New York's 7 Best Coffee Rides: A Motorcyclist's Guide
We’ve been writing about our coffee rides for a while now. In New York State, we’ve published our rides to over 35 coffee shops thus far. Along the way, one thing has been pretty straightforward. The more populated the county, the greater the odds of finding a few good coffee shops. Conversely, the more populated the county is, the more congested the roads are. So there is a tension between good coffee and good roads.
We’ve selected what we feel are the seven best coffee rides we’ve completed thus far in New York State. Based in Westchester County, NY, we have plenty of great coffee shops in our local area. But, with nearly 1 million people in the county, it’s pretty dense, so a great ride is a bit harder to find, at least one of any significant distance. So, we won’t feature any of the wonderful shops in Westchester County, though you can find our reviews on the site. Instead, we’ll focus on some smaller counties where we’ve found that ideal balance of a fantastic ride and some great coffee. We’ll look at those rides in reverse order from the most populated county to the least populated ones.
Orange County
Orange County, NY, is the most populated county in this list, with over 400,000 residents in the most recent census.
Regarding motorcycles, Orange County is best known for the reality TV show American Chopper, which featured Orange County Choppers. The show ran for eight seasons beginning in 2003, and while prone to somewhat unrealistic tensions and contrast like most reality TV. The last 2 seasons focused on Senior vs Junior after Paul Teutul Jr was fired from the Orange County Choppers and began his competing shop. But motorcyclists from all styles, not just choppers, will find some excellent roads throughout the county.
There is a wonderful organization working with local independent coffee shops in the area to promote visiting them called Upstate Coffee Crawl. Both coffee shops featured in Orange County are part of our Upstate Coffee Crawl series.
Valkyrie Coffee Roasters
Our first coffee ride to discuss is our jaunt to Valkyrie Coffee Roasters in Chester, NY. The ride begins at our starting point in northern Westchester County, passing along several reservoirs, heading northwest toward the Clarence Fahnestock State Park before turning southwest to cross the Hudson River at Bear Mountain Bridge.
Once across the Hudson River, we entered Harriman State Park and enjoyed some excellent roads within the park’s boundaries until we reached Route 17, which runs parallel to Interstate 87. From there, we headed northwest to Chester, NY, to find the delightful Valkyrie Coffee Roasters. Located on the village’s main street, the coffee shop has terrific charm and delicious coffee and treats. Our full coffee ride article has more details.
Finding Home Farms
Our route to Finding Home Farms would be longer, so we stayed more direct within Westchester County. We used the Bear Mountain Parkway, which led us to the 6/202 road, which winds past Camp Smith to the cliffs above the Hudson. Crossing the Hudson River via the Bear Mountain Bridge, we enjoyed some excellent roads in Harriman State Park and headed toward Greenwood Lake.
Following Route 17A near Greenwood Lake, we climbed the ridge northwest of the lake to pass through the village of Warwick, NY, continuing toward Pine Island. This area is known for its rich earth and farming and is often called the Black Dirt Region of New York.
Our route led us past many farms throughout the region until we found our destination along a winding gravel driveway just southeast of Interstate 84 at Finding Home Farms.
Finding Home Farms is a working sugar farm with maple trees surrounding the main building and parking area. In keeping with the location’s theme, I grabbed a Sugarhouse Latte and some of their waffles. What a sweet way to end a ride! Our full coffee ride article has more details on Finding Home Farms.
Dutchess County
Dutchess County is just north of Putnam County and runs alongside the Hudson River on its western edge. With nearly 300,000 residents, it is one of the larger counties with outstanding roads.
The major city and neighboring town of Poughkeepsie alone has nearly 80,000 people and is home to Marist, Vassar, and the Culinary Institute of America.
Rhinebeck sits toward the northern part of the county and, with nearly 8000 residents, contributes alongside Poughkeepsie as one of the larger population centers in the county. With the Old Aerodrome nearby and the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, Rhinebeck has a lot of draw for those appreciated classic vehicles of all shapes.
Samuel’s Sweet Shop
It was only fitting that I made the ~70-mile trip to Samuel’s Sweet Shop aboard the much more modern BMW S1000R.
Dutchess County is my favorite county for motorcycle rides in the area. Plenty of farms and charming villages make for incredible scenery and many curves. While major roads like Route 55 can get you to Rhinebeck much faster and aren’t terrible, sometimes going on the other road leads to incredible sights, as it did for this trip. I found a small airport I’d flown into when I got my private pilot’s license, the fantastic Clinton Hollow Road with all the curves the name might suggest, and many more.
The Sweet shop doesn’t have interior seating and is relatively narrow, but there are some colorful chairs out front where you can enjoy coffee and any sweets purchased inside. Check out our coffee ride article for more details on the trip and Samuel’s Sweet Shop.
Putnam County
Putnam County is a thin slice between Westchester and Dutchess County on the eastern side of the Hudson River. With a population of just under 100,000, its diminutive physical size matches its smaller population. Even so, it is blessed with some worthwhile places to explore, including Route 301, one of the most popular motorcycle roads in the area.
Cold Spring Coffeehouse
Our ride to Cold Spring Coffeehouse begins in Cross River aboard a 1972 BMW R75/5 and heads north along several reservoirs until it reaches Carmel, NY, alongside Lake Gleneida. Here, we turn onto Route 301 as it bisects the West Branch Reservoir fed by the West Branch Croton River. It continues roughly northwest to Meads Corners, where it turns southwest, crossing over the Taconic State Parkway and traveling through Fahnestock State Park. As it gets closer to the Hudson, it passes the village of Nelsonville, NY, on the east side of Route 9D, and then crosses into the village of Cold Spring.
Cold Spring has its own Metro-North Railroad station and was the home of the West Point Foundry. The military academy West Point is on the Hudson River’s opposite side. Our destination for this ride is the Cold Spring Coffeehouse on Route 301, named Main Street. The motorcycle clothing and accessory shop Cold Starts Moto is just down the street. The owner, Michael, often features an old bike in the window. He also generously provides coffee and bagels for the Bikes & Breakfast event held on the 3rd Sunday of every month near the train tracks & the old depot building.
Back at the Cold Spring Coffeehouse, an excellent cappuccino served in a ceramic mug warmed me up after riding the more than 50-year-old motorcycle. A Danish helped keep me satiated. See our coffee ride article for more details on the route and the Cold Spring Coffeehouse.
Sullivan County
Sullivan County is northwest of Orange County and borders Pennsylvania along the Delaware River. Although it has a population of just under 80,000 and an area about the same as Orange County, it is far more rural, with most of its population living in a handful of small villages.
Classic rock fans may be familiar with Woodstock, a 1969 music festival. The event was initially planned for the small town of Woodstock, but the residents’ pushback forced the organizers to find an alternate location. Although the Woodstock name stuck, the organizers eventually found another location, and the festival was held on a Sullivan County dairy farm 40 miles southwest of Bethel, NY.
Churchill After Hours
With the growing popularity of my coffee rides, some riding buddies asked if they could join me for this ride to Eldred, NY. Several bikes left from our start in northern Westchester County as we headed west to cross the Hudson River via the Bear Mountain Bridge with me aboard the BMW R18 Classic. Passing through Harriman State Park heading roughly southwest, we passed through the park until we reached Route 17. Then, a bit south to Route 17A, passing the grounds of the annual Renaissance Faire as we climbed over the ridge leading to Greenwood Lake.
Following the lake’s western edge, we headed south, crossing the border into New Jersey. We then headed west on the Warwick Turnpike, passing Upper Greenwood Lake as we climbed in elevation and crossed back into New York State. Our return to New York was short-lived, as we crossed back into New Jersey again, finding some fantastic curvy roads to expand the fun.
Our return to NY would be our last time crossing the state borders. We met up with Route 6 leading into Port Jervis as it parallels Interstate 84. Port Jervis represents the Tri-Point, where the Neversink River joins the Delaware River and shares a border with New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Route 97 offers breathtaking views and incredible curves, and we enjoyed each one till we broke off to head away from the river to our destination in Eldred, NY. Churchill After Hours shares the building with Churchill Classic Cars; several were visible throughout the shop. My favorite was the old BMW R75/5 with a toaster tank, just like the one I rode to Cold Spring Coffeehouse in Putnam County. See our coffee ride article for more details about Churchill After Hours.
Main Street Market Cafe
This ride ended up being another group ride, with several riding buddies joining us as we headed west to Livingstone Manor, NY. After enjoying the local favorite 301 before crossing the Hudson River, we added Snake Hill Road to slither back to Route 9D and the Bear Mountain Bridge.
In Harriman State Park, we enjoyed my favorite road, Arden Valley Road. We used the Orange Turnpike to reach Monroe, New York but then had to make way for Route 17M, a busy roadway. We diverted and passed through the lovely village of Goshen, New York, home of Diplomat Cafe, before finding tremendous scenic roads leading us toward Wurtsboro, New York, and climbing a small ridge.
Our route paralleled Route 17, the major highway leading to upstate NY. We passed many small towns before pulling into Livingstone Manor and finding parking right in front of the Main Street Market Cafe. We weren’t the only motorcyclists to pick this charming village as our destination, as we saw a few other bikes parked out front. But with 132 miles recorded by Rever, we enjoyed every curve there.
The cafe offers fantastic coffee and food; if you arrive mid-day, you should try some lunch options. Read our coffee ride article on Main Street Market Cafe for more details.
Columbia County
Henry Hudson, the first European to explore what would become Columbia County, ventured up a river running roughly north/south during his trip for the Dutch. His impact on the area is maintained. Columbia County is one of the eastern counties straddles the Hudson River, which he’d explored centuries earlier to its west. It also contains the charming village of Hudson, NY, now the county seat.
Moto Coffee Machine
It’s only fitting that we end with a coffee shop that directly combines the love of motorcycles and coffee. While Columbia County has the smallest population in this article, this shop is perhaps the must-visit coffee shop on the list for motorcyclists.
Our route takes us through Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, and eventually Columbia County in a roughly northerly direction, passing through much of the area’s typical farmland. With a total distance of about 90 miles, it was an enjoyable cruise, perfect for the BMW R18. While Hudson is the largest town and county seat, much of Columbia County is rural and has about 60,000 people.
Pulling into Hudson, NY, we find Moto Coffee Machine in the downtown and find parking right out front. The coffee shop is very popular amongst locals walking in, as Hudson is a very walkable downtown. But, true to its name, there are many motorcycles on display throughout the shop and a small shop in the back to buy some motorcycle gear.
But, it’s not just an appeal for motorheads, who regularly park their bikes in front. The coffee is outstanding and well worth the trip. See our coffee ride article for more details on why you should visit Moto Coffee Machine.
