A Glimpse of the Hudson River Ridin’ The Rails

How about getting a great little workout, in our gorgeous Adirondack Park, all the while sitting on your bum, with some spectacular views and scenery thrown in as a bonus?

Then get on over to North Creek for some rail biking with the Revolution Rail Co. Under your own steam (pun intended) you’ll either be on a double or quad rail bike. The light weight bikes, made in Vermont, are easy to ride. Unless it’s a scorcher outside, you will barely break a sweat.

 Pro tip: bring a back pack with drinks and snacks, bug spray and sun protection, (There’s a Tops on Main Street a minute away from the Revolution Headquarters. You’ll need to book in advance because this is a popular attraction and reservations fill up days ahead.  After the waiver signing and a safety briefing, you’ll board a  bus at the North Creek Railroad Station, where Theodore Roosevelt's Midnight run ended. It’s a school bus with the “S” missing – so you are actually on the Cool Bus. (Our driver reminded us.) After a short ride north your carriage awaits on the rails to take you on your adventure.

 Another safety briefing follows. The Revolution crew wants you to have a great time so they explain in a lot of details how to optimize your seat adjustment for a smooth and effortless ride. And important things like how to break. Each bike has a basket for a couple of backpacks and an umbrella to share for two riders. The tours go rain or shine.

You are encouraged to spread out during your ride  -- this is not some form of twisted dodge ‘em cars  -- which gives everyone the chance to feel like they have the rails to themselves. The historic tracks were once used by local mining companies, but never carried passengers.

Our group of four took the 4pm tour where the late day sun light showcases the mighty Hudson for a perfect Nat Geo Cover photo op.

For most of the ride you’ll be under a canopy of trees, with the Hudson River on your right on the outbound. Minutes into the ride you’ll get a view of the Barton Mines Hudson River Plant. A few miles later you’ll get your first crossing of the Adirondack Railroad Bridge.

Everyone slows down. Some folks whip out their iPhones  and begin snapping away a series of selfie, social media ready pics for posting. If  you fear dropping your device into the Hudson, the Revolution Rail Bike folks will take a couple of pics of you and your group on the return trip. (They are available for free on their Flickr site).

After the bridge crossing, the body of water on your right is the Boreas River. A little further down is the halfway point of your trip, where you head on down to the river to enjoy those cold drinks and snacks you have packed. The break allows not only for pictures standing on rocks in the middle of the shallow river, but gives the Revolution crew time to  turn your rail bikes around. It’s about a 20 minute process. There’s also a rustic bathroom.

There are no hills to pedal up, but you will feel the pull of the slight inclines, which means you’ll be picking up speed on the way down as you give your legs a rest.

The whole trip takes about 2 and a half hours, but allow for more time. You’ll  ride about 7 miles round trip. This is a  unique experience for couples, group and families. There’s fun swag and souvenirs in the main office. Check out all of the details here: Revolution Rail Co. . Phone: (518) 251-2345