Bicycle Sundays wrapped its 2026 season on October 4, and the Bronx River Parkway went back to cars. For anyone who spent spring and September riding it, the question is where to ride in Westchester until the program returns. The answer is a set of paved trails the county maintains year-round, plus one historic dirt path, that together run from the Bronx line to the Putnam border. Adults 21+ who pair a ride with a stop at a licensed shop have options along the way too, with one firm rule about the order of operations.
What Bicycle Sundays was, and when it returns
Since 1974, Westchester County has closed a 6.5-mile stretch of the Bronx River Parkway between Scarsdale Road in Yonkers and the Westchester County Center in White Plains to cars on selected Sundays, a 13-mile round trip for riders, skaters, walkers and joggers. The Westchester Parks Foundation, which has funded the program since 2012, counts about 60,000 participants a year. The 2026 dates ran from May 3 through October 4, with mornings in June and July and late-morning hours in spring and fall.
The program dates to 1974 and has been a spring fixture for decades, but the 2027 dates are not published yet. Watch the events calendar and the county parks site for the announcement.
Bronx River Pathway: the same corridor, every day
The closest substitute is the parkway's own trail. The Bronx River Pathway is now a continuous paved path from Palmer Road in Bronxville north to Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla, 11.2 miles in all, running beside the river through the same reservation Bicycle Sundays uses. There is a separate one-mile loop near Oak Street in Mount Vernon.
It is narrower and busier than the closed parkway, with walkers, strollers and dogs, so it rewards an early start and an unhurried pace. Kensico Dam Plaza at the north end is the natural turnaround: a big open plaza at the foot of the dam.
South County and North County Trailways
For distance, the county's rail trails are the serious option. Both follow the old Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad and are paved end to end.
- South County Trailway: 14.1 miles from Van Cortlandt Park at the Bronx line north to Eastview.
- North County Trailway: 22.1 miles from Eastview in Mount Pleasant to Baldwin Place in Somers at the Putnam border, crossing the New Croton Reservoir on the way.
At the Putnam line the path continues as the Putnam County Trailway for another 11.85 miles, and the whole chain forms part of the Empire State Trail. A one-way ride from the Bronx to Putnam is a full day; an out-and-back on North County from Eastview, with the reservoir crossing as the turnaround, is the classic fall half-day. In Yorktown the trail passes Railroad Park, with parking off Route 118 and along Underhill Avenue near Town Hall, a useful midpoint start for a shorter ride in either direction.
Old Croton Aqueduct: the dirt option
The Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park covers 26.2 miles of the original 41-mile aqueduct, from Van Cortlandt Park at the Yonkers border to the Croton Dam in Cortlandt. The trail runs over the buried aqueduct on an unpaved, largely grassy surface, through the river villages of Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown and Ossining. Biking is permitted on parts of the trail but not during mud season, so it is a dry-weather ride on wider tires. The park is open sunrise to sunset year-round and has no parking lots of its own; street parking in the villages is the norm.
Cold-season riding
November in Westchester means shorter days and leaves on the pavement. The paved trailways drain fast and are the safer bet after rain. Lights front and rear are worth carrying after mid-afternoon, and a ride planned to finish an hour before sunset leaves room for a flat.
The shop stop
Several licensed dispensaries sit near trail access points: in Hastings-on-Hudson on Main Street near the Aqueduct, in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow on the river side, in Ossining, and in White Plains near the Bronx River corridor. Current options are on the dispensary map. Verify licensed status via the OCM QR code at cannabis.ny.gov.
The order of operations matters. The shop goes at the end of the ride, and purchases stay sealed in the bag. New York state law prohibits cannabis consumption on state-owned land and in public spaces, which covers the Old Croton Aqueduct, a State Historic Park, and state guidance adds most public and state parks to the off-limits list. Cannabis cannot be consumed in a motor vehicle, even parked, and driving impaired is illegal, which matters for anyone with a bike rack and a drive home.
FAQ
When does Bicycle Sundays return in 2027?
The 2027 schedule has not been announced. The program dates to 1974, and the 2026 season ran from May 3 to October 4.
Where can you ride a bike in Westchester when Bicycle Sundays is over?
The Bronx River Pathway (11.2 paved miles, Bronxville to Kensico Dam Plaza), the South County Trailway (14.1 miles) and the North County Trailway (22.1 miles) are paved and open year-round.
How long is the Bicycle Sundays route?
The closed stretch of the Bronx River Parkway runs 6.5 miles from Scarsdale Road in Yonkers to the Westchester County Center in White Plains, 13 miles round trip.
Can you bike the Old Croton Aqueduct trail?
Yes, on parts of the trail, but not during mud season. The surface is unpaved and largely grassy, so wider tires are the better choice.
