Join Parks & Trails New York and partners from state and local government, trails planners, trail advocates, and anyone interested in the future of New York's greenway trails network at the Creating Connections: The 2025 Empire State Greenways Conference. The conference will be held from October 15 to 17 in historic Kingston, New York.
Event Details
- Best Western Plus Kingston Hotel and Conference Center, 503 Washington Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401. Information about reserving a room at the Best Western Kingston will be available soon.
- Wednesday, October 15, 2025 - Friday, October 17, 2025
- Pricing information and registration will be available in March 2025.
Stay up to date! Fill out the interest form below to make sure you don't miss important updates.
Call for Presentations
Submit a proposal to be a presenter at the conference! Before submitting, you can review the Call for Presentations Overview for guidelines and materials required for submission. To submit a proposal however, be sure to fill out the online form here.
Types of Presentations
Presentations may be formal presentations with A/V, or may include more interactive, participatory elements. We encourage you to get creative! Individual and group proposals will be considered.
Themes/Key Areas of Focus
- Accessibility and Equity on New York’s Greenway Trails
- Trail Towns, Trail Tourism and Trail-oriented Development
- Using Trail Networks to Support Physical, Mental and Social Health
- Trail Maintenance & Management
- Trail Planning, Community Engagement, and Trail Development
- Advocating for Trails and Securing Funding
Dates and Deadlines
Call for Proposals Opens: February 1, 2025
Call for Proposals Deadline: March 31, 2025
Conference Session Invitations: May 1, 2025
Final Conference Schedule Released: June 2025
Conference Dates: October 15-17, 2025
Sponsorships and Exhibition Space
Creating Connections: The 2025 Empire State Greenways Conference is the best way to get your name out to agency, government, business, academic, and nonprofit outdoor recreation leaders for greenway trails in New York State. Onsite, you’ll have dedicated access to hundreds of leaders in the growing greenways field, including partners from State Parks, NYSDEC, NYSDOT, and NYS Canal Corporation, regional and local government planners, developers, health sector specialists, and key thought leaders in trails, greenways, and open spaces.
Consider supporting the conference as one of our sponsors, our explore our exhibition space opportunities. For more information, view our sponsorship and exhibitor levels and benefits at the link below. If you have any questions, please contact Dylan Carey at dcarey@ptny.org.
Greenway Trails in the Kingston Area
Kingston is a burgeoning hub of greenway trails in the Hudson Valley. Kingston lies on the north-south route of the Empire State Trail, and features the new Hudson River Brickyard Trail in Soujourner Truth State Park; the Kingston Point Rail Trail and Midtown Linear Park, parts of the Kingston Greenline trail system; the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail; the O&W Rail Trail, which is being studied by the Open Space Institute for improvements and upgrades to create a continuous 57-mile off-road route from Kingston to Port Jervis, and the nearby Ashokan Rail Trail along the banks of the scenic Ashokan Reservoir.