epicrides

On a Wing and a Prayer

The Upper Delaware Scenic Byway( New York Route 97) hugs the eastern shore of the Delaware River for 70 miles, from Port Jervis to Hancock, passing through protected, undeveloped park land. Just a few miles from its southern terminus in Port Jervis is a section known as the Hawk’ s Nest that’ s perched high on a bluff overlooking the river. It’ s an old road by U. S. standards, built as a one-lane dirt road in the 1850s and reinforced and paved during the Great Depression. Slithering between rock cliffs on one side and a stone retaining wall on the other, it’ s one of those scenic roads that demands a rider’ s full attention. We recommend riding it back and forth a couple of times and then stopping at an overlook to admire the view.

Photo by Kevin Wing