Words: Lisa Vandivort
Photographs: Matthew Vandivort

After a big team ride out on 9W last weekend we were hoping for similar turnout on this consecutive October weekend, but with some teammates racing DCCX and others with personal plans on deck we couldn’t quite muster up the same group for exploring leafy terrain a bit north of NYC. Our plans a bit discombobulated, we ended up settling on a small group of 3 to drive up towards Bear Mountain and check out one of our tried and true favorite loops by West Point and Storm King to hopefully take advantage of the area that was set to have near-peak to peak leaf peeping colors.

In the past we have done this route coming out of Bear Mountain or from a broader route from NYC with additional mileage before hitting our semi-secret trail through partially closed off trails. But this time around, we figured we would park a little closer and get right into the leaf peeping. That meant climbing right out of the gate to get up to the trail head and continuing pretty much straight uphill for the first several minutes. With the chilly temps, at least we got an easy way to warm up!

With a mid week high wind storm rolling through the NYC area, we were a little worried as we neared our route that all the leaves would have blown off the trees. But we didn’t see many leaves on the ground during the drive so figured we would be in luck.

Turns out those high winds must have blown the leaves out of the county because there were many leaves seemingly MIA, not on the ground or on the trees. Amidst the many nearly bare trees, however, were some pretty colors. Luckily, the yellows and oranges were rather vibrant and though not as dense as when we have ventured into these back woods in the past, the mix of mild temps and pretty secluded trails with only a handful of other bikers and hikers paved the way for a very serene experience.

Descending out of our wooded enclave, we headed towards Storm King, a route that lends itself to expansive views over the Hudson river. On a normal day this means riding alongside car traffic on a windy road with little to no shoulder. Though the car traffic tends to be modest and the quantity of cyclists gives enough strength in numbers such that the cars give enough space to feel safe-ish, it’s still in my opinion not normally a road that I get hyped up to ride. But, today, we were again in luck. A recent rockslide - perhaps a result from the recent storm - meant the entire road was closed to car traffic. And it was terrrrrrific! I don’t know if it was the car free road or the fact I haven’t put many miles in my legs the past couple of weeks due to a rough work schedule, but I felt a motor in my legs and quickly ascended away from my companions to get to the prime viewing spot on Storm King (and the warm sun). After a short pit stop we meandered the remaining way undulating through the road we had all to ourselves and fellow cyclists, waxing poetically about how life would be great with more roads cut off from car traffic.

And thus our small group small loop leaf peeping adventure came to a conclusion. It was a short and sweet romp through Orange County and a perfect antidote to a busy week at work.