OCA and Putnam Trail

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Distance: 6.9 miles.
Type: Loop.
Surface: Mostly smooth, with some rocky sections after entering the Bronx. The Putnam Trail section is now paved in Westchester but not in the Bronx. Also, Jim Heineman reports that while the stairs connecting these two trails is closed, "it's a VERY manageable scramble up the hill alongside the stairs, and there's a pretty well-worn path there by now to prove that people are using it."
Hilliness: One down, one up, the latter on that staircase.

Columbia Women on the OCA South.

Other: In the shade; much cooler than nearby roads on really hot days.
Other: Water is available in Tibbetts Brook Park. There’s a fountain to the right just after you hit the park road, just about in the center of this. There is also one near the tennis courts. You can also get water in the club-house of the golf course at the southern end of the course.

Tibbetts Map

Some History

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Via 1 or 4 Trains

After trying this a few times and getting lost because of some trickiness on the lower end – including an unexpected trip on the Van Cortlandt golf course and crawl through a fence with a friend – I found the key to a loop involving the Southern Portion of the OCA with the Putnam Trail. This is the course that the Van Cortlandt Track Club takes on Saturday mornings, although they start from the southern end. Also, there are water fountains off the path at Tibbetts.

The Putnam Trail

The Putnam Trail (pictured at the left on Feb. 18 just north of the Van Cortlandt Lake) is a remnant of what was ultimately the Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad, and its chronology deserves its own page, which it has.

If you look at this Audubon Society map, the entrance is where “Exit Ramp” meets Midland Avenue. The OCA is the dashed brown line. The path into Tibbetts is the dotted black line.

From Westchester, I park on Yonkers Avenue in front of the Dodge dealer. The meters are $.25/20 minutes, but if you hit the button before putting your money in, you get an extra 10 minutes. NOTE: Yonkers enforces meters until 7:00pm. I’ve never had problems parking there.

Walk down the hill to the traffic light right before the bridge. If you are standing looking at the bridge, the entrance is across Midland and to your left, just to the left of the exit ramp from the Cross-County. There is a paved path with a sign directing you to Tibbets. Follow that path down the hill. (For the OCA: Southern Portion, you take the left into the clearing about 20 yards in.)

The Putnam Trail cuts through Van Cortlandt, and is ultimately just to the east of the Henry Hudson/Saw Mill River Parkway. It continues up into Westchester, and is now paved and part of the South County Trailway [this is a PDF link from the “Bronx River Pathway” link] (although it is not included on the map).

The path becomes quite nice when it reaches Tibbetts Brook. There is a wire fence that separates the trail from the Park. For purposes of the loop-run, you enter from Midland Avenue as you would for the OCA: Southern Portion. Instead of turning left into the clearing, however, stay on the paved path and go down the hill. It takes you to a road at Tibbetts Brook. Here’s a map of Tibbetts. On the map, it’s a counter-clockwise loop starting at the end of the dashed-line in the upper right-hand corner. As you start heading south there’s a marked right-hand turn, which takes you to the South County Trailway. It is now paved in Westchester, wide and smooth albeit noisy because of the Saw Mill River Parkway. It is not paved when you cross into the Bronx, and that is a very nice, flat trail that takes you to the east of Van Cortlandt. I make it just 3 miles from that point to the bottom of Van Cortlandt Lake.

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This leads to the entrance to the golf course. Cross the road, and hook up with a marked NYC Greenway trail, this for Mosholu/Pelham Parkway. The path has a white-line down its middle, as shown in the picture. (The path for golf-carts will be to your left.) Follow it. There is a small clubhouse to your left with bathrooms. Instead of crossing the strret, you can run by the lake, which takes you past the club-house and up to the First Tee. Right past the First Tee (on your left) and after you go under a bridge, the Greenway path does a hairpin turn to your right. Don’t take it. (I made that mistake.) Instead, you will see an old, wide stone staircase right in front of you. It is closed, but "it's a VERY manageable scramble up the hill alongside the stairs, and there's a pretty well-worn path there by now to prove that people are using it." It takes you to the Major Deegan Expressway. Just follow the still paved path away from the Deegan and up into the woods. You will see an unpaved trail to your left; take it. This is the end of the OCA: Southern Portion. Then just take it straight-north until you reach the end.

The Westchester Border.

The only other tricky stretch is towards the end. You go under a bridge (which is the entrance to the Tibbetts parking lot) when the trail is paved. Keep going straight back onto the trail when the paved-path starts down the hill into Tibbetts. This takes you up to where you came in or, if you started from the south, takes you to where you make the left down the hill into Tibbetts, which you’ll recognize when you hit a paved path just to the left of a faded-yellow building.

If you miss that turn, you’ll eventually be forced back to the OCA (which will be to your left), so just go with the flow.

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Via NYC Transit

Via the 1

As noted above, because the stairs are closed, the following is currently inapplicable. This trail can also be picked up from the south, in this case starting with the OCA and finishing on the Putnam Trail. To get the stairs just mentioned from the Van Cortlandt flats, and from the 1 train (last stop) (Map), you enter the flats and run across the southern end, with the fields (or pitches) to the left, and several buildings to the right. As you approach the end of the fields, there is trail to your right. Follow it and to your left you will see a trail that goes directly down (not a steep hill) towards a road. This road is the entrance to the golf course. Cross it, and go to the left, with a wall to your right. The paved path is marked in green. Follow it under a bridge – the first tee is to your left – and before you would otherwise take a share hair-pin turn to the right, continue straight, and you will find the stairs I mention.

This stretch is narrow and after you pass a Weir (which is a stone building used to control the level of the water) it becomes rocky, so care is required. This narrowness and rockiness will end, however, when you hit the Westchester border, which is marked when you pass through a low wooden fence. Shortly after that, you cross a street, so use care, and then shortly after that you cross McLean Avenue, which is a busier street requiring particular care. But those are the last streets you cross on this run. The trail is wide with good footing the rest of the way.

Turn to the left right as you reach this building.

You hit a paved stretch that narrows and goes under a bridge over which cars entering the entrance to Westchester’s Tibbetts Brook Park drive. After that, the paved path goes to the left and down a hill, but you should veer to the right to stay on the OCA. You will see the second of two ventilation towers and ultimately a stone building. At that building, the OCA segment ends. (The OCA trail disappears for about a mile as it heads to the west, to be picked up again further up in Yonkers.)

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Via the 4

You can also get to the trail via the 4 train to Woodlawn. You continue along Jerome Avenue, with Woodlawn Cemetary on your right. Map. Stay to the southern side on the bridge. There is an opening to your left; in the picture it’s to the right of the tree with the trail going between the two metal posts with the red marks. Follow it down a slight hill with a narrow path. You will hit a trail at the bottom, and turn right. Follow it, bearing left at a fork. (If you take the right, it takes you back towards the Deegan, and if you go that way, turn around, and take the right-turns when you have the option.) There is a rocky downhill stretch, which hits the OCA at a “T.” Turn right, and it takes you up into Yonkers.

The other way to the trail is to turn right at the traffic light that has traffic coming off the north-bound Deegan. MAP This is 233rd Street. Take the first left, which is Van Cortlandt Park East. You want to be on the left side, along the park. Right before the hand-ball courts, there is a path (at Oneida Avenue). Follow it in. You’ll hit an internal park road and turn left and then the path begins almost immediately, although you have to go around a barrier. Technically, at this point you are on the John Muir Trail and this link gets you to a really cool Parks Dep’t Map with an interactive map. You follow this until you go under the Deegan. Keep on this trail, taking right when you hit forks, and it takes you down to the OCA, as just described.

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On the way back, the simplest thing is to keep your eye out for the path to your right after you pass the Wier. If you miss it and hit the fence into Westchester, simply double back.

Last edited on ... September 15, 2008