The Bronx River Pathway Rebuild Starts at Valhalla's End of the Path

The Bronx River Pathway rebuild starts at Valhalla's doorstep. The paved stretch that just closed is here, and so is Kensico Dam Plaza, where the county's Phase 1 begins. The closure that started Monday, Oct. 12, sits inside a phased reconstruction that starts at the dam and works south toward Greenacres Avenue. Communities farther down the path will get their turn later. Valhalla gets it now.

That ordering explains why the detour question is harder here than it looks. The northern section was a paved path for bikes, a short walk from a lit plaza, and a quiet stretch along the river. You can replace each of those this fall, but each one lives somewhere different.

What closed, and what the county has said

Westchester County Parks posted the notice on its trailways page on Oct. 9, 2026:

"Bronx River Pathway Restoration Project Update: The section between Parkway Homes Rd. and Cemetery Rd. will be closed starting Monday, Oct. 12."

The alert gives no reopening date and no posted detour. The county describes the pathway as a continuous paved route of 11.2 miles from Palmer Road in Bronxville to Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla, with a separate one-mile loop in Mount Vernon. The closed section is at the northern tip, the last stretch before the path reaches the dam.

Why Valhalla goes first

The project's scope is in Westchester County's 2026 proposed capital budget. The plan calls for rebuilding about 10 miles of asphalt path from Kensico Dam Plaza to Greenacres Avenue and from Crane Road to Scout Field, plus just over a mile of stone-dust path. It also covers footbridge work, crosswalks, fencing and guardrails, culverts, swales, stone masonry, signs, benches and landscaping.

The budget lists a gross estimated ultimate cost of $21.63 million. Of that, $9.43 million was appropriated in earlier years, and $1.7 million in bonds is requested for 2026 to cover additional Phase 1 construction. The appropriation history marks the 2022 design funding complete, the 2024 Phase 1 construction funding in construction, and the 2025 Phase 2 design funding still in design.

The county's capital projects in parks page defines Phase 1 as the improvements from Kensico Dam Plaza south to Green Acres Avenue. That page still labels the phase "Design underway," while the budget document describes Phase 1 as in construction. The two county sources disagree on wording. Either way, the closed section between Parkway Homes Road and Cemetery Road falls inside the stretch the county has defined as Phase 1.

Put plainly, a Valhalla resident is looking at the start of the rebuild. Whatever new pavement, drainage and footbridges the project delivers, the northern end is where the work begins.

Matching the substitute to the habit

A single detour can't cover every use of the closed section, so it helps to split those uses apart. Here is how the nearby options line up, based on each place's posted rules:

For the bikes: the North County Trailway

The closure hits cyclists hardest, because the other walking options nearby either ban bikes or are too small for a real ride. The county's countywide trailway, officially the Andrew P. O'Rourke Westchester County Trailway, is the paved alternative. It runs 36.2 miles from Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx north to the Putnam County border and bars motorized vehicles and e-bikes, the same rule as the Bronx River Pathway.

The access point closest to Valhalla on the county's north section parking list is the Eastview Park and Ride lot in Mount Pleasant, at the Eastview exit off Route 100C. The county also lists dawn-to-dusk portable restrooms at the Eastview lot, along with Farragut Avenue, Great Hunger Memorial, Route 118 and Graham Hills. The Bronx River Pathway's only restrooms are at its Information Center, and only on Bicycle Sundays, so that is a small gain.

For the evening loop: Kensico Dam Plaza

The plaza sits at the pathway's northern endpoint and is still open. The county describes it as a park for walking and nature study, with multiple pathways and viewpoints, a fitness course and permanent lighting. No county park pass is required, dogs must be leashed, and e-bikes and scooters are prohibited. Those rules make it a walking space, not a cycling one.

Timing matters here. The county's posted hours run 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. from May through October. In November the plaza closes at 8 p.m. If your after-dinner walk usually starts around 8:30, you have about ten days of it left before the earlier closing begins. The surrounding Bronx River Reservation keeps its year-round hours of 8 a.m. to dusk.

Ownership is the other wrinkle. The county notes that the dam is still New York City Department of Environmental Protection property. The NYC DEP requires an Access Permit on city-owned land posted "Entry by Permit" and on city-owned recreational land right next to its reservoirs. Its recreation map shows how any given parcel is designated. The open plaza and the reservoir's edge follow different rules, and the map is the place to check before you wander toward the water.

For the quiet walk: Cranberry Lake Preserve

For anyone who used the closed section for the river, the trees and the quiet, Cranberry Lake Preserve at 1609 Old Orchard Street in North White Plains is the closest match. It is a 190-acre county park with a mix of habitats, and its History Trail passes a farmhouse remnant and a former stone-mining site. Trails are open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk year-round. The Nature Center and front gate are open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and interpretive programs run on weekends during the school year.

Two rules set it apart from the pathway. Bicycles are prohibited on all trails, and visitors are asked to stay on the designated hiking trails. It works well for walkers and not at all for cyclists. That is why the closure splits people up by what they came to do.

This Sunday: a different route through Valhalla

For one morning, part of the answer runs through Kensico Cemetery's grounds. The Friends of Kensico Cemetery 5K Run/Walk is Sunday, Oct. 25, at 273 Lakeview Avenue. Proceeds benefit the Friends of Kensico Cemetery and the Westchester Fund for Historic & Cultural Preservation. Here is what to know from Kensico Cemetery's event page:

1. Check-in opens at 8:30 a.m. and the race starts at 9:15 a.m.
2. The 5K starts above Mineola Lake, crosses the road, follows Uncas Avenue and Highland Drive, then loops back past the lake.
3. Walkers can take a 1.7-mile route instead.
4. Registration is $50, or $15 for children 12 and under. Same-day rates rise to $55 and $20.

As of the event page's Oct. 13 update, registration was open. It replaces the pathway for one morning only, but it is one of the few organized walks in Valhalla on the calendar this month.

November brings a different crowd to the plaza

The plaza's calendar fills up soon. Westchester County's Winter Wonderland Drive-Thru Holiday Light Extravaganza is returning to Kensico Dam Plaza, and The Journal News reported on lohud that tickets would go on sale Thursday, Oct. 15. County Parks lists the event for November and December. The event's website lists hours of 4:30 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. and prices of $35 to $47 per car. It sells tickets through Fever, mentions that the on-site box office may have tickets, and recommends buying ahead because tickets can sell out. The ticket announcement did not name a 2026 opening night.

The sequence for Valhalla is simple. The northern pathway is closed now. The plaza's evening hours shorten in November. The same plaza then becomes a drive-through light show for the holiday season. The walking routes around the dam will change several times before the rebuilt path reopens. For a similar stretch elsewhere in the county, see our recent piece on the Blue Mountain Reservation bridge closure.

The county hasn't given a reopening date. The most reliable updates are on County Parks' trailways alert page, where the Oct. 9 notice was posted.

At The Danielle Reese Team, we keep track of projects like this one across Valhalla and Mount Pleasant. If you're wondering how the pathway project may affect your corner of Mount Pleasant over the coming seasons, let's start a conversation.