Originally Posted by
csport
What about the OCA route, East of Mosholu Parkway? NYCC OCA route goes this way:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/25327095 Then there is a short stretch on Yonkers Avenue, and one can walk up the stairs back to SCT.
Is cycling allowed there? Google maps and Openstreetmaps mark it as a bike trail. If it is in a bad condition it may be a bad idea to bike there and erode the trail even more -- anyway, the main trail is getting paved, so we can wait for it to happen.
I've been curious about that in the past, I think someone convinced me it was fairly rough. All I really know is it's where
Bike Snob NYC busted his thumb though apart from that particular rock jumble his pictures make it look rather charming.
I usually go in from Mosholu along what is technically the OCA anyway, what I should do sometime when I get up there with time to spare for the planned ride (as if that will ever happen) is go up the switchbacks at the corkscrew and try following the OCA route with the thought of turning around and going back to the golf house and the Old Put if it's not working for me.
If I were to do that I'd be almost as tempted to take Mclean from the crossing and get on the SCT at Alan Shephard place (I've kind of been enjoying working on my times up that first climb to Mile Square Rd). But taking it up to Yonkers Ave is an option too.
Overall though I assume if this were a good route people in a trailway (vs gravel) frame of mind would use it when the Put is muddy, but what I mostly hear about are people who prefer to go up Broadway west of the park.
Only a few folks on Strava seem to get into the upper teens for it, which I think says something:
https://www.strava.com/segments/11481428
in comparison to the Old Put on dry days:
https://www.strava.com/segments/1300895
(Not that I'm looking to go fast; but when the top times for a segment are slow, there tends to be a reason - I sometimes look at the Old Put times with the "this week"filter when its been wet to guess how much people are having to bypass on foot)