End2End
The annual Hyde Park Trail End2End is a supported, 9-mile end-to-end walk/hike/fun-run on the trunkline Hyde Park Trail, from FDR’s Top Cottage to the Vanderbilt Mansion. It takes place annually on National Trails Day, which is the first Saturday in June.
The first section of the Hyde Park Trail was opened on the very first National Trails Day, in June 1991, and it was celebrated with a public hike. The End2End was started in 2011 to celebrate the trail’s 20th birthday – again on National Trails Day. The trail had grown in those 20 years, from the original 3.5 miles to just over 9, so we decided to celebrate again by hiking the entire route, and inviting the public to join in. We have done that every year since – hosting a shuttle-supported hike (or run) of the 9-mile trail route between Top Cottage and Vanderbilt, every June.
End 2 End
The annual Hyde Park Trail End2End is a 9 (or 10) mile walk/hike/fun-run, end-to-end on the trunkline Hyde Park Trail, from FDR’s Top Cottage to the Vanderbilt Mansion.
The End2End was started in 2011 to celebrate the trail’s 20th birthday. It took place annually on National Trails Day, the first Saturday in June.
The first section of the Hyde Park Trail was opened in June 1991, on the very first National Trails Day, and it was celebrated with a public hike. The trail grew over the next 20 years, from the original 3.5 miles to just over 9, so we decided to mark its 20th by again hiking the entire route, and inviting the public to join in. We parked and convened at Vanderbilt, and took a shuttle bus to Top Cottage. Participants hiked (or ran) the 9-mile trail route, returning to their cars at Vanderbilt. It was so popular that we repeated the event each year from 2011 to 2019.
THE End2End DURING COVID AND BEYOND:
The shuttle-supported End2End event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID. And NPS no longer has the shuttle buses that we depended upon to deliver us to the starting point.
The good news is that you can do the End2End on your own, at any time during the year, with some advance planning. Here are some options:
1. Hike it all at once: The simplest way is to start from the parking lot at the Eleanor Roosevelt Site (Val-Kill), and drop a second car at the endpoint of your hike beforehand. There is no public parking at Top Cottage. (To cover the entire trail in a day, you will need to start by hiking from Val-Kill up to Top Cottage, which adds 1.2mi to your hike, for a total of just over 10 miles. Scout troops have done something like this to qualify for their 10-mile Scout patch.)
2. Hike it in sections: Another way is to do the route in two or more “out-and-back” hikes on different days, each from a single trailhead/parking lot. Parking is available at 6 trailheads along the route.
3. Plan ahead: Use the downloadable route map and itinerary below to help with your plans.
PLEASE STAY SAFE and help others to stay safe, too. Plan to be self-sufficient. Check ahead to see if facilities such as restrooms are open along the trail. Please observe any current guidelines for social distancing and masking, and please be courteous on the trails.
The End 2 End and the Walkabout: Completing the End2End will also complete 4 of the trails needed to earn your free Hyde Park Healthy Trails Walkabout Patch.