Erie Canal Forum

Hi all. I'm planning to ride the canal solo some time in the summer or maybe fall of 2020, and have a list of questions. My tentative plan is to have my wife drop me in Buffalo, and meet me in Albany when I get there. So - questions:

- What's a typical daily mileage? I've done road tours before, like the Dalmac, where we averaged about 60 miles a day. The longest was 85 in flat country, and maybe 40 in hilly areas. That was on the road bike, though. I've also done 2 centuries on that bike. Because most of the canal trail is off pavement, I'm planning to ride my mountain bike. I'm hoping to do maybe 50 miles a day, which would let me complete the ride in about 7 days. I'm not the fastest rider on the route, and don't need to be, but I'm comfortable with the "just keep peddling" approach. I also plan to do a little sightseeing and geocaching along the way, so I figure I'll have 6-9 hours a day riding or at least traveling.

- I plan to travel light, and find a place to stay each night. I'm thinking either motel/hotels, or AirBNBs. Has someone else done this, and how did it work? I haven't stayed at AirBNBs before, but I've done VRBOs, which is similar. Are the hosts OK with staying a single night, on short notice? I expect I'd probably try to find a place to stay based on where I'm at around noon or early afternoon, how much distance I've covered so far that day, what the weather looks like, where the upcoming towns are, etc.

- How hilly is the canal trail? It follows the water, so I expect most of the trail will be fairly flat in those sections. Are there many hills at locks, or where the trail goes thru town?

- Does anyone have any sources to find out about typical weather in upstate NY? I'm retired, so I'm OK with checking the long range forecast and deciding to go at the last minute. But it would be nice to know a bit about what's typical or likely.

- What other questions should I ask? What things am I not thinking of? I've done about 10 multi-day rides before, but they were all organized by a group that puts these on regularly, and I just had to show up with a bike. This is my first solo ride.

The canal tour is fifty miles a day with children riding along. I generally ride 22 miles in a hour and a half.

Erie Canal is an excellent choice for a solo tour. I did the organized Cycle the Erie Canal trip put on by PTNY but have read about many solo tours and such on various bike tour forums. Cross country cyclists on the Northern Tier use this route also. I’d check PTNY’s site for the event as they have a cool interactive map with the route.

Prepare for 50-60 miles a day and flat crushed stone dust trail. Buffalo to Albany direction the locks will go downhill but they’re not that big to be honest. A few sections have been lost forever to time so you’ll detour onto roads but they were lightly travelled and not hilly at all. Ample towns to eat/camp/hotel in, all spaced nicely apart.

Weather in upstate NY is typical NE weather in summer. Hot days and cooler nights but expect humidity. Prep for a day or two of rain, you just never know.

AirBnB hosts should be fine with one night as I’m sure they’re in tune with what touring cyclists need, likely being a major portion of their business but contact them to be sure.

Good info above for you, however the PTNY event is a group event with full support, so overnight info will not offered. AirB&B and VRBO are nearly the same with the thought that, in general, an AirB&B situation will anticipate a shorter stay than VRBO. Often cleaning costs are added so make sure you understand any additional charges that may apply. Don't forget to check out Hostel type offerings as they are good for one-night stays and no-frill. Expect weather much like Michigan weather -- unless you are from the UP. I'm planning a solo ride this coming spring/summer (also retired) and have found this site to be a wealth of information. My plan is to travel light but have a lite tent and sleeping bag. I've been eyeing places along the trail and it seems there should be little problem setting up a tent and nodding off for the night and dine local when I can. Let me know if I can help you out in any way. -bubba

Also look into warmshowers.com and CouchSurfing for over night stays.

@Bop -- I was thinking about adding Couchsurfing as well. I hadn't heard of Warmshowers though. Very cool - thanks for the post.

Thank you all for the replies and info. I have seen the interactive map, but had not considered the hostel option. I'll look into that.

I meant to add that on the PTNY interactive map, you do not have to follow the route south down to Waterloo/Seneca Falls. It’s an overnight stop on the organized trip they run each July.

Are there plenty of hammocking options along the trail? I don't need specially set up 6x6's like they have at Confluence Campground along the GAP trail. Just anyplace with trees or posts 12-15 ft apart.

This may help.

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

I want to bike the erie canal from Buffalo to Albany. should i ride alone or try to find a companion?

I just finished alone from Albany to Buffalo in 4 days. On the whole, I think I would have preferred company to break up the monotony, share the load of a tent, etc. Still doable and has some nice perks going solo though.

I SOLO biked the Katy Trail, The G.A.P and the C&O Canal. I always met really nice people along the way. I'm doing the Erie Canal this May.
Solo means you don't wait for other people, you set your own pace, change your plans as needed. I usally fly into the starrting town, buy a cheap Walmart bike, add my bags and go.

I'm planning a Spring ride Bflo -> Syr (at least) planning solo but would be willing to chat up the ideal of traveling together. I'm thinking that I'd go rather lite. In the early planning stages and would consider through to ALB. Appears we live relatively close - I can be in Naples in an hour.

A group of us typically ride for a week during the summer (GAP, C & O, Katy) we typically go 30-60 miles a day. Interested in starting from Buffalo or Syracuse the concern is how m,any and how long are the "road sections"? We typically like to ride on bike trails and avoid shared roads.

I feel the same way and the Canalway has a lot of road sections. BUT I was impressed by how wide and safe the NY bike lanes were

Mark, with the Gov's goal of completing the trail in 2020, you should see less and less road sections. That said, most of the road sections are more like gaps than long distances. Additionally, many of those sections would be in more rural areas so road sharing is in less congested traffic areas.

Would like to know about shuttle service that can accommodate a tandem from Albany to probably Rochester. Thanks

Not sure what you're looking for here, but I've got a hiking trip coming up in VT that I could arrange to pick up your bike get your bike to ROC

Nice hotel - large comfortable room with kitchen, indoor pool (no hot tub though), good breakfast, super clean, restaurants around.

About 1.75 mile ride from Lock 33: Edgewood Road to Jefferson, then west.

Are the trails road bike friendly??

I'm really eager to hear the answer to this as well!

What do you consider road friendly? I'm riding a Trek Domane and have see many different road bikes along it all the time. It's a hard pack trail that I have traveled many times from Hulberton to Newark. If you're looking for a smooth piece of asphalt, ride where your at.

The paved section in my area has root bumps bulging up here and there from the trees. Spots that will require you to cross roads. People walking dogs, kids. It's a MUP path in the larger towns.

Here, watch this. See if it's your cup of tea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziRwUGTwfQw

Here's another good look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODe2OvBQtMo

HI, We did a trip from Lockport to Syracuse on the Erie Canal in June and I had a road bike- I was fine- There was a sandy section on the first day and our group elected to ride on the backroads for that small section- But most of the trail was absolutely fine.

Margaret

I am asking the same question myself since I love my road bike.

From Utica eastward is mostly paved thus a road bike is fine. The "stone dust" is okay with my hybrid but I'm going to take my road bike on stone dust soon (like in the next week or so).

But I'm wondering if all "stone dust" is created equal because there's a part of it, east of Little Falls, that listed as stone dust and is more like a 4 wheeler path through the forest than anything else.

In the end, I might upgrade my road bike tires to the biggest, fattest ones I can put on it and go for it!

Eva.... How far are you going on the Canal?

If you are doing a day trip, road bikes are fine.

But I am trying to do a Buffalo to Albany trip and I'm asking myself the same question and I've spent the greater part of this summer trying to get the right answer, trying different bikes (Mtn, road, Hybrid etc) and different tires. I've decided that doing end to end is possible with a road bike but I'm outfitting it with the best/widest/most rugged tires and tubes I can buy because parts of the canal trail is less than ideal for a road bike tire :) And I'm assuming a flat tire or two but that's the price I have to pay to use my beloved road bike.

Enjoy.

Hi, This 'road bike?' discussion is very helpful for me. I love my Canondale roadbike, which is super light, and I'm planning to fly it over from Malaysia to do the Erie Canal Trail from Buffalo to Albany in early June 2020. Currently I'm training on the roads and small padi field paths on the island of Langkawi and every time I meet gravel I have to slow right down as I can easily skid. My tires are 28mm.

I need to know are these 28mm roadbike tires going to be ok on the trail gravel, or do I need a whole new bike with gravel grinder tires? (We have a support vehicle, so I don't have to bring stuff.)

As I said last year. I'm running Bontrager R1 Hard-Case Lite, wire bead, 60 tpi, 700x28c on the canal since 2013 on this type of tyre. I haven't any trouble worth talking about.

There was a soft spot here and there from trail repairs on the section I ride a couple of times a week last year. That would be from Medina to Greece. I have been as far as Palmyra. I can't speak for the remainder of the trail.

Lisa Langkawi: after much Erie Canal biking (on the eastern end), I have decided to use my much beloved road bike for an end to end trip but it will be outfitted with 28mm tires and a kevlar type of tires like the Continental GatorSkin or Schwalbe Marathon tires. There are many brands and those are just two of them. But I have heard enough from people who say that 28mm tires on a road bike is good enough.

HI, We just road the Erie Canal last summer and I rode it on a road bike with 27 1/4 Continental Touring Tires- I was fine- no flats, no worries- In most places the trail was fine- even on a really rainy day!

Registration is open for Parks & Trails New York’s 22nd annual Cycle the Erie Canal tour, an opportunity to bike across New York state and take in the rich history of the legendary canal that transformed America. The eight-day, 400-mile recreational bicycle tour from Buffalo to Albany is scheduled for July 12 to 19.
....

Full article:
https://www.fltimes.com/briefs/registration-open-for-cycle-the-erie-canal/article_7d739a52-7461-53dc-ad3a-624b36167d7f.html

This is a great ride!

I did the 19th version and had a fantastic time. Nice sized week long bike tour that has a fair amount of people (650 plus volunteer support staff) but not too large, like RAGBRAI, to feel overwhelming.

Parks and Trails New York (PTNY) does a great job organizing this. Breakfasts, dinners, shuttles into town, painted spots on the route for turns, rest stops/snack stations, luggage trucks, mobile shower trucks, device charging stations, and places to camp outdoors.

They also arranged for "indoor camping" if you didn't feel like camping outside. Four of the seven nights you could have slept on a gymnasium floor at the schools we stayed at. Plenty of room available. The three remaining nights were spent at a city park, Fort Stanwix, and a community center. If you wanted indoor camping at these three sites, you had an artificial grass covered indoor sports field, the YMCA or Elks Club, and numerous community center rooms respectively.

The buses back to Buffalo are all easily arranged. They do such a great job putting this together.

Highly recommend this tour.

John

I want to fly into utica and out of albany--is there a bike rental option that I could rent in utica, and drop off in albany? Thanks!

I have the same question but from Buffalo to Albany.

I want to bike the trail this Spring - can my wife meet me and spend the night in an RV?

In 2014, I took a self supported trip from Buffalo to Albany on the trail. I'm looking forward to another trip this summer. I recall that it was about 80 percent complete back then. It was like bicycling through a living history of transportation. Can't wait.

Are there hot showers? Do they allow small dogs?

Not directly on the Erie Canal, but it's very accessible in Buffalo and very cool - a ride to Niagara Falls from the Peace Bridge.
https://youtu.be/Tmy5Imz9fKw
Thanks to Pat StillRiding for sharing

Thanks for sharing Ray. This ride was so fun.

Love the video looking forward to this as an addon ride.

Hi looking to find a hotel for group to stay at for ist night prior to start of ride to Albany. Will also need to have parking for car to be left at for return to pick up. Planner only gives two hotels which I do not know how close to trail. Will be riding in August or late September.

Avoid the Econolodge Dewitt. Rooms came with condoms!

I plan on biking the full length of the canal next spring from west to east, probably around 60 - 70 miles per day along with 5 friends. We want to stay in hotels or B&Bs.

Are there any outfitters that will carry our clothes etc., to our lodging each day. Also wondering what the transportation options are for getting ourselves and our bikes back from Albany to our Western start once we finish.

I did the Erie Canal ride this past may over 6 days. I used https://www.gobikeerie.com/ which is now GREAT AMERICAN BIKE TOURS https://www.cycletheusa.com/
I rented a hybrid and pannier bags from them, and they provided phone map application of the route as well as took care of hotel reservations. I was a solo loosely supported rider, but there was a group of four woman that were supported. It was a bit expensive. I flew into Buffalo. Took the bus (<$5) to downtown where they met us at the hotel and had my bike and equipment waiting. The ride was fairly easy, but about 11 miles of it had the wrong crushed stone, so it was very loose and mushy. Parts of the ride a definitely on roadways, but not too bad. When I got to Albany, I just left the bike at the hotel and they cam later and picked it up. I took the hotel shuttle to the Albany airport and flew home. I understand they will suttle you if you need it.

Hi everyone! I'm running/hiking from Buffalo to Syracuse (tentatively in mid-late spring). I plan on doing this over the course of 5 days. I've done adventure runs like this before (I ran across Ireland a few years ago). Just wanted to throw this out here in case anyone was interested in joining for some training or a portion of the actual event. If so, you can email me at ryansauerman@yahoo.com -subject: Buffalo-Syracuse trip. I hope to see you out on the trail!

If you had to choose only half of the Canal to bike which end would you choose.

Just finished route from Albany to Buffalo (before it was snowing). Because of the headwinds, I would say Syracuse to Albany would be my choice. Plenty to see on each leg. Be sure to visit the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse.

I rode the Cycle the Erie Canal event in 2017 and I would choose the western end, Buffalo to Syracuse. Just my personal opinion as it seems more of the canal is intact and on trails in this half. The first miles out of Buffalo to the Tonawandas are paved. I would do west to east as prevailing winds typically go that way and also at the locks you are going downhill as opposed to uphill but these are not very noticeable to be fair. Either way is fine though, it's great riding either end!

Gday!
I'm considering doing a section of the canal trail going west to east at the end of this month. I've been checking out different websites to inform myself about the bike trail but thought I'd ask about some specifics.
I'd do a more eastern part since I'm driving from the Boston area. I'm thinking of a 3 day trip, staying in cities/towns along trail. Good places to eat. Then of course, transport back to my starting point.
I haven't done a whole lot of riding lately and I'm not exactly a spring chicken (I'm an active, healthy 71).
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you;
Lindsey English

Planning On cycling the Canal next weekend in its entierity, heard of a lot of rain hitting central New York last few days, curious if anyone has intel on conditions of the path now.

Wet. There has been a lot of flooding on the eastern end of the EC. This doesn't effect the trail much but where there is "stone dust", you might run into a certain amount of mud.

If you are tenting, finding a dry piece of ground will not be as easy as if you were doing in mid July. But none of this should stop your efforts. Best of luck to you.

I'm planning a three day ride with my pal who has asthma. Would like to do about 35-35 miles a day. We are planning to stay at local B&B's. Can anyone recommend a section of the EC that would be scenic and have B&B's available for three nights ? Also , I was thinking of hiring an Uber each morning to bring our gear / gym bag to our next stop . Any thoughts on that cost ?
Thanks for your assistance....

I just met a couple that were doing the Buffalo to Albany trip and they said that the only thing they would change on the trip is that they would NOT start in Buffalo but rather at the start of the Erie Canal itself in Tonawanda. They didn't offer details but they were less than thrilled by this section.

Does anyone have insight to this section? Is it "bad"? I've thought about starting in Tonawanda but I'm not sure. Please advise.

This 1st part pertains to part of the EC trail leaving downtown Buffalo, along the Niagara River heading North:

The part of the Shoreline Trail that was closed since spring for water line repairs at the GM Tonawanda Engine plant has reopened to walkers and bicyclists.

The project's general contractor informed Erie County officials Thursday that they've refilled and paved over where crews had worked and they've removed the fencing that cut off the trail.

The lengthy construction period frustrated users of the Riverwalk section of the trail that runs along the Niagara River and Lake Erie.

This is a another piece of recent good news:

A 2.1-mile gap in the Erie Canalway Trail was closed this year with the construction of a trail along East Canal Road in Pendleton, from Tonawanda Creek to Feigle Road.

The completion of the $4.5 million project will be marked with a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Feigle Road trailhead parking lot.

John,
Canalside is downtown Buffalo is a beautiful recently restored area with lots to see and do, including the adjacent Naval Park with a couple large Naval ships and WW II era submarine. The trail leaving Canalside winds through some downtown parks and townhome developments along the Lake Erie Harbor to the beginning of the Niagara River at the Peace Bridge where there is a brand new scenic ramp taking bikers and walkers from one grade to another. From that point there are some not great sections along Niagara Street for less than a mile, and then that wind around various roads and hwy on/off ramps for another mile or so. You have to be on your toes to follow the trail, as it is pretty choppy in this section. Eventually the dedicated path resumes and follows the edge of the Niagara River, which is beautiful, even though a highway runs next to the path but is well separated by a fence and landscaping. The trail then passes by some older industrial areas on the way toward Tonawanda, but over all this section is good to go.

Thank you for the information!!