Ride the Rails!
/We went back up to the Northern Catskills! And we Rode the Rails!
You can read all about our longer and colder visit to this pretty area of Upstate NY in late December 2019 - what feels like a lifetime ago - HERE. We came back up because this Mama wanted to experience Rail Explorers USA.
After eyeing videos and photos of Rail Explorers online for years, I finally got us tickets to Ride the Rails in Phoenicia, NY to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Rail Explorers Catskills takes its guests on a serene but exciting 8 mile ride on no longer used train tracks via 2 or 4 person rail bikes.
Rail Explorers is meant for all ages and abilities. The peddling is easy and the terrain is mostly flat. There’s no steering required and only one adult over age 16 in your group needs to handle the breaks (and there’s very little even to do there).
Rides happen at set times and in groups of around 15 rail bikes plus about 4 staff members who guide and assist the group. You’re completely cared for and safe during your ride. Staff at Rail Explorers is uniformly excellent.
All that said, your family rides in its own rail bike - either a tandem or quad depending on the size of your group - and the staff keeps distance between each bike so no one ends up playing bumper cars. So most of the ride is relaxingly spent alone with just your own family and the scenery. There is real magic in peacefully riding the rails and viewing the natural surroundings with just your crew.
Rail Explorers has 4 locations across the US - Phoenicia and Cooperstown NY, Rhode Island and Las Vegas (open year round).
Our ride in Phoenicia cost $195 for our four riders. The entire trip with riding, prep etc takes about 2.5 hours. Rides DEFINITELY sell out and it’s a short season so book early. We had wonderful weather - it was about 61 and sunny for our ride - but the rides will go out in light rain. If you are traveling in a group larger than 4, I believe Rail Explorers will connect 2 rail cars together to accommodate your crew.
A super special and memorable Mother’s Day on the Rails!
PS Rail Explorers meets just minutes from the well known Phoenician Diner so it’s perfect for a meal before or after your ride!
