Trying to do my first real escape-the-city hike without a car. I keep seeing the Old Croton Aqueduct mentioned as easy from Metro-North, but the maps confuse me. Do you get off at Yonkers, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown? I’m not a big hiker, so something flat and maybe 6-8 miles is ideal. I'd love to end somewhere with a coffee shop and not feel stranded. Anyone done a section recently and can say which station actually puts you near the trail, not just “close”? I've learned “walkable from the train” can mean ten minutes or a mile plus uphill.

I tried exactly this a couple weeks ago and got off at Dobbs Ferry because a friend said the trail was right there. Maybe I exited on the wrong side of the tracks, but I walked past a school and just kept following my phone. I ended up on a paved path by some apartments and wasn't sure if that was the aqueduct or a random sidewalk. The old maps make it look green but my section was more like a narrow park strip. Is the whole thing like that or did I just miss the actual dirt trail? Also no bathrooms anywhere I could find.

Sam, from what I can tell Tarrytown is maybe the easiest starting point if you want food at the end? I haven't hiked it, but I've walked around the Main Street area after getting off there once. I think the trail comes in behind the library or near the old church, but I'm not positive. I read you can do Tarrytown to Irvington in a few miles and catch the train back. Are there any water fountains or do I need to carry two bottles? I'm also trying to figure out if the southern parts near Yonkers are just street walking, which would bum me out.

Thanks, both. Maspeth, your Dobbs Ferry experience is exactly what I'm afraid of: walking next to cars and thinking I did it wrong. Ollie, Tarrytown ending sounds smart if I can reward myself with food. I think I'm leaning Irvington to Tarrytown, since the station signs on Metro-North make it look not too far. Is the trail mostly flat crushed stone? I'm trying to avoid wearing beat-up sneakers if there's mud. Also, does it pass through the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery or just near it? My friend swears you can cut through the cemetery but that feels like a wrong turn waiting to happen.

Wait, so I probably should not have started at Dobbs? I'm learning now that it might be a mixed surface thing. I also assumed “aqueduct” meant you'd be walking next to a visible old stone water channel, but I saw none. Is it maybe underground now? I don't want to sound dumb, but I was expecting more like a canal. Maybe I was actually on the trail the whole time and just hyped myself up for nothing. For anyone who has done the Sleepy Hollow section, is there a clear turnoff for the cemetery? I'd like to see the bridge but don't want to wander onto someone's private road.

I found a small section near Tarrytown last fall, but I also couldn't tell if I was on the trail or just on a quiet residential street that ran next to it. There were markers on some telephone poles maybe? I don't remember. I think parts are official and some are road. We ended up by the church and then past the cemetery wall, so maybe it counts? Sam, if you go, can you post whether your phone signal gets spotty? I rely on the map app a lot. And yeah, Maspeth, I thought aqueduct meant you'd see water too, but I think it's buried now. Good to know I wasn't the only one expecting a little canal.

Small update: I went Saturday and did Irvington to Tarrytown. It was mostly flat and pretty easy. From Irvington station I crossed under the tracks and went up a short hill, then walked through a nice leafy path that did turn to crushed stone in spots. I think I ended up near some church. I saw a few water fountains near a playground but that might have been a detour. Honestly the best part was getting a coffee on Main Street in Tarrytown afterward. The trail wasn't exactly signed at every turn, but the GPS was enough. Would do again. Does anyone know if the section north of Tarrytown toward Ossining gets hillier?

Sam, thank you for actually doing it. I might try your exact route this weekend. Did you just pay attention to the Metro-North schedule or do trains back from Tarrytown on Saturday come often enough that you didn't have to plan? I usually get stuck waiting 45 minutes at a platform blankly staring at the river. Also, I guess I should wear actual sneakers and not my flat city shoes. I saw you said the hill from Irvington station was short, so maybe I won't die. Last question: is the coffee shop you found near the water or back by the station? Need to know before I'm too tired to wander.

Sam, that sounds like the right length. I'm still tempted to do the top part near the Croton Reservoir because I've seen photos of the dam, but I think that involves getting off at Croton-Harmon and maybe walking further than the nice flat section. Is that actually the same trail or a different part? People say “Croton Aqueduct” and I can't tell if they mean the whole 26 miles or just the Westchester bits. Would the dam be too much for a casual person? I don't want to get to Croton-Harmon, walk four miles, and realize the last train is in ten minutes. Anyone done the northern end?

Ollie, I think Croton-Harmon is the southern bound? Wait no, it's the northern-ish stop for the dam? Now I'm second-guessing. I haven't looked at the northern part because I read the full trail is way longer than I'd want. I tried Irvington–Tarrytown because it's short and there are places to sit. If you do the dam, please post here because I'd love to know how the trail surface changes. Maspeth, the coffee place I found was maybe a 10-minute walk from the station, uphill on the way back but fine. I didn't plan tightly; I just bought round-trip and there were trains around hourly. Check the schedule before, though, because I almost walked into a station wait.