Rosendale Trestle — Attraction in Town of Rosendale

The Rosendale Trestle is a continuous truss bridge and former railroad trestle that goes over the Rondout Creek in Rosendale, NY. The trestle offers magnificent views of the surrounding area and is 150 feet above the creek. There are guard rails at the top of the bridge and it is a well maintained and secure place to enjoy a wonderful view. To access the trestle it is best to park in the Rosendale Trestle Parking Lot. It is a short walk from the parking lot to the bridge. A few feet away from the entrance to the bridge is a small cave that you can explore. The cave is marked and has signage on it. It is also possible to hike or bike over the trestle as a part of a longer journey on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. The rail trail is a nice bike ride and offers other scenic views as well. From the trestle you will also see nearby Joppenbergh Mountain. It is possible to hike Joppenbergh mountain for a nice view of the trestle. Best of all there is no admission charge for all that this wonderful area offers! Overall, the Rosendale Trestle offers scenic views, numerous recreational opportunities, and a nice place to have...

First we hiked Joppenbergh Mountain starting at Willow Kiln park. I thought there was a trail that would lead straight to the rail trail just north of the trestle but we couldn't find it. Not sure if it actually exists. It's real steep, near vertical. Joppenbergh Mountain trail was great. Nice payout views of trestle and river. We then had a short drive to the trestle/rail trail parking just north of the trestle. Short walk on hard pack to the trestle, some nice rocks to scramble on the east side of the trail, between the mountain and the trail. Fun for kids but even this middle aged man had fun. Trestle had nice views, I felt safe with my kids though the youngest is 9 and isn't going to make and rash moves or throw things over. We skipped the stairs on the south side of the trestle that I'm sure gave you nice views of the actual metalwork. I wanted to make sure we had time to explore the Widow Jane Mine, just a few minutes south. Those were interesting too. A few hours for the hiking, mine, and stopping in town for food. Not a bad day trip for us...

We had a wonderful trip over the Rosendale Trestle. I highly recommend this for anyone who likes a little Adventure. Appropriate for a grown-ups and children alike at any age. A child may walk or ride across the bridge. Bless me if I find a place to sit on the bridge and perhaps read poetry for an entire afternoon. It all fits in perfectly. When you get to the other side there are great opportunities to climb down through the trestles and out to the side right to the water and even walk on rocks balancing your way into the water. You can look back at the train trestle as this far distant structure take the most amazing pictures giving context to the historical artifact that you just traversed yourself. Be careful about touching the side you might get a minor shock not like a huge shock or electrical discharge or something like that. But it may...