Blauvelt's flattest walk connects four towns on old rail bed

There aren't many places in Rockland County where you can take a stroller, a road bike, or a pair of running shoes and follow the same path for miles without encountering a single hill or a single traffic light. The Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail is one of them.

The trail runs north to south through the Town of Orangetown, built on the bed of the old Erie Northern Branch railroad. It starts at the Blauvelt Free Library on Western Highway and tracks southward through Tappan, passing Tappan Library Patriots Park before finishing at Oak Tree Road. The surface is paved and flat throughout -- which sounds unremarkable until you remember how hilly most of Rockland's trail options are.

That flatness is the whole point. This is not a trail for people chasing elevation gain or rugged terrain. It's for families with young kids in bike helmets, older walkers who want a reliable surface, joggers who like to zone out without watching their footing, and anyone who has ever wanted to cycle somewhere without immediately confronting a hill. The corridor is calm and car-free in a way that the county's road shoulders, however scenic, simply aren't.

The history of the route gives it a little extra texture. The Erie Northern Branch was part of the old Erie Railroad network that once stitched together these small Rockland communities long before Route 303 existed. Walking the trail, you're essentially tracing the same line that once carried freight and passengers through Blauvelt and Tappan -- two villages that still feel distinct from each other despite sitting just a couple of miles apart.

For anyone interested in stringing together a longer outing, the trail connects via the Old Erie Path to South Nyack, opening up a continuous off-road corridor that extends well beyond Orangetown. That connection makes the Clarke Trail more than a local amenity -- it's a link in a longer chain for riders and walkers who want to cover real ground without touching a road.

Tappan's historic district sits close enough to the southern end that it makes a natural stopping point, and the Blauvelt Library end gives the northern trailhead a practical anchor for anyone who wants to combine a walk with an errand or a browse.

For hours, parking, and access points, see the full listing.