Sullivan County A little over half of NY 52's total mileage is in
Sullivan County, due to its circuitous route in the less developed western half of the county, where some segments are maintained by the county rather than the state. East of
Liberty, the route takes a more direct course toward its highest elevation, in the part of the county that is more dominated by resorts and summer camps.
Narrowsburg to Jeffersonville NY 52 begins at the midpoint of the
Narrowsburg–Darbytown Bridge over the
Delaware River as a county-maintained continuation of
PA 652 (Beach Lake Highway). Co-designated as County Route 24 (CR 24), NY 52 proceeds southeast through the
hamlet of
Narrowsburg in the
town of
Tusten as the two-lane Bridge Street. After crossing over
Norfolk Southern's
Southern Tier Line, NY 52 and CR 24 pass St. Francis Xavier Cemetery and then leave the center of Narrowsburg, merging with
NY 97 south of Feagles Lake. County maintenance ends at this point. The two routes soon bend eastward to a junction where NY 52 turns northward on a county-maintained roadway. Now co-designated as CR 111, NY 52 bends northeast through Tusten, remaining a two-lane rural roadway as it climbs slightly out of the river valley. The surrounding landscape is mostly forested, with occasional farm clearings. A mile from that junction, NY 52 and CR 111 reach the small hamlet of
Lava, crossing the northern terminus of
CR 25 (Eckes Road). Continuing northeast out of Lava, the two routes continue past Beaver Pond and then descend into the
Tenmile River valley. A short distance later, NY 52 crosses into the town of
Cochecton, where CR 111 terminates and NY 52 becomes concurrent with CR 112. At the junction with Shortcut Road, NY 52 turns to the north, reaching a junction in a half-mile with
NY 17B and the eastern terminus of
CR 114 (Newburgh Turnpike). At this junction, the small hamlet of
Fosterdale, NY 17B turns north and joins NY 52, which becomes state-maintained again. The routes continue northward for , where they split. NY 17B turns northwest along CR 117; NY 52 bends northeast and soon northward as a state-maintained highway. Two miles (3.2 km) from the NY 52A junction, NY 52 reaches the hamlet of
Kohlertown. NY 52 enters downtown Jeffersonville on East Main Street, with parking along both sides. It turns east at a junction with Center Street then bends southeast out of the village, following the northern shore of Lake Jefferson. Beyond the lake, the route bends northeast past a junction with
CR 144 (Briscoe Road) then continues along the
headwaters of the East Branch. Turning slightly southeast, NY 52 enters the hamlet of
White Sulphur Springs, which it soon leaves after passing a local park. the surrounding hills growing increasingly higher and steeper. After passing south of the hamlet of Loomis, the route bends northeast again reaches the village of
Liberty, the largest community thus far along NY 52. It turns due-east and follows Chestnut Street into the village. As the route becomes more commercial, NY 52 turns southeast at the intersection with North Main Street in the
center of Liberty. Two village blocks later,
NY 55 (Lake Street) joins it at the historic
Munson Diner. The overlap goes to a
roundabout to the east, where the two routes fork. NY 52 continues southeast along Mill Street, passing through an industrial section of Liberty before reaching a second roundabout. At this junction, the route connects with an off-ramp from the eastbound
NY 17 expressway, now also
Interstate 86. and then descends to the hamlet of
Loch Sheldrake. The route soon bends northeast as it descends toward the hamlet of
Woodbourne, where
NY 42 joins Route 52 from the south. The two routes curve past residences to Woodbourne's small downtown, then cross the
Neversink River. Immediately east of that bridge, NY 42 turns north toward
Grahamsville, ending the brief concurrency. NY 52 turns southeast past
Woodbourne Correctional Facility to the south, over the south side of a small unnamed hill and then into
Ulster County approximately one mile to the east. along the next 10 miles (16 km) as it gradually descends off the Catskill Plateau to
Ellenville. The route follows a straight course to the southeast past the small residential hamlet of Dairyland, passing a junction with
CR 53A (Milk Road). Four miles (6.4 km) further east, it passes another similar small hamlet, Greenfield Park, and bends back to the east a mile after passing the north end of Windsor Lake. NY 52 bends southward, where Canal and Center Streets merge, taking the latter's name. At the village line, it becomes Mountain Avenue. on the west side with views of the
Catskills to the north and northwest and the valley below. The route itself passes rock outcrops, some with fencing to prevent the road from being blocked off, and steep wooded slopes. Near the base of the climb aqua paint blazes on signposts at the roadside indicate the brief presence of the
Long Path hiking trail. Near the top of the ridge, signs point north on
CR 104 (Cragsmoor Road) to the hamlet of
Cragsmoor, as NY 52 reaches the apex of the ridge, at in elevation having regained almost all the altitude lost on the way to Ellenville. As it begins to descend through dense woods of
scrub oak, NY 52 enters the town of
Shawangunk, very near the Sullivan County line. Shortly afterward, a clearing at a house below one bend in the steep road offers a panoramic view east, towards the
Hudson River with the
Hudson Highlands also visible. The route winds southeast and levels out at the hamlet of
Walker Valley, having descended from the heights of the ridge. Just southeast of Walker Valley, NY 52 crosses a junction with
CR 65 (Weed Road). The brief breaks in the forest cover from the hamlet end. A mile beyond, NY 52 turns east, then bends northeast. At
Verkeerderkill Park,
CR 7 (Burlingham Road), merges in from the southeast. Here more cleared farmland begins to break up the forest. At the junction with New Prospect and Pirog roads, CR 7 turns off northeast, following the former. NY 52 turns southeast and, three-quarters of a mile () later, crosses the
Orange County line at
Shawangunk Kill. the gently rolling terrain offering views north to the upper Shawangunks. Three-quarters of a mile past Pine Bush,
CR 89 (Hill Avenue) forks off to the southeast. Afterwards a slight descent At the junction with Walker Street, NY 52 turns sharply eastward, becoming West Main Street while South Montgomery Street continues towards the
village of Montgomery via
CR 29. Immediately following this turn, NY 52 crosses the
Walden Veterans' Memorial Bridge over the
Wallkill River, entering the center of Walden. Past Walden, NY 52 passes several businesses, then Wallkill Valley Cemetery on the south. A mile west of there, just past another crossing of Tin Brook,
CR 85 (St. Andrew's Road), leaves from the north. Past East Walden, the route becomes a two-lane rural road, bending southeast at a junction with Old South Plank Road. The landscape remains the same gently rolling countryside of worked fields it was between Walden and Pine Bush. The last two crossings of Tin Brook, a mile and a half () east of CR 85 precede a bend to the southeast. The woods on the side of the road increase here as NY 52 climbs slightly after the
Catskill Aqueduct crosses a half-mile from that turn. In another half-mile, the route returns to its more easterly course as it enters the town of
Newburgh and takes the name South Plank Road at the intersection with Old South Plank Road and Cooks Lane. After passing a swampy area in the woods to the north, NY 52 intersects
CR 23 (Rock Cut Road), then runs through swamps along the southern shore of
Orange Lake on an eastward heading. Immediately afterwards, a single intersection marks the very small commercial center of the hamlet of
Orange Lake. Just past the hamlet, NY 52 turns southeast again at a junction with Monarch Drive and enters an area where woods screen residential neighborhoods off the route. It is paralleled on the north by
Bushfield Creek, which drains Orange Lake. With both the creek and route going past a large hill on the south, NY 52 bends southeast again to cross under the
New York State Thruway (
I-87). In the wetlands north of the route past the park, as the route bends around another hill to the south, Bushfield Creek flows into
Quassaick Creek, which itself flows under NY 52 just above the now-drained Winona Lake south of the road. Here the route turns more to the south.
Dutchess County On the east side of the Hudson, NY 52 and I-84 cross over
Metro-North Railroad's
Hudson Line just north of the
Beacon station, visible from the bridge. They pass briefly through the northern corner of the city of
Beacon, where the bridge's tolls ($1.50 for cars paying cash, $1.25 for
EZPass users, and more for trucks) is collected from eastbound traffic. Immediately afterwards is the town of
Fishkill and Exit 41.
NY 9D crosses, taking traffic north towards
Wappingers Falls and south into Beacon. NY 52 Business begins here along the latter direction. After the exit, the routes narrow to four lanes again and bend northeast, passing
Dutchess Stadium on the north. Prominent on a hilltop south of the road is
Fishkill Correctional Facility. As the expressway bends eastward again, high chain-link fences with
concertina wire surround the concrete buildings of another prison,
Downstate Correctional Facility, on the north. Signs warn drivers not to stop due to the proximity of both facilities. On the other side of US 9, NY 52 becomes Hopewell Avenue. It passes through some residential and less intensely commercial areas before leaving the village after a quarter-mile, still following a northeast heading. The next mile closely parallels both
Fishkill Creek and Metro-North's infrequently used
Beacon Line. At the small hamlet of
Brinckerhoff, the route bends southeast to cross them both as
NY 82 continues northeast towards
Hopewell Junction. Three-quarters of a mile (1.1 km) later, after bending around Honess Mountain, NY 52 crosses the
East Fishkill town line at the hamlet of
Wiccopee. It curves northeast again and soon passes the large
IBM manufacturing facilities and the Hudson Valley Research Park on the south.
CR 31 (Palen Road) leaves from the north in the middle of this mile-long stretch. Just before the small Gayhead Pond north of the route,
NY 376 leaves, ultimately turning west towards
Poughkeepsie. Then
NY 216 forks off to the northeast, leading to
Green Haven Correctional Facility and the hamlet of
Stormville. The route turns again a quarter-mile (400 m) from the AT to follow a more easterly course. The terrain levels out into a minimally developed area of small bumps and wetlands. After another three-quarters of a mile, NY 52 reaches its highest elevation east of the Hudson, above sea level, at the Mountain Top Road intersection. NY 52 turns southeast again and reaches the hamlet of
Pecksville after a mile (1.6 km). There it has a staggered junction with
CR 30 (Milltown Road on the south, then Holmes Road on the north). The route draws closer to I-84 and turns southeast. Three-quarters of a mile (1.1 km) from Pecksville, with Mill Pond between it and the interstate, NY 52 crosses the
Putnam County line. At that junction, the route is headed due south. It turns southwest briefly, then southeast again. NY 52 continues along the western shore of the lake for another mile. Just past its south end, it intersects with
CR 45 (Towners Road). After turning southwest the route intersects
CR 48 (Horse Pound Road). just before it ends The route bends southward again, passing Raymond Hill Cemetery, then a large strip mall on the westbound direction. NY 52 follows Gleneida Avenue, the main street of the hamlet of
Carmel, the
county seat, with businesses on both sides. A mile from the town line, just across from
the old county courthouse,
NY 301 ends its journey from
Cold Spring. Just past the junction is
Lake Gleneida, part of the
New York City water supply system, the center of a park on that side of the route. A quarter-mile further on, at
Reed Memorial Library, NY 52 ends at a three-way junction with
US 6. ==History==