THE THANK-GOD-IT'S-SPRING RIDE
MAY 4, 2013

By the time March and April roll around in New York City, we've usually started to lose our minds (2014 being a perfect example). Croton Dam is hands-down one of our favorite rides to kick off the season - 50 miles of pristine rail trails, a gorge-ous view at the destination, and stealth camping over a roaring dam make for a pretty righteous city escape. Combine this with spring greens, good food, even better company and you've found the perfect cure to those winter blues.

We've experimented with a number of routes to and from the dam, but our tried and true favorite originates in Brooklyn, rolls up Manhattan's west side, typically gets lost somewhere in Van Cortlandt park, and then busts blissfully onto the 14-mile South County Trailway. A little backroad riding in Elmsford transfers you from the South to North County Trailway, and then it's just another 10 miles to the dam. Other options include stopping in Ossining to load up on sandwiches and cookies. Just saying.

On our last ride, we upped the ante and stealth camped in the woods with the waters roaring in the distance. Tip: the park at the foot of the park only has port-a-potties, which means no water to refill bottles or take an early a.m. armpit shower.

All in all, a pretty sweet and effortless ride with a smorgasborg of changing scenery along the way. Hoping to blast the 2014 winter blues away with this ride in early April...