The village and town of Saugerties governments don’t always agree, but a local resident has won the acclaim of both. Both the village trustees’ and town board’s recent meetings have featured members praising the work of local bicyclist Carl Mueller, who has put together three new bicycle routes. They were enthusiastic.
Mueller, a member of the Saugerties transportation advisory council, wanted to create several bike routes that would be safe, have scenic views, and fun for families. “Bicycle routes are an important part of life in Saugerties,” Mueller explained. “The promote health, and gives visitors to Saugerties something fun to do.”
Over the last several months, Mueller, who has been cycling since he was a kid, has been scouting the community for roads that were safe to ride, and that had interesting sites along the way.
“The one thing that I did not want on any of the routes were roads that are unsafe for bicyclists,” Mueller explained. Glasco Turnpike, Route 212 and Route 32 were ruled out because they had no shoulder for bicyclists to ride on.
“Once I had decided on the three routes, I talked to two friends who are avid bicyclists to get their input,” Mueller said, “and they agreed that these three routes would be ideal for riders looking for safe, easy routes.”
The three routes are called Manorville Loop, the Reservoir Loop, and the West Saugerties Road Loop. Each has stops along the way so bicyclists can enjoy the view sheds and rest a bit. “These are all nice easy rides,” Mueller said.
The Manorville Loop is about seven miles long. Combined with the loop around the four-mile Blue Mountain Reservoir Loop, it can be an eleven-mile route.
The West Saugerties Road Loop goes out to Goat Hill and Ralph Vedder Road and is about a 14-mile ride. Some of the views along the way include the Blue Mountain Reservoir. Bishop’s Face is along the West Saugerties Loop, Mueller added.
Bicyclists can stop, go for a walk, or have a picnic at Sloan’s Gorge Nature Preserve.
This summer and again in the fall, Mueller said he hopes to lead tours. Right now, he’s working with a local person to create maps of the routes that will include fun stops along the way.
Mueller said he hopes to have the maps ready by time the snow melts, when the bicyclists are ready to hit the road again.
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