GWB.

This section of the Ride Library contains routes cued with a generous mix of dirt roads and multi-use trails, all rideable on a road, gravel, or cyclocross bicycle. Unpaved roads in our region are typically hardpack dirt; conditions on any given road can vary widely from season to season.

Each ride description includes a recommended minimum tire size, from 25c on up. This is meant as a guideline rather than a hard-and-fast rule: every dirt rider will have her own preference based on experience and riding style. The tire recommendations correspond to the quality of road surface you're likely to encounter: from smooth, groomed dirt to rugged gravel.

-Brian Sullivan