Originally Posted by
csport
Will try it and report back.
Also, the route is hilly compared to the Old Put. According to Google maps the grades in the park and on McLean/Alan Shephard are about 4% (still not too bad compared to >10% on Caryl Ave
) compared to <2% on the SCT. Maybe this is why people avoid it.
Will be curious to hear what you find! It's kind of interesting doing armchair research on the non-riding days. But just made plans to try the Delaware Canal over in NJ with a friend, so Westchester will have to wait - still, it is a three day weekend :-)
I'm also suspecting that the hole in the fence visible from the Put near the end of the northernmost golf green may connect to something that connects to the OCA. And that there may be a semi-official way to get to the end of Sedgewick Ave. Those railroad surveyors did an impressive job of finding the flat route between the hills, it's just the Put is a little low through the park itself. The OCA seems to be skirting the side of a hill to the east (the one 87 is higher up on), while Caryl seems to unfortunately tangle with the south end of a ridge that separates the Put ROW from Broadway. Maybe it's possible to follow the OCA on the ridge towards the north end of the park then dip down to the Put and exit it to the start of the SCT.
Edit: Strava heatmap shows the OCA through the park and norther connection to the Put fairly well, especially in "all" mode to include those on foot. What's a bit odd is the number of people "biking" on Mosholu parkway - or leaving the app running after they get in a car? Among visible parkways its quite unique in heat index specifically for cycling - or is there some closed roads event that uses it?
Further research suggests there's about 100 feet of climbing in the first half mile in the park (some of which may be the switchback) and then it basically follows a contour up to Yonkers ave. Conversely, the Put stays low through the park then spreads the same climb over the mile and half from the city line to Yonkers Ave. So diverting back to the Put before there would mean doing the climb twice, conversely the segment called "Watch the Rocks" is alongside the east edge of Tibbets Park.
Finally, it appears possible to skip Yonkers Ave by cutting west through the top of Tibbets Park from about the pumphouse along the southern edge of the tennis courts and then up a short steep hill on one of the obvious SCT and park path intersections.