At Yonkers Avenue, there is the first major diversion. The OCA runs almost due north-south for its entire length except here, where it heads almost due east for a bit over a mile, a stretch that is not conducive to running. From the perspective of the OCA South, then, it runs west along Yonkers Avenue and ends up to the west of Broadway, at which point it runs to the east of Warburton Avenue. At this point, while there are numerous palces to pick it up between Warburton and Rte 9, given ease of driving, from the southern part of the County the best place may be Hastings-on-Hudson, which is how I describe it. But for non-drivers, picking this stretch up further south is easy, as I describe here.
A good place to pick up the Central Portion is in Hastings-on-Hudson, which is at about the half-way point of the Central Portion. It is easy to get to by car. (You can also get there via Metro-North’s Hudson Line.) On the Saw Mill River Parkway, get off at Farragut Parkway. From the South, this is a left exit at which you must wait for a traffic light. From the North, turn right. (There may be a more direct way from the North, including via Broadway.) Go up the hill and to the first stop sign, in front of a school (on your right). Take the left (Olinda Ave.), which connects to Broadway (Rte 9). Take a left on Broadway, and then the first right. This is Washington Avenue, and try to park there. I’ve never had a problem. The OCA cuts right across this street.
To the South of Washington Avenue is Aqueduct Lane. Head that way and bear left into the small parking lot. It opens out onto the trail. There’s not much to be said about it. It is in good shape, the views to the west (to the Pallisades) are great, and there are relatively few bad spots even after heavy rains. (Disclaimer: I've only run there twice, but once was a few days after heavy rains and the other was during heavy rain.) There don’t appear to be that many people on this stretch; mostly people with dogs. It’s about 3 miles to the bottom (which is where the trail runs into a street and there is no sign of its continuation.) You cross maybe 5 streets, but they seem lightly-traveled. You are paralleling Warburton Avenue, although you are above it. There are some interesting things to your left periodically. But for the most part it’s a nice stretch.
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To the North of Washington Avenue you will find the aqueduct trail itself. It’s at the top of the hill that takes you into Hastings itself. This is more problematic than heading south largely because of the more frequent and busier road crossings. As you head towards Tarrytown, you cross and re-cross Broadway. You cross a number of other roads so care is required. Also, this stretch seems more popular with strollers than the southern one so be aware of the clueless.
With those caveats, this too is straight-forward. It goes up to Broadway just at Lyndhurst. You actually run across the front-lawn of the estate and then down a path that leads to Broadway and the end of this segment.
Picking up the trail to the north requires some manuevering up Broadway, past I-287, and up to Sleepy Hollow. I count this as a break in the trail, and pick it up at Sleepy Hollow High School, the southern tip of the Northern section.
This trail is accessible by train, using Metro-North’s Hudson Line. Here are Metro-North Map (Hudson line in Green) and Metro-North Schedule The Central Portion extends from about Glenwood (which is in Yonkers) to just above Irvington. For most of the communities, there’s a climb from the station away from the River. From Glenwood, which is 23 minutes from 125th Street and 33 from Grand Central Terminal (leaving GCT on weekends every hour at 20 minutes after the hour, e.g., 9:20), go up Glenwood Avenue, and you hit the trail just after you cross Warburton, at the Star on this Map. For the other stops you just head east and you get to the trail before you get to Route 9/Broadway. Going to Tarrytown is too far north for the Central Portion, although you can use if for the Northern stretch.
Also, you can ride bikes on the OCA. This is a straight, somewhat boring ride (and flat), but on off-peak hours (and all week-end, you can bring bikes on Metro-North trains, although you should have a pass. The OCA North, however, is not nearly so flat; you cannot ride in the Rockefeller Park. But you should avoid riding if it is muddy.