Tech Valley News
Shawangunk Mountain Scenic Byway Created
Eighty-two miles of roadway in Ulster and Orange Counties has officially been dubbed the “Shawangunk Mountain Scenic Byway.”
The corridor runs from New Paltz in the east to Ellenville in the west and stretches from Rosendale in the north down to Wallkill in the south. It passes through communities such as Crawford, Gardiner, Marbletown, Montgomery, Rochester, Shawangunk and Wawarsing.
The Byway includes parts of US Routes 44 and 209; New York State Routes 52, 55, 208, 213, 299 and 302; Ulster County Routes 1, 7, 9 and 18; and Orange County Route 14. These routes will be added to New York State Scenic Byways System.
“The views along the Shawangunk Ridge and of the Ridge are amazing. We have all this natural beauty in our backyard. Encouraging others to come visit our area is good for tourism and I know the Scenic Byway can play a role in that,” State Senator John Bonacic said. “The regional effort in the Gunks to market this area is truly impressive.”
Local governments in the Shawangunk region have banded together to highlight the region’s farms, museums, recreation areas, historic sites and tourism.
Mohonk Preserve Executive Director Glenn Hoagland told The Poughkeepsie Journal that byway will allow for better promotion of the region to tourists by showing visitors all that is available in the area.
“The people that live here know what we have, but now we're going to show the rest of the world. They're going to know why we choose to live here,” New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce President Joyce Minard told The Poughkeepsie Journal.
Federal and state funding has been made available to promote the corridor, maintain the roads and preserve open space.
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