Catskills River Run

I’ve been wanting to do the Catskill River Run for awhile now and my 33rd birthday week gave us a chance to finally check it out. You can read about their plans for social distancing here. Parking is a small gravel lot. Restrooms are in the form of a portable restroom trailer and there’s even a little gift shop. Check in time was 15 minutes before our trip time slot. They run a tight ship and our party left promptly on time so I’d highly suggest being on time. There aren’t refunds given for being late and missing your group’s departure time. We completed our liability waivers online before we left for our trip so check in was a breeze.

For some reason, both Mitchell and I imagined that you just get assigned a railbike and you’re sent on your merry way. In reality, there are multiple parties that’ll go at the same time as your timed reservation. Then to cross NY 28, all the railbikes get coupled up and cross at the same time.

There’s a small basket where a backpack (or a small, soft sided cooler like the railbike passengers in front of us brought) can fit. We were instructed to take anything loose out of our pockets unless they were zippered pockets. Note that cell reception is spotty at best. I also spied two umbrellas included with our railbike.

Blue teeth courtesy of a blue raspberry Airhead.

Each railbike will have a name tag. Ours was easy to spot since it was the only one with a toddler harness. I’m glad I took the time to inspect the buckles because one was slightly cracked so that if you gently tugged at it, it would come apart. A staff member replaced it with one that securely fastened. The railbikes can gain a decent amount of speed so I’m glad that Theo was strapped in snugly.

NY 28 to our right on our way to the halfway point

Esopus Creek on our left. NY 28 on our right.

The halfway point. We got off the railbikes once we reached the halfway point and waited a bit while staff turned the railbikes around with a hydraulic press. Another group had packed drinks and snacks and were having a blast while we waited. If we were to ever go again, I’d definitely do the same.

Don’t hesitate bringing your jacket! We left ours behind because we figured we’d work up a sweat. Pedaling warmed us up a little bit but I would have definitely appreciated having the option of having my jacket since it’s breezy as you zip along the track.

The kids were allowed to sit together and insisted upon doing so on our way back to the station. For reference, they were 7 and 2 years old at the time of our visit. There’s a little switch you can activate that’ll give you a slight motorized boost. It won’t work unless you’re also pedaling though. This switch is only by the seat that also controls the hand break. For our quad railbike, it was the seat in the back right.

Both kids wound up loving this experience, especially Theodore - our little aficionado of all things on wheels. I mean look at that face!

Phoenicia’s Main Street is nearby. You can find a gas station, small market, and an ice cream spot. If you check out the Phoenicia Diner, the bourbon bacon burger was delicious.