Erie Canal Forum

I plan to ride Bflo to Albany in May on a regular road bike. My wife will join me for parts or all of the way on an ebike (class 2.) We plan to camp most of the time. Would appreciate any information you can share about charging the ebike battery overnight. Do the locks and camp grounds have electrical outlets? Should we forget the ebike idea altogether? Advice please. Thank you.

I'd first think, how far can she manually pedal it if she had to? A mile, 10, 20. That's the limiting factor. Or you, if you could swap bikes with her.

How much would you be willing to pay someone to let you charge it at their place?

My wife and I are in our mid-70s and in relative good health. She's really a novice rider. The only long distance trip she has done was the roughly 200 miles on the Moselle river in Germany with me, nearly 3 years ago. Since then she has not biked but a handful of times, perhaps 2-5 miles each time. Due to the pandemic and winter weather, we have just begun training for this trip. With that as the background, I would estimate that she can pedal on her own (i.e. no electric assist) for 15-20. Please explain the connection between daily distance under one's own power and recharging the battery. I am a bit thick up there. Thank you.

In case you can't find a place to charge the battery nearby and she has to pedal her dead bike until you do.

Of the twenty-five miles of canal I ride fairly offend. I can't think of a single place I've seen electrical outlets along the way. Of course there are houses and stores at the towns the canal crosses. If you don't mind knocking on doors for help.

Thank you Bop from Rochester for your suggestions. My wife's ebike is relatively new to us so we're still learning about its capabilities. One thing we know for sure: it takes 5-7 hours to fully charge the depleted battery. Thus it requires charging overnight, in other words, charging during the day's ride isn't an option. BTW, so far the bike has about 50 mile range pedaling with motor assist on fully charged battery.

So, planning 50-mile ride days isn't too bad of an option (if the e-bike can do 50 miles... or even 45 miles might be fine). So my advise is to go ahead and plan away and figure out where you are going to overnight and start making phone calls to the camp grounds that you will be camping at and make sure you'll be able to charge your bike. As far as camping at Locks, the Canalway will not be opened in May and Locks will not be manned, so that option is not viable. The only place I found power at a Lock (given I didn't stay at many) was Lock E2 in Waterford which had a live outlet on a close-by out-building near the lock/park area and a live outlet on a phone post in the far corner of the park (easy to find).

I have no knowledge, but, are there any solar charging options for charging while riding? That may help with distance. Otherwise, trying to find random places to charge is pretty risky. On my ride last year I had a solar panel that would charge a battery during the day and charge my phone at night. One day the charging plug came unplugged and I found I was nearing depleting my phone charge (and had no back-up). Luckily outside of Schenectady I happened upon a township maintenance garage and was allowed to charge my phone for the 30 to 45-muinutes that I needed to charge. I can't imagine being in a situation where you needed to charge an e-bike for many hours without a plan.

If you were just planning to camp at locks or trailside, clearly... you would simply not have very many options to find charging. If I'm missing something here... let me know and I'll try to help a bit more.

Thank you bop and wnybubba for your suggestions. wnybubbap and others on the forum mentioned that the locks do not operate until June. Therefore I've decided to start my ride in early June (instead of mid-May). One advantage of this later start is the warmer weather thus I can bring a lighter and less bulky sleeping bag!

My wife now decides that she will only accompany me for 2 or 3 days of riding. We will stay at hotels during her time with me. Therefore I no longer need to worry about how & where to charge her ebike battery since hotels have electrical outlets. At this point it looks like we will spend the first night in Medina and the second night in Rochester, averaging about 45 miles/day, well within her capability and the battery range. If she decides to go for the 3rd day, from Rochester we will proceed to either Lyons or Clyde. My younger son lives in the Corning area so he can pick her up either in Rochester, Lyons or Clyde, all equidistant from his home. I will then continue on my way, camping mostly, to Albany. I will look into the forum for suggestions on camping places.

BTW, wnybubba brought up the idea of using solar panels to supplement the charging of the ebike's battery. Last year, during the height of the pandemic, I converted a small Nissan NV200 van into a campervan. In the process I learned a little bit about solar charging. I do not believe that any solar panel on an ebike will be sufficient to make a difference. Additionally, solar power is not reliable on cloudy or rainy days. That's why we will stay in hotels while my wife rides with me. Besides, we have been married 49 years and I do not want to change my marital status (or partner!)

Thank you bop and wnybubba for your suggestions. wnybubbap and others on the forum mentioned that the locks do not operate until June. Therefore I've decided to start my ride in early June (instead of mid-May). One advantage of this later start is the warmer weather thus I can bring a lighter and less bulky sleeping bag!

My wife now decides that she will only accompany me for 2 or 3 days of riding. We will stay at hotels during her time with me. Therefore I no longer need to worry about how & where to charge her ebike battery since hotels have electrical outlets. At this point it looks like we will spend the first night in Medina and the second night in Rochester, averaging about 45 miles/day, well within her capability and the battery range. If she decides to go for the 3rd day, from Rochester we will proceed to either Lyons or Clyde. My younger son lives in the Corning area so he can pick her up either in Rochester, Lyons or Clyde, all equidistant from his home. I will then continue on my way, camping mostly, to Albany. I will look into the forum for suggestions on camping places.

BTW, wnybubba brought up the idea of using solar panels to supplement the charging of the ebike's battery. Last year, during the height of the pandemic, I converted a small Nissan NV200 van into a campervan. In the process I learned a little bit about solar charging. I do not believe that any solar panel on an ebike will be sufficient to make a difference. Additionally, solar power is not reliable on cloudy or rainy days. That's why we will stay in hotels while my wife rides with me. Besides, we have been married 49 years and I do not want to change my marital status (or partner!)

wanderingsoul... just to be clear, my comment was they wouldn't be open in May because last year the Canal delayed opening due to the pandemic. Here is the official 2021 statement:

Mariners are advised that, conditions permitting, all portions of the New York State Canal System are scheduled to open Friday, May 21, 2021, at 7:00 a.m. for the 2021 navigation season. This proposed schedule of operations could be impacted by the COVID pandemic and/or the need to repair critical infrastructure. The public will be notified accordingly through the Notice to Mariners system if this occurs. There are no tolls or fees for recreational use of the Canal System in 2021.

Wnybubba: your comments have neen most helpful with my planning. I'm now planning to depart Bflo the first or second week of June. Thank you.

@wanderingsoul: Thanks. Have a fun and safe ride. Nothing completely nailed down yet, but my plans mimic yours as far as dates. I'll be bike-packing once again with hopes to continue on into NYC. wnybubba@gmail.com get you directly in touch with me. Feel free if you need any help at my end or if you want to try and co-ordinate some of the ride together.
-bubba

This topic has probably been discussed previously. However, I cannot find it with the search function. Aplogy for possuble redundancy. Please advise on what Amtrak train number or name going from Albany (or nearby) to Rochester that will take a bike. Also, how many such trains in a day, which day(s) of the week? I will probably need to do this at the end of my Bflo-Albany ride, finishing mid June. Originally I was going to rent a minivan, 1-way, from Albany to my son's home in the Corning area but the rental fees have really exploded with the pandemic and car rental companies shrinking.

Wanderingsoul: There have been many posts regarding Amtrak service over the last year which seem to reflect that availability of bicycle transport on the Empire Service trains is 'in transition.' Amtrak does not officially acknowledge that bike transportation is available on these trains, but people have posted on this forum that they were able to bring their bikes on an Empire Service train.
The Lake Shore Limited, train #49, is certain to take bikes, but only has room for 6 bikes. You need a reservation for you bike, and it costs $20. Unfortunately there is only one train per day, leaving Albany about 1330, arriving in Rochester about 2330. I took my bike on this train last summer. It was easy to check my bike and get it back off again, I would recommend this service. After getting to Rochester at almost midnight it was a short ride on well lit city streets to a downtown hotel. I started my ride the following morning.

Correction: The Lake Shore Limited, Amtrak Train #49 from New York to Chicago, leaves Albany-Rensselaer Station at 1810(610PM) and arrives Rochester Downtown Station at 2315(1115PM), it only runs Wed/Fri/Sun. The Amtrak website states that bikes can't be loaded at the Albany Rensselaer station, but can be loaded at the Schenectady station. The Schenectady station has been renovated has new parking.

It seems COVID has affected Amtrak, hopefully the schedules will be back to normal this summer.

Wow - this is really getting confusing! Seems to me that previously the Empire Service offered roll-on bike service. But, the search I just did shows that it is the Lake Shore service that now provides bike service. (I'll post that previous comment below). Meanwhile, not that long ago, I had a couple calls with AMTRAK and was assured that any station that had attendants could handle roll-on service! Granted that would mean that you still would have to have made a "rack" reservation, but loading/unloading stations are quite numerous. Also, for the record, if you bag your bike, any train can then accommodate it -- but you have tools and be willing to take it apart, etc.

Yankee John provides some current info above, but for reference,
Here is the post from September 2020:

Yankee John from Braintree, VT on 09/06/2020 06:46 PM:
There is currently no bike service on the Empire Service trains, but there is bike service on the Lake Shore Limited that runs once/day to Chicago. I just rode the Lake Shore Limited #48/49 from Schenectady to Rochester with my bike. The train was on time, an Amtrak staff person put loaded my bike on the baggage car without difficulty and returned it to me in Rochester undamaged. The only hard part is that the short distance Coach seats are at the front of the train, and the baggage car is at the back, so it's a long walk with your panniers after you drop off your bike. You need to have a reservation for the bike because the baggage car holds only hold 6 bikes. It costs $20 for the bike. The train arrived in Rochester at 2315, and it was an easy ride to the downtown hotels on well lit streets.

The Lake Shore Limited does not stop at the Exchange station in downtown Buffalo, only at the Depew station, and it arrives after midnight. The hotels hear Depew are all dull big box airport hotels. The Lakeshore used to skip Rome, and was 30 minutes faster, but apparently the tracks on the direct route the omits Rome are bad so all of the trains go through Rome even if they don't stop there. There are rumors that the tracks repairs will be completed by next year so the trip will be shorter and the train will arrive earlier. It's not expensive to reserve a taxi van in advance that can transport you to a hotel from Depew, but it will only hold 2 bikes. There is not a continuous trail along the water from downtown Buffalo to the trails leaving Buffalo north to the Erie Canal, so if you stay in a downtown hotel you will have to ride on city streets at the start of your trip. Buffalo has some great architecture, so the ride is actually quite pleasant if it's not rush hour.

We are considering doing a bike trip with our family. Does anyone have any suggestions for portions of the bike trail that don't include any 'on road' riding, and limited hills? Or any other suggestions for a route. We would look to ride from near Amsterdam NY.

Jen, check out this map from Parks and Trails New York:
https://www.ptny.org/bike-canal/map/

Look for the Map Display (legend) and click it to reveal the trail colors. You basically don’t want grey “on-road” lines. Looks like anywhere on either side of Amsterdam is paved trail.

No hills other than the little dips up and down the areas near the locks. I would go towards Buffalo (west) first, get the little lock hills out of the way and turn around and come back east towards Albany and enjoy those small little plunges.

Sounds like a fun ride!

dose any one know if the Erie trail goes to the Adirondacks ? i heard it was extended ?

The state of New York recently completed the "Empire State Trail" which includes a section from NYC to the Canadian border. The Albany to Canada section runs along the eastern part of the Adirondacks.

Even though the Empire State Trail encompasses the Erie Canalway along with the new sections, don't expect the Albany to Canada section to look like the Erie Canal. A good part of that section is essentially more of a bike route, with a good percentage using roads and highways.

You can see the road vs trail proportions in this map, where road is yellow and trail is green: https://empiretrail.ny.gov/map

And here is a more interactive map on our sister website for the Empire State Trail: https://bikeempirestate.com/empire-state-trail-map.aspx

May, 5, 65 and older ladies, rent bicycles from your shop and ride them for 4-5 days to Fairport? Can you pick up the bicycles there or do they need to be returned to you by us? Any ideas? Need more information?

We would be arriving around Sept 14, 2021 and use the bicycles until the 18th.

Hi Paula, you left your question on a public discussion forum for the Erie Canalway. The folks from the bike shop may or may not see it here. I'd highly recommend that you call them directly.

Happy trails - enjoy your ride!

I am riding the Erie Canal trail from Buffalo to Albany in May and I can't seem to find any camping after Lock 15 going west to east to Albany. Can I just pitch a tent beside the trail anywhere?

Some info here below might be of use to you. Others may chime in with stealth camping options.
Also, consider contacting some schools, volunteer fire depts, etc. in locations where you’re hoping to stop for the night but nothing is available.

https://www.canals.ny.gov/trails/camping.html

https://www.canals.ny.gov/maps/index.html?layer=lodge

David, there are always plenty of options to throw up camp. Most Locks offer an option (not formally) but in general it's not an issue. I'm assuming you are looking at Lock 15 because Fort Plain is a targeted (identified) place, but I had a fine camp at Lock 12 in Fort Hunter/Tribes Hill that you haven't considered because it isn't mentioned anywhere. From Lock 12 I headed into Waterford and camped at Lock 2A, the first lock from the Hudson and finished the next day going into Albany.

If you search through this Forum's previous posts you will find other discussion about options for camping along the trail and how to use Google Maps in street mode to look around for potential camping spots. Admittedly, as you get closer into the Capital Region places to bivouac along the trail diminish, but options can still be found or permissions given.

It's hard giving advise not knowing how much daily mileage you are interested in doing. Fort Plain to Waterford could easily be a day tour for some, but a two day trip for others. Let us know where you would ideally like to find a place and maybe I or others can give you more pointed answers...

Lastly, traveling in May is way before the Canal is officially open for boats. Facilities at locks (like Lock 15) will not be open that early, so please be taking that into consideration in your planning process. Most Locks will not even be attended at that time, and if so, it will be for maintenance purposes. And, one last thought, the best laid plans can change quickly with a break-down or bad weather so make sure you are flexible with your planning as well. I felt the best weapon I had on my tour was the knowledge I gained by studying the Canalway and maps ahead of time and Google Maps as my assistant.


Oh, just look at the recent post below about Lock 7 Park. There's info about using Google Maps and right there at that Lock is certainly an option for setting up camp.

I read that you are planning to bike from Buffalo to Albany this May. I am also in the process of planning a 6 day/ 60 mile+-a day trip during the same timeframe. I'm curious which towns are you planing to stop in along the way and what have you targeted for camping or hotels?

We are planning a 60 mile to 80 mile days weather and conditions permitting. So about 5 1/2 day trip. Plans are to camp at Red Rock Ponds at mile 60. Then at Twilight Erie RV Resort night 2 at mile 108, then at mile 190 Green Lakes State Park, then Lock 20 for a shorter day, then a camp along the trail somewhere and on into Albany the next day. We have looked at Hejemada campground too if our plans don't work out and then primitive camping along the trail as needed.

One other question. I want to park my car in Albany near the trailhead. The guide says the Amtrak Station Parking but it is across the Hudson River. Is there an easy way to get across the river from the Amtrak Station to the Trailhead in Albany?

The Dunne Memorial bridge has a bike/ped bridge not far from Amtrak
that crosses the Hudson

David -- Nice that you shared your plans. Looks great. I just did a tour (Google Maps, Street View) of Lock 20 and I was thinking that I didn't remember seeing it on the trail! Not sure, but it looks to be on the opposite side of the Canal, so it figures. However, when touring, Google showed signs for the trail, so I'm a bit confused, but no big deal. It is a *really* fine looking spot. Good to know.

The other thing that I wanted to mention was that Lock 2A in Waterford was a great place to tent camp as your last stop before hitting ALB (you're about 14 miles out). There are not any facilities (although there are two places to plug in for electricity). But a few blocks away there is a convenient store and restaurants. It worked great for me. Picnic tables along the Canalway locks on grass with a line of trees along the sides of the park.

When I was at Waterford in Sept. the toilets were open and I believe boaters can get a shower there. Weekends (usually) there may be a farmers market. If you head towards Peeples Island you may be able to get water and toilets. Nice and flat all the way tp Albany from there. New off road path along Broadway by Watervilet Armory

I'll celebrate my 75th birthday by biking the Erie canal trail in late May or early June. I started biking late in life, starting only 4 years ago. Since then I've done most of the Moselle (twice, solo at age 71 and with my wife at 72), the Rhine, and the Danube (Passau, Germany to Budapest, Hungary.) I've also biked the GAP and C&O from Pittsburgh to DC in one trip. With the exception of the GAP, all of my rides have been along canal or rivers because I cannot handle hills. I would like to ride from Albany to Canada if that section is not too hillg (i.e. not worse than the GAP.) Thank you for your information.

You have really done some bike touring in your maturity.

The trip to Canada is mostly flat but has some serious hills on the west side of Lake Champlain after leaving Whitehall. There really isn't an alternative route to avoid the hills other than to ride into Vermont and take 22A/7 to Burlington which has fewer hills and is also very pretty.

The ride from Albany to Whitehall is mostly flat on trails and roads with wide shoulder and moderate traffic and some beautiful riding along the Hudson River. The section from Fort Ann to Whitehall is really a detour around sections of overgrown towpath that weren't improved and connected. My guess is that there were right of way problems with the railroad or a lack of money or a deadline to meet or all of those that lead to this detour. That section has some hills on local roads and then riding a short section on Route 4 which has a wide shoulder but heavy truck traffic.

I would recommend that you ride the Erie Canal Trail Albany to Comstock, then 22/22A to Fairhaven which is mostly flat, and on to Burlington on 22A/7. Avoid Route 4 from Comstock to Vermont which is very hilly and has much truck traffic. Ride the Island Line Bike Trail from Burlington to the South Hero Island to Plattsburgh ferry, then complete the Erie Canal trail from Plattsburgh to the Canadian Border. Make sure you check the hours of operation of the Island Line Bike Ferry to cross the short gap in the causeway. It's really a donated pontoon boat operated by volunteers.

Consider riding on to Montreal. There are some excellent trails around the city, including a trail to the Lachine Rapids where you can join a group and guide to run some whitewater in a Zodiac to break up your day. Old town Montreal is worth the visit, as are the restaurants.

wanderingsoul, you have accomplished a lot in four years - impressive at any age!

I really can't add any more than the very useful information from Yankee John above (I would love to explore that Vermont route). However, to help visualize, I have added elevation profiles on the Empire State Trail website here:
Empire State Trail Elevations https://bikeempirestate.com/elevation.aspx

The elevation profiles are very meaningful Ray, than you for posting them. My wife would add - they are just squiggly lines if you're not a 'graph and chart' person. Adding cities and POI on the chart will definitely be an improvement.

Much appreciation to Yankee John and to Ray for the info. I should clarify that I'll only bike the Erie canal from Buffalo to Albany this spring. The Albany-Canada portion will be for the autumn or next year. Unlike my previous trips in Europe and the GAP and C&O canal where I stayed in hotels/hostels/Airbnb, I plan to "rough it" by bike-camping on the Erie canal trail. With the addition of a tent, sleeping bag, stove etc. my total equipment weight is now about 20 pounds (compared to 11-12 pounds on other trips.) I learned to pack lightly after hiking 4 caminos, with the first one at age 67. Successfully completing the first camino (500 miles on the camino Francais) gave me the confidence to try biking. On my first bike trip I felt like I was "cheating" because it was so much easier and faster than hiking.

@wanderingsoul -- I'm close to the Bflo area. Also planning another trip on the Erie in the same timeframe as you. I bikepack, did the Erie that way last year and it was great. Touch base if you want some Beta on the trail, help getting around Bflo or want to discuss a casual co-ride. I like bike touring to be low stress, so I take it at a 55-60-ish daily mileage (maybe less this year as I'd like to make some stops at POI). Last year I biked the first week of June and had great weather. So far thinking the same this year... Reach me at wnybybba@gmail.com

Ray (Webmaster) -- Very cool information on the graphs. Thanks! Explains why so many go from Bflo to ALB if nothing else! :)

Hello,

We are considering a back to back bike trip from 4/29 to 5/17 starting in Albany to Buffalo and then back to Albany

What logistics should we be aware of during these dates? For example...when does the bug season begin in that region? :-) Black Flies or Mosquitoes or those pesky deer flies?


Thanks for any response.

What section of the Erie canal Trail are on shared/open roads with no bike lanes?

That is a most difficult question to answer, and the answer would not be singular -- there are several sections that are off trail and routed onto a roadway -- most having bike lanes. Some, however, have shoulders that comfortably accommodate bicycle traffic. Personally, there are small sections on a state highway with bike lanes that I felt a tad bit uncomfortable on but others, more rural, that I was fine with as it had less traffic but no bike lane.

As a second note, the trail is constantly changing and being re-routed. Ultimately the goal would be to have the trail off road 100%. So, as work continues, what may have been on road is now on trail with maps and experience different that actual fact!

It would be of interest to know the reason you are asking the question. Are you traveling with younger riders who you feel might be in danger or are you simply not comfortable on roadway without a bike lane? In all honesty, there really are not any parts of the Erie Canalway that are dangerous or in such heavy trafficked areas that one should be overly concerned. I'd also suggest that on those sections where the trail is sharing the road, signage is quite decent along the route.

There are sections but none of them are bad. Rt 5 east of Utica use to be a problem but they have fixed it so it is trail now. And where it picks up on the road, it is lightly traveled. I haven't traveled Syracuse since they opened up the new trail areas.

But currently, only 16% of the trail is on the road.

Are there any parking areas for the trail in Frankfort ?? ( Riding East from there ) I do not see one on the map. Thanks

It looks like there is a Marina and Park close by on Railroad Street where you might gain permission. The Town Hall is also close-by and parking may be allowed there.

If all else fails, there is a Walmart Super Center not too far away in Herkimer.

Can i leave my truck here overnight to bike the trail

I just took a look and see that there is a nice sized lot near the locks and another a few hundred feet down Lock 7 Road that is a fairly large lot with trees around. There is another small (5 car) parking area right where the trail crosses Lock 7 Road. I see no signage prohibiting overnight parking. The safest way might be to ask/tell the Lock Engineer that you are planning to overnight your truck and ask for their suggestion (like do they mind if you leave your truck in the "Lock Area" lot). I would also think that parking in the lots closer to the Lock are safer than leaving it at the trail head parking area.

Now... how did I do that? I simply used the Interactive Map (which is Google powered) on this website. Using an overview viewing mode I found Schenectady, zoomed further in to find the Northway (I-87) to get my bearings, zoomed in a little bit closer and moved the map west until I saw Lock 7 Park clearly identified on the map. Then, I zoomed even closer and took the "Little Man" (in the bottom right corner) and dragged him onto Lock 7 Road and took a little tour. I could view the trail intersection, see the parking area, move further down Lock 76 Road more and more until I saw the parking lot and I could even move further to the end all the way to the Lock parking area.

Posting this here because I have mentioned how well this works when planning a trip or tour. I have scoped out camping areas, intersections of interest and anything else. This example was very cool as the Google Map vehicle went all the way to the end of Lock Road -- not always that lucky, but what a fine example of how you can use the interactive map with "Street View" to see what is happening at ground level.

I've ridden by Lock 7 after sunset with my bike lights and headlamp and have seen people with their cars parked hanging around the parking lot at Lock 7 who seem to be doing the usual things; talking, smoking cigarettes, drinking beer. They didn't seem to be hooligans or seriously partying or anything like that. Make sure you lock up your vehicle and leave your roof rack empty.
Going west at the top of the hill is a small parking lot at Blatnick park right next to the road where cars are going by all night and cops are circulating from Knolls. That might be a better choice. Other choices would be the parking lot further east at Lyons Park which is less isolated than Lock 7 and has more activity. Farther west is the large lot at the new Casino. This is patrolled, well lit, and cars are routinely left there overnight. The bike path there is all new, goes along a berm above the river and then down into the Stockade. It's quite nice.

The trail in pendelton is next to impossible to walk on with the 6 plus inches of snow that is now on trail now. The two parking lots no make it three are plowed. This makes no sense. A response would be appreciated. I know I can’t wait to hear this response! LOL

Joseph,

This is just a message board for fans of the trail. This isn’t an official part of the trail or the state parks system. Try Parks and Trails New York (PTNY), I believe they manage the trail.

That said, I don’t know of any local trails that plow snow off the trails. Most I’ve been on just leave the snow as is, so cross country skiers can do their thing.

John

What is the weather like in April? Is riding then possible? May???
Thanks!

Mid-fifties. April showers bring May flowers.

https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/New-York/temperature-april.php

Look Western New York State, Finger Lakes temps

Thank you!