Westchester’s many trailway fans know how easy it is to get from “point A” to “point B” – as long as those points are on the north/south axis. Getting across the county has never been as easy.

Until now, that is -- and just in time for those who want to check out the beautiful fall foliage.   

Last Wednesday, under a canopy of trees just beginning to show signs of the approaching autumn splendor, County Executive Robert P. Astorino helped to welcome hikers to the new Teatown-Kitchawan Trail (TKT), a rugged, 6.5-mile trail that begins at the county’s Kitchawan Preserve in the Town of Yorktown in the east and ends at Teatown Lake Reservation to the west.

Along its path the trail also links up with the county’s John E. Hand Bald Mountain and Croton Gorge parks and the North County Trailway and Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway, as well as the New York State-owned Old Croton Aqueduct State Park, past reservoirs and acres of woodlands owned by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

It was one of two trails that were the focus of attention recently. On Friday, Astorino joined with other officials to break ground on the last major piece of the South County Trailway., which connects to the North County Trailway in what will be a 36-mile continuous trailway from the Bronx to the Putnam line. 

The new Teatown-Kitchawan Trail is just one many places in Westchester to view the colors of fall.
 And the new trailways are just one of many places in Westchester to view the colors of fall. 

Others include the county’s beautiful nature preserves like Cranberry Lake in North White Plains, Lenoir Preserve on the shores of the Hudson River in Yonkers and Marshlands Conservancy on Long Island Sound, in Rye. The paths and views at Mountain Lakes Park in North Salem are especially beautiful in autumn, while fans of the 4,400-acre Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River might argue that “their” park is unrivalled for foliage. See some the best of the season’s palette at the 2.3-mile trail system at the Merestead Estate in Mount Kisco, and Lasdon Park and Arboretum in Somers. At Muscoot Farm, also in Somers, after visiting with the animals take a stroll beyond the barnyard and into that park’s scenic trails.

At the Teatown event, Astorino thanked the many partners who made this trail possible, including Teatown’s Executive Director Fred Koontz, officials from the New York State Department of Environmental Protection and volunteers from the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference. He also thanked  Geoffrey Thompson, past chairman of Teatown’s board of directors, who saw this 13-year project through from inception to reality.

“Turning the vision for this trail into reality in this case is a great example of what public-private partnerships can do to enrich the lives of residents, and do it cost-effectively,” Astorino said.

The trail, which is marked or “blazed” with distinctive purple signs, begins at the North County Trailway near Route 134 and makes its way west across Kitchawan near Route 134 in the southeast corner of Yorktown. When it reaches Arcady Road it crosses onto DEP land and makes its way through the woods and meadows of Stayback Hill. The trail then follows Croton Lake Road, a lightly-traveled and largely dirt-surface road in order to pass under the north and south lanes of the Taconic State Parkway that are widely separated at that point. Once under the parkway the trail returns to DEP lands and climbs Bald Mountain passing through beautiful forest and isolated old meadows affording stunning views of the Croton Reservoir, a wide area of northern Westchester and the distant Hudson Highlands.

On the southwest side of John E. Hand Bald Mountain Park, the TKT intersects with the Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway, which can be followed south to Teatown or west to Croton Gorge and the New York State-owned Old Croton Aqueduct trail.