“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” —Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

With May being National Bike Month — and in light of current challenges, including crowded parks — there couldn’t be a better time to test out the wisdom of Sherlock Holmes’ creator and resort to pedal power.

Here are a few reasons why:

• It’s a great way to practice social distancing while getting much-needed exercise.
• It saves $ on gas.
• It lowers your carbon footprint, helping to combat climate change.
• It eliminates worries about finding an open parking space at your destination.
• It helps us safeguard important habitats in our parks by reducing the potential for cars to park in undesignated areas.
• It’s fun!

Biking In, To and Between Our Parks

In honor of National Bike Month — and to encourage more visitors to pedal to our parks — we’re working to provide bike racks in additional trailhead parking areas. We’ll also update our park listings to note where racks are available.

At the same time, great opportunities exist to pedal in, to and between our parks. For example, Franny Reese State Park in Lloyd is connected to Walkway Over the Hudson and long-distance rail trails on both sides of the span. In Beacon, the mile-long Klara Sauer Trail links Scenic Hudson’s Long Dock Park to our Madam Brett Park. And our Illinois Mountain and Shaupeneak Ridge preserves in Ulster County feature popular — and challenging — mountain-biking routes.

Finally, we’ve made it a snap to discover more fun, off-road places to pedal all over the valley via our Outdoor Adventures feature.

Whether on a flat road or a hilly trail, there’s no time like the present to “go out for a spin.”

STAY SAFE: Health experts recommend that bikers should stay 30 feet apart if pedaling slowly and 60 feet if pedaling hard. They also advise moving to a different lane at least 60 feet prior to passing. In addition, Scenic Hudson recommends that bikers refrain from riding in groups.