What does the plan for your summer look like? Does it involve getting outside? Maybe getting some exercise? If you are over the age of 21, does it also involve a few locally sourced and brewed beers? 

The Empire State Trail (EST) is pretty awesome. Yes, we have the Rail Trail here in the Hudson Valley, but this is even bigger. For the most part it is pretty flat, or at least even and it is paved. So you can go walking, running or biking with friends, family or yourself. The EST is roughly 750 miles long.

According to their website:

The Trail welcomes bicyclists and walkers of all ages and abilities to experience the Empire State’s urban centers, village main streets, rural communities, and diverse history, from New York City through the Hudson River Valley, west to Buffalo along the Erie Canal, and north to the Champlain Valley and Adirondacks.

That is pretty cool, right? What makes it even better? Thank you for asking. Someone had the genius to create a Beer Trail that goes along with the EST! Things just got real for the summer.

What the Empire State Trail has done is team up with the New York State Brewers Association to make an app that shows you where the New York Craft Breweries are that are within 10 miles of the trails. So, what better way to work off a beer than to ride your bike along the trail, take the route on the app to get to the brewery. Use the app to check-in and keep track of the awesome new beers you got to try and then also get stamps for your New York State Beer Passport.

Mind officially blown. This adds a whole new motivation to getting outdoors this summer, and I know, because I am on the bicycle, that I will only be able to have one beer before I need to get back on my bike to get back on the trail.

Yes, I will be taking full advantage of this during the post-Covid summer of 2021.

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