5 Great Spots To Fall In Love With On Your Run This Fall
As the weather follows suit with the leaves, there are plenty of great spots to enjoy the new, vibrant colors while getting your exercise in. Below is a list of places I personally love to run (in no particular order) and figured I’d share some insight with those who are looking for some exercise with a view if you start to get bored of the same old sidewalk.
I’d like to start off with the not as popular but still very pretty Vassar Farm. Though Vassar College has a very pretty campus too, their farm across the road is a great place to run. Whether you’re feeling the foliage, somewhat hidden trails or a long dirt road (for you country lovers), Vassar Farm is a great place to go for a run and experience the changing of the leaves in the brisk fall air. Though I think the goats have officially been moved, you may get to watch a few teams practice on the grass field or pet the dogs inevitably brought there for a nice walk. Vassar Farm is located on 51 Vassar Farm Ln, Poughkeepsie, by the South side of Vassar campus across from Hooker ave.
(Images shown below)
If you’ve ever been on a tour of the Vanderbilt Mansion, you know it and the scenery around it are quite spectacular. But have you ever thought about going for a run there? Because you should. Not only can you experience the nice estate sitting on 211 acres of land, you get a wonderful view of the Hudson and the scenery across it, and if you do a little exploring, you’ll find a nice gravel path hidden by trees where the road ends. The Vanderbilt Mansion can be found on 119 Vanderbilt Park Rd, Hyde Park, down Route 9.
The second historic site on this list is just down the road from the former. The Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site not only gives plenty of interesting tours, but is also sitting on 265 acres of land that are a dream for runners, but what’s specifically special, is if you go across the street to a little place called Farm Lane. Practically next to the Roosevelt movie theater, Farm lane is a trail that stretches about 1.7 miles long, completely shaded by trees and is a decent workout due to it’s hilly terrain. It’s a beautiful place to get your exercise and even lets out next to Violet ave. Cafe and Creamery if you feel like treating yourself afterwards. You can find the main entrance on 4097 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park, also a bit down from Route 9.
If you know anything about high school running in the state of NY, then you’ve probably heard of Bowdoin Park. It’s where the NY State Federation Championship meet is held, as well as the NY Regional meet which is a qualifier meet for Nike Cross Nationals. It’s got quite the history and has seen some legends compete there as well. But it’s not just for intense competition. Bowdoin is a nice, relatively small park great for a casual run on a fall morning, afternoon or even evening complete with some hidden trails and all. You can find Bowdoin on 85 Sheafe Rd, Wappingers Falls, just before the turn for the Regal Galleria mall.
And for the most famous attraction, The Walkway Over The Hudson. The Walkway gives walkers, runners, bikers, bladers and more the chance to appreciate the Hudson River from directly above, as well as the beautiful sites for as far as the eye can see. It’s all concrete, but connects the Dutchess County rail trail and the Highland rail trail which are all pavement and provide good tree cover. Trees are one of the key components for most people come fall season, and you get a great view of them from the Hudson, or from underneath them on either rail trail. The Walkway is approximately 1.2 miles long, and both rail trails go on for many, many miles. You can find the Poughkeepsie entrance on Parker Ave, and the Highland entrance at 87 Haviland Rd.
