Erie Canal Forum

Hello! I was planning to bike from Albany to Buffalo because that works better with my travel plans, but I've read about westerly winds being worse this way. Is that the case? Does it make much of a difference? I'm planning to ride the first week in October. I could rearrange my trip if that is advisable, so I'm curious!

Generally, the wind goes W-E but it’s not always the case and not guaranteed.

The only thing to do is keep an eye out for the forecast and see if there’s any pattern to the winds and change trip direction if it looks like you’ll get better winds going another way.

The prevailing wind is not much of a factor on the eastern part of the trail because it is heavily wooded and it mostly follows a low corridor with an escarpment on both sides so the wind tends to swirl in the depression. Much of the western part of the trail, roughly from Spencerport to Lockport, is elevated from the surrounding terrain and very exposed. It can really be a slog on a hot sunny day riding west into a strong westerly wind. Unfortunately the Army Corps of Engineers cut down most of the large trees in this section several years ago because they were a threat to the integrity of the canal. New trees are still small and not as close to the edge of the canal so there is little shade and little protection from the wind.

Thanks for this info! I think I'm going to keep my original route and prepare my legs for some extra resistance. Still open to comments if anyone else has perspective!

Bikegal, give us recap of your journey when you’re done!!

John

It's been a minute, but I did complete the ride from Albany to Buffalo! It was in early/mid-October, so the foliage was gorgeous. On the eastern part of the trail, the wind wasn't bad at all. On the western part, it was a slog. The wind was pretty aggressive and the ride was slow going. The views were lovely, but most of the open canal was brutal riding. Maybe part of it was the time of year and the weather, but it seemed like the prevailing winds were a strong force. I'm still glad I went east to west because that's the direction I needed to travel and the eastern part of the trail is especially scenic, but I would recommend west to east for wind.

i agree West to East probably better. Although I had tailwinds leaving Buffalo when I started that changed to headwinds for the second half. Nothing huge but slowed me a couple of mph.

Kane and I may have passed each other going in opposite directions!

It's been a minute, but I did complete the ride from Albany to Buffalo! It was in early/mid-October, so the foliage was gorgeous. On the eastern part of the trail, the wind wasn't bad at all. On the western part, it was a slog. The wind was pretty aggressive and the ride was slow going. The views were lovely, but most of the open canal was brutal riding. Maybe part of it was the time of year and the weather, but it seemed like the prevailing winds were a strong force. I'm still glad I went east to west because that's the direction I needed to travel and the eastern part of the trail is especially scenic, but I would recommend west to east for wind.

The winds are worse from West to East. That's why Mt. Washington has the worst weather

Does anyone know of backroads to take on the 20 mile route on 5s outside of Herkimer?

Not a direct answer to your question, but you would be following Bike Route 5. Nice bike shoulder lane on a state highway. I don't remember it being dangerous or uncomfortable at all. Admittedly, I'm fine on state roadways and have a decent rear view mirror so I know what's going on around me.

There are some beautiful roads with open country and Amish farms and little traffic on both the south (5S) and north sides but they are really hilly!

It’s funny that you commented on Route 5S outside of Herkimer. This past summer while biking the Erie Canal path, my friend and I ended up on 5S thinking we were on the canal trail. We biked the 2 most longest and steepest hills that I have ever biked. Finally at the top of the second hill we sensed something was wrong, thinking hills this big would surely not be part of the bike route. After studying google maps, we realized we were riding parallel to the trail path located several thousand feet below us. That was an exhausting day. We are not sure how we missed a trail sign (though we did serval times throughout our trip) but I still blame my biking partner thinking he saw a sign for ice cream just ahead.

With the bridge closed how does one access the Barnes Ave parking?

As of November 6 2020 the Canalway Trail over the Palmyra Ganargua/Mud Creek Aqueduct is barricaded and marked closed (the structure may be in danger of collapsing?). A detour utilizing Quaker Road is indicated, but that route is quite narrow without significant shoulders and no marked bike lanes.

Can I or not load a bike in Albany to Buffalo on Lake Shore?
Amtrak sched states yes but *00 phone number has different train numbers that what's currently posted. I live in Springfield MA and don't want to drive to NYC to load up. Looking to ride Erie Canal in the Spring. Know I will hit Buffalo after midnight so that's no problem

Thanks

Ed - I just checked and it is the Empire Service that comes into BUF (Depew) from ALB (Rensselaer). I looked into 2021 and the schedule is only open into APR, with trains arriving at 6PM or 9PM which seems earlier than I recall trains arriving in BUF (and is the same on the current schedule). I believe that roll-off service is only available at Depew and not Exchange Street -- Depew being an eastern suburban (not too far from the BUF Airport). So, yeah, it should work if you check about roll-on service status... and it looks like the near midnight arrival may not be true anymore. (Give me a shout if you need any help at BUF end.)

Thanks for the assist. There is some conflicting info from Amtrak as the Lake Shore 48 & 49 will carry bikes and he #800 number from Amtrak told me I can’t leave from Albany. The trip is for the Spring so I have plenty of research time.

I'm thinking that this is the same as BUF in ALB - that Rensselaer is the roll-on station not Albany station. Agree you have plenty of time to figure it out -- and half the fun is preparing, right?

I did the Erie Canal bike trip from Buffalo to Albany in September. We rented a van at the Albany airport and drove to Buffalo and dropped the the van off at the Buffalo airport. We parked our car at the Rensselaer train station for the week. The hotel in Buffalo had an airport shuttle, so you can drop your bikes off at the hotel and then drop the rental at the airport and shuttle back to the hotel. Due to COVID the shuttle wasn't operating, so I had to uber back. I think a rental is better than Amtrak if you have multiple people in your group.

Does anyone know what the fastest time for the End to End ride is? I've looked online and can't seem to find any source that would indicate what the record time would be.

I'm planning on an end to end ride in a few weeks and hoping to finish in around 30 hours, but I'm curious if that would set a record or come close to a record.

Haven't seen anything like that.

Will this be non-stop? You know the canal is closed after dark?

I checked on https://fastestknowntime.com and didn't find anything either. My thought is that either PTNY or the Canal Corp would be the best resources to ask. If neither of them have any record, then I'd say go for it and set it in place! Keep us posted here and good luck.

Why bother,it's trail,meant to be savored wand enjoyed.
Want a record,go to the roads

Well, I ended up doing it. West to east, starting at Veterans Park in Buffalo and ending at the Corning Preserve in Albany. It took 32 Hours 2 Min.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/5532806302

Tristan - Thats incredible. After 32 hours, I’d just be hitting town on night 2 of a weeklong trip!

How was riding at night? Any delays that you encountered? Where did you catch z’s (if you did catch any)? Love to hear about some of the details of your journey.

Well done...

John

Riding at night was no problem, I've done a couple other long rides that went into the night so I was prepared...I had multiple light sources with extra batteries. Riding in the dark didn't really slow me down either, and made riding through towns a little easier because there was no traffic.

I didn't face any delays, no flat tires or bike issues, but I did make a huge mistake around Port Byron and got turned around, not realizing I was going to wrong direction for about 2.5 miles. The biggest issue I ran into with time was just stopping to eat/rest. Of the 32 hours of elapsed time almost 6 hours was spent not moving. I was carrying a bunch of granola bars, some soda and a 2 liter bladder full of water, but that was not enough to get me through the whole ride so I would frequently stop at gas stations and buy some gatorade, beef jerky, candy, chips, sandwiches, more water. Late in the ride I felt like I was stopping more frequently and for a longer time than in the beginning. I would stop maybe every 20 miles for about 20 min...all that time added up.

I did not sleep at all during the ride, around 24 hours in was when I really started to get tired, at times feeling like I was dozing off with my eyes open while riding even when it got light out...by the time I got to Little Falls the thought of spending an hour or something sleeping on the side of the trail was tempting but something I wanted to avoid just to finish quicker.

I felt one of the biggest challenges of the ride was the wind. As soon as I got on the canal in Lockport I was constantly riding into the wind. This slowed me down a bit, and caused me to use up more energy than I would have liked.

I stopped for "breakfast" in Frankfort, and between there and Rotterdam Junction I was having trouble finding gas stations or restaurants that were open... I was feeling tired, hungry and I was using up all the extra calories I was carrying with me and by that point I was realizing that I wasn't going to make my goal of finishing in 30 hours or less.

The final stretch from Schenectady to Albany went by alright, mostly just trying to push through and finish...it felt like the wind got worse as I got closed to Albany and started heading south.

Overall it was a fun ride, got to see some cool things on the trail and I enjoyed all the towns along the way. Apart from the wind the weather was perfect, I was expecting it to feel a little colder than it actually was...I rode the majority of the ride in shorts and a t shirt, only putting a long sleeve shirt on at around 4 in the morning. I think if someone had a nice gravel bike and a crew waiting for them at towns with food instead of using gas stations or restaurants they could finish the whole route in 24 hours or less.

T

Tristan - great job. I read your TR in my email and haven't been over here on the site to give you congratulations. Super job and surprised to see that you were doing this un-assisted... that's pretty remarkable. Make sure you register the ride for FKT. I'll give you an official ranking of it... as unofficial as it would be! Fine job.

The last eastern segment that we have to ride is Rotterdam to Albany. We will use two cars. What is the address of the end of the trail and where can we leave a car for approx 3 hours Can’t find any published info. On the trails end/ start place

I believe the end of the trail is Jennings Landing right on the Hudson. Not sure of a parking lot but you’ll be downtown so parking lots are down there for sure.

The last eastern segment that we have to ride is Rotterdam to Albany. We will use two cars. What is the address of the end of the trail and where can we leave a car for approx 3 hours Can’t find any published info. On the trails end/ start place

Is it safe or even possible to leave a vehicle in the Corning City Preserve in Albany?

Dear friend,

Are you planning to leave your car for a long time? I would have concern in that case. Shorter periods are better. I would advise you to use the parking at the train station in Rensselaer. You need to pay but, the parking lot is under surveillance.

Enjoy your trip! Joseph

Agree with Joseph, parking in Albany is focused on state employees and not out of town visitors leaving their cars overnight. The long term parking at the train station is only $7/night(follow the Megabus pickup sign) and there is a 24 hour attendant.

Crossing over the Hudson River on the Dunn Memorial bridge is not for the faint of heart, but there is a dedicated bike/pedestrian path that is mostly in good condition.

For Joseph Pafundi:

Bonjour Joseph, c'est le père de Ryan. J'espère que Mathieu et le reste de votre famille vont bien, nous allons bien. Le vélo nous aidera à rester jeunes!

Bonjour a vous tous!

Je vous souhaite bonne sante et de bons voyages sur les pistes et routes de notre belle region!

Jospeh

We are planning on arriving in Fort Erie and would like to ride the trail to Albany. BUT we have road bikes with 25mm tires. I read that the trail is mostly gravel or crushed limestone. Does anyone know or had any experience riding the entire trail on a road bike rather than gravel bike or mountain bike.

There are several strings on this forum regarding the question of road bikes and tires. In general it seems there is agreement that a road bike with road tires is fine. One rider commented that they rode the entire trail with slicks without a problem. Much of the trail is paved but in the western end there are long sections of packed stone dust that can get a little squirrely when it's wet after a rain. There are a few short sections of two track packed dirt and grass, but those are currently being paved or converted to stone dust.

I've ridden the entire trail, some of the sections several times, on a steel frame road bike with city/trekking style 700x32 Kenda tires. My riding companions have ridden road bikes or hybrid bikes with similar tires. If you have the inclination to change your tires and have skinny slicks, consider changing to a fatter hybrid/trekking style tire.

Is it safe or even possible to leave a vehicle in the Corning City Preserve in Albany?

Hello! I was planning to bike from Albany to Buffalo because that works better with my travel plans, but I've read about westerly winds being worse this way. Is that the case? Does it make much of a difference? I'm planning to ride the first week in October. I could rearrange my trip if that is advisable, so I'm curious!

Hi,
I was also planning to bike the same week starting monday 10/5. The winds usually do go west to east so if you start at albany if there are any winds they would be in your face as opposed to your back when biking buffalo to albany. I would start in buffalo if its possible.

So I am trying to plan a ride on the Erie Canal in 2021. Thought I would drive to Buffalo, ride to Albany, then train back to collect car.

Is this possible - there seem to be conflicting answers on taking a bike on the Empire Service train. Can you do it if you leave from Schenectady rather than Albany?

Thanks for any clarity or suggestions.

Mike

Mike, it seems there is some confusion about trains these days. Previously, train service with roll-on ability was offered on one train a day with that train arriving into Buffalo/Depew somewhere around 1:00 AM. At this point, you're probably fine planning a ride/train tour and see what the status is as time comes closer. I'm hoping that there is enough pressure on Amtrak to cause them to offer better roll-on service.

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. I would recommend staying at the Hotel Henry on the North end of Buffalo. The bike trails connect to the hotel via the adjacent Buffalo State Campus, and there is ample parking near the hotel to leave your car for free. 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.

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. I would recommend staying at the Hotel Henry on the North end of Buffalo. The bike trails connect to the hotel via the adjacent Buffalo State Campus, and there is ample parking near the hotel to leave your car for free. 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.

Mike, my wife and I put our bikes on the Empire train yesterday 9/9/2020
In Albany and trained to Buffalo. We will ride back to Albany where our car is parked.
According to Amtrak they just made this change a couple days ago and now allow two bikes per train.

Mark

Many thanks for the info.

I just completed the Erie canal trail from Buffalo to Albany. We drove to the Albany Airport and rented a van and drove to Buffalo and dropped the rental off at the Buffalo Airport. The cost was about $170.00. I split the cost with my co-rider. We parked the car in Albany at the train station parking lot for $30.00 for the week.

Cohoes to Schenectady on the Erie Canal rail trail. Does anyone have comments about this part of the trail? I’m going to ride it this week.

It is a nice ride, make sure you check out the observation deck at the Cohoes Falls, the trail does not go past the falls. There is a significant problem when you are almost to Schenectady. After you pass Anthony drive the trail is closed for installation of a large sewer or water pipe. Turn right on Anthony drive and then left at the sewer plant on Technology drive. When I rode it 2 weeks ago I went past Anthony drive a little farther and then walked through the grass strip to the parking lots adjoining Technology drive which continues to Maxon Road.

The continuation of the trail is also closed from Maxon road into Schenectady. If you turn right on Maxon Road you will cross the tracks and come to an underpass of Freeman's bridge that connects to new trail from the new Casino to the Stockade district. Then you can make your way into Schenectady from the Stockade. Freeman's Bridge is also under construction and there is construction equipment everywhere, so the underpass is unmarked and might be difficult to pick out. It was open two weeks ago and I rode through without having to walk my bike.

The trail signage in West Syracuse is inaccurate since it has been put up prior to completion of a bike/pedestrian bridge over the train tracks that connects the trail to downtown Syracuse. Following the signs will add 3.5 miles each way riding on a section of new trail without an outlet.

Approaching Syracuse from the west riding east the marked trail ends at Warners Road/Reed Webster Park. A new, paved, clearly visible trail winds east up and over the landfill/tailing piles and ends at Bridge Street/297. The Erie Canal Trailway signs at this point bring you left (North) over the new 297 bridge path down to the NY State Fairgrounds. The trail signs then lead left over a long bike/pedestrian bridge to a new paved trail with a beautiful lake overlook and then continues along the lake towards downtown Syracuse. Unfortunately the trail ends abruptly almost to town and there is no passage for bikes or pedestrians further east to the city. A new bridge is under construction over the train tracks and creek to connect to downtown, but this appears to be many months from completion.

The bicycle entrance to downtown Syracuse from the west is on Milton Avenue, which is a right hand turn on Bridge street where the landfill trail ends, and then a left on Milton Avenue.

Does anyone know which portion of the trail & miles are paved? We have road bikes so no gravel desired! Thank you!

Safe riding!
Sharon

One of the interactive maps shows paved surfaces that's probably the PTNY map IIRC.

Bflo -> Lockport is paved. Then only paved portions around small towns, otherwise gravel until Rochester. Paved around Rochester and then smaller paved portions until Syracuse area. Gravel pretty much until Rome and then once you get to Mohawk it's paved (in various degrees of good to excellent through ALB.

Most of the gravel is very hard packed and easy to ride with my road bike. I did change my tires to a more hybrid type tire.

The trail from Fort Herkimer to Little Falls is currently being paved and looks to be almost completed. From the Lock 17 trailhead to the Montgomery County line the trail is being resurfaced with stone dust.

The entire section from the western Montgomery County line to Albany the trail is mostly an excellent, new paved trail except for a short section of road riding near Rotterdam Junction, and some older sections of trail with tree root bumps.

Next week I will bike the Canal one way & I will need to a shuttle. Many of the shuttle services are no longer in business. Can anyone tell me how I can shuttle with my bike (by bus or car) from Rome to Amsterdam, NY. - about 85 miles? Amtrak representative says I cannot take my bike on the train. Ideas or thoughts would be great.

Bonnie -- I see that you have not gotten a response. Your request seems to be rather strange. Are you only riding from Amsterdam to Rome and then needing a ride back?

If that is the case, possibly asking a warmshower host if they would provide the service for a fee. I can't think of another option for randomly reaching out for a shuttle. Possibly Uber or Lyft might be able to arrange something, but no sure if you can specify your need to accommodate a bike. Then again... letting it stick out of a trunk wouldn't be the worst option!

Good luck.

We rode from Buffalo to Rochester in 2019. Diane of Go Bike Erie met us in Pittsford and shuttled us back to Buffalo with our bikes. She has a large van that seats 7 and a trailer that holds 8 bikes. She was enthusiastic, reliable, and informative. It appears the name of the business is now Great American Bike Tours. From the website:

(315) 316-BIKE

E-MAIL: info@CycleTheUSA.com

© 2018 Erie Canal Bike Tours, LLC

I just met Diane on the trail near Syracuse. She and her husband are no longer offering bike shuttle service. They continue to use their excellent van and bike trailer arrangement for organized bike tours.

Is there camping at lock 17 and Rotterdam? This trip planner doesn't list it, but paper map we received by mail says there is camping available. Thank you!

I remember looking at this as an option before my ride earlier this year (but did not stay there). I just used Google Maps -- couldn't get a street view but there was a decent pic. Seems there is some space to accommodate a tent. Typically asking Lock personnel is adequate for permission.

Here's the pic:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Erie+Canal+Lock+17/@43.0384101,-74.8465783,3a,37.7y/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipMp9716fBnlGKIqpdik6EBDf-QnfGgfEl7hRwLC!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMp9716fBnlGKIqpdik6EBDf-QnfGgfEl7hRwLC%3Dw203-h152-k-no!7i3968!8i2976!4m5!3m4!1s0x89deb6f3b4c8b351:0x30f30d402bacf114!8m2!3d43.0384101!4d-74.8465783

The Erie Mansion is closed until further notice per the owner. Hoping to reopen next spring.

Day I rode from St. Johnsville to Lock 18 (Jackonsburg). Crew was working on paving the section between highway out of Little Falls to the lock. Looked very nice! I was unable to speak to the workers about a possible completion date. So, hopefully a local friend will update cyclists as to when this section will open.

Safe travels!

Can I ride a motorized bicycle on canal path??

The posted signs say "No Motorized Vehicles" so I would take that to mean No. However, I have seen them on the trail. Seems most will disengage when approaching you on the trail or when groups are present. As a multi-use trail I could see a good argument for them to be allowed as they become more popular.

E-bikes are fine, I think those signs are to deter motorcycles and dirt bikes if I were to guess. I see E-bikes all the time any trail I’ve ever been on in the last couple of years and I wouldn’t even notice them if it wasn’t for the fat, battery part of the bike! :-)

So I am trying to plan a ride on the Erie Canal in 2021. Thought I would drive to Buffalo, ride to Albany, then train back to collect car.

Is this possible - there seem to be conflicting answers on taking a bike on the Empire Service train. Can you do it if you leave from Schenectady rather than Albany?

Thanks for any clarity or suggestions.

Mike

Mike, there’s been a few threads on here about that topic. Dive down a few pages into the forums and you should see some of the discussions. It’s not promising though.

Seems to be, like you said, a lot of confusion. Seems like a lot of people are giving up on the trains because of Amtraks mixed Covid related messages and cancellations. There is no guarantee they’ll get their bike on board, dropped reservations out of the blue, and not to mention the messaging from Amtrak is confusing at best. Many are opting for renting a van from one airport to another airport (some local rental places may do one way drop offs but typically only the airports do it).

From the airports you could hire a Lyft or Uber if they’re too far from the trail to safely ride.