Building a connection on Town owned land from Downing Drive to the Baldwin Road entrance to FDR State Park had been a dream for many years. But attempts failed because of costs associated with constructing a paved path through wetlands. The Town of Yorktown and Yorktown Trail Town Committee received trail grants from the Hudson River Valley Greenway for $7,500 and $12,500 respectively. Both entities had to match the funds. The Yorktown Trailtown Committee was responsible for clearing the route and building the boardwalk and bridges. The Town of Yorktown’s grant covered removing a berm west of Route 118, and distributing item 4 along the 900 feet to the dual bridge.
Spearheaded by first Mark Linehan and then veteran volunteer trail builders Jane and Walt Daniels from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, Trail Town spent the better part of 2 years trying to get permission to move the project forward. Permission to start was finally granted in 2018. Some nearby residents were opposed to the project, but several later became big fans because they could walk to the business district along Downing Drive. The Town required engineered drawings for the bridges and boardwalks. Thanks to Joe Riina, the drawings were done pro bono. The 0.4 mile trailway was finally completed in 2019, built by volunteers and help from the Town of Yorktown’s Highway Department. Additional enhancements were done in 2021.
During the spring of 2018, volunteers from Trail Town and the Trail Conference cut back vegetation to clear the path. They used a 2″x2″x10′ board to measure how wide the path needed to be.