Erie Canal Forum

I am planning a 3-4 day ride on the Erie Canal Trail this summer. We'll be driving from Churchill, PA, which is about 10 miles east of dowtown Pitttsburgh. My husband will be my support in our car, shuttling me and my bike and our luggage. I would like to bike around 20-25 miles a day. We'll want to stay in B & Bs or hotels/motels. We'd like to have some time to enjoy towns we are staying in. I'll be using this website to help in the planning.

At the moment I'm thinking of driving to Buffalo, enjoy a few sights there. The next day drive to Tonawanda, and start my ride there. Bike to Lockport. Second day bike from Lockport to Medina. The third day bike from Medina to Holley. That would be the end of the trip.

My two questions for now are:

1. Is there one or more books that are helpful for planning Erie Canal biking trips?

2. Any recommendations on an itinerary would be welcome, including a good starting point.


Thanks in advance for your help.

Try to find a copy of the book: Cycling the Erie Canal, Revised Edition: A Guide to 400 Miles of Adventure and History Along the Erie Canalway Trail (Parks & Trails New York) Spiral-bound – August 1, 2015.

I believe it may be out of print, and only used copies are available on Amazon: it is pricey.... but it has all of the detail and info you need. I have a copy.... it is worth it.

You can find the table of contents of that book by clicking on the "Table of Contents" button at https://sunypress.edu/Books/C/Cycling-the-Erie-Canal-Revised-Edition

Biking the canal is a life goal for many people. If you get a copy of this book, you'll be able to pin-point sections of the canal that may be most interesting to you... and just bike those sections... if you have a car and bike rack.

Since you live near Pittsburg, there is another bike trail that you might consider: the bike trail from Fort Erie, Ontario to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario along the Niagara Parkway that goes along the Niagara river starting from the Peace Bridge the links Buffalo to Ft Erie. It is a seldom traveled route... and very, very scenic. It is safe, and there are parking lots along the way to park you car and start biking.... that takes you along the Niagara River on the Canadian side to the Canadian Niagara Falls ... a true wonder of the world... then, to Niagara on the Lake... and then all the way to Lake Ontario. Check it out on Google maps. As long as you are in the area... it is a must-see, must-do sort of thing. THere are many bike rides that are good that aren't along the canal.


I recommend that pricey book, and looking at the https://www.alltrails.com/ web site. The web site is good, but the book is definitive with much more detail.

If the price of the book bothers you, you'll be able to sell it on Ebay with little problem.

Thanks, this is very helpful.

This website and Google Maps are great resources.

Your itinerary looks good to me.

In Tonawanda, Niawanda Park looks like a nice starting point, and it lets you see the river, which is cool.

We stayed at a BnB in Medina, but the Hart Hotel would have been preferred, since it's right in town.

Thanks Bill, the Hart Hotel in Medina looks like a place we'd enjoy. They even have a Churchill Room!

Have I seen your posts on the bikecando.com site? I love biking there, and will be training for my Erie Canal ride on the Jail Trail.

Free Map

https://empiretrail.ny.gov/request-map

Yes, Cathy, we also rode the GAP portion of C&O and have been active over on that forum. Ray runs good sites. :)

You DEFINITELY need to stay in the Churchill room. :)

If you make it all the way to Holley, Barber's Grill and Taproom would be a great place for a celebration dinner.

Two of us will be riding the trail from Buffalo to Albany with this itinerary. Take bike train from Albany to Buffalo, even though we booked 8 months in advance we got the last 2 bicycle spots. Staying at Buffalo Marriott $$$ due to comfort and their proximity to the train station and trail head. Day 1 ride to Gasport 43.1 miles with a stop in Lockport (34 mi) to tour locks etc. Overnight at Becker Farms Vineyard and Brewery 1.4 miles from trail. Day 2 ride to Rochester 52 miles overnight at Quality Inn 0.4 miles from trail. Day 3 ride to Newark 35 miles stay at Vintage Gardens B&B. Day 4 ride to Syracuse 61 miles overnight at my daughter’s home, wife will visit and we get to see grandson. Day 5 ride to Utica 61 miles Overnight at Days Inn 0.2 miles from trail. Day 6 ride to Amsterdam 66 miles overnight at the Castle $$$$ 0.3 miles from trail. Day 7 ride to Albany 47 miles and I’ll be back home for dinner. Lodging and 2 bike train tickets totaled $1456 split 2 ways = $728 each even if we splurge on meals which we will it is a bargain. Trip distances could have been more balanced but I wanted some specific places to overnight.

Just don't get lost in the Utica Swamp. Getting lost plus 61 miles would be rough.

I'm hoping to bike part of the Erie Canal Trail this summer. My husband will be my support, shuttling me from trail to hotel, etc. I biked on the Erie Canal Trail several years ago with Wilderness Voyageurs tour company. I remember seeing boats on the canal, they were not very big, appeared to have some type of accomodations on them. Sometimes you'd see one or more bikes on the boat. It appeared to be something people could perhaps rent? Does anyone know about these and who I contact to inquire about one?

PS Is Ray still the webmaster on this site? If so, hi Ray, I used to live in Jefferson City, MO and bike the Katy Trail, then lived in Pittsburgh, and I now live in Churchill, PA (10 miles from dt Pittsburgh). I love these sites, the Bikecando and BikeKatyTrail sites have helped me so much over the years.

Are you talking about these? Fairly pricey I believe.
https://eriecanaladventures.com/366-2/

Thanks, that is what I was looking for. You're right, they are pricey.

We may end up doing hotels/b&bs for this trip. Maybe down the road I can talk my sisters and daughter into joining us for one of these boat rentals so we can split the cost.

Hi Cathy - glad to hear that you are still enjoying the trails!

Yes I am still running the websites, and have expanded to a handful of additional trails. See https://trailhub.com for a full list.

Happy new year - hope you have a great year of riding the trails!

https://eriecanaladventures.com/

https://eriecanalcruises.com/

Hello, does anyone know if there are good conditions for cross country skiing anywhere on the trail at this time? Thank you!

Golly! That's a hard question to answer! Could it depend on personal tastes and preferences about the weather?

Here is a web page from the NY State Dept of Conservation that describes cross country skiing activities in the state's many parks: https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/353.html

You may be well advised to focused on that page's info for Regions 6,7,8, and 9... since they cover geographic areas that the canal runs thru. Also, you might be able to use info on those pages to identify areas that pertain more specifically to where the canal is.

I think weather in NYS has changed somewhat over the past 50 years... that may be described as being more variable with greater extrenes,,, with perhaps even greater severe snow storms and sudden "corrections" in winter temperatures that would not be good for XC skiing. Probably best to do a little research on daily temperatures for the locations you are interested in... that can be found with a little effort on the National Weather Service web site.

Good luck and have fun!

How do you get from the terminus of the canalway in Albany to the train station. Can you bike it? Many thanks!

search the forum for Dunn Memorial Bridge, the post there describes how to get to the station.

Thank you!

Hi

We're planning to ride the trail from Buffalo to Battery Park. There will be 3 of us and we are trying to decide whether to bring our own bikes (preferred option), hire bikes in New York city or buy reasonably cheap bikes then try and sell them before we fly home.
If we bring our own bikes I'm looking at hiring a car to drive them out to the start point at Buffalo. We're just a bit concerned how to get the bikes from the airport to the hotel at the start and then from Battery Park back to the hotel when we finish. (Hopefully staying at the same hotel near the airport at the start and end).
Any advice would be appreciated,
Thanks

Try getting info from the AMTRAK train that goes from NYC to Buffalo. They allow a small number of bikes on the train... so plan it soon.

My understanding this that if you try to arrange it online, you may be sorry... and if you talk with someone on the phone, they can be more accommodating.

You might consider breaking up your travel to take the train in places where you might not rather bike. LIke in Buffalo and in NYC. Crazy traffic.

However, if you are in Buffalo, think about taking the road along the Niagara River from Fort Erie (across the river from Buffalo)... and follow the river trail to Lake Ontario. It will take you by the Niagra Falls... best view from the Canadian side.... and one of the wonders of the world, I should add. You won't be disappointed.

If you ride the Canadian side go all the way to Niagara-on-the-Lake and stay in a B&B in one of the vinyards. It's pricey but worth it. The ride along river chasm is impressive but very exposed, do it in the morning or you will roast. The only way back to the US is walking your bikes across the Rainbow Bridge with the pedestrians, but it's quite a beautiful walk that you would'nt ride anyway.

I am planning to ride from Buffalo to Albany in early-mid June 2023, dates are flexible. I can't help you regarding your travel plans but I would like ride along with your group if your plans coincide with mine.
Buffalo to Albany, early to mid-June. Six or seven days to cover the 360 miles. No camping, hotels, AB&B, restaurants and cafes.

Wouldn't you rent the vehicle at the airport, put your bikes in it, drive to your overnight lodging in NYC, and then drive to Buffalo the next day?

On your return, you could just get an Uber from the hotel to the airport.

Hi Bill, that is one of the things we are looking at, but its just being able to fit 3 people, 3 bikes and all the gear into an uber. We would also need to find somewhere to get boxes and padding to pack the bikes for the journey home.

Take very little bike gear and take AMTRAK to the Albany-Rensalaer Station.

Why bike? Why not hitch-hike? Its coming back into style... and you can choose your own routes... along the canal.

https://hitchwiki.org/en/New_York_State

Looking for lodging near Amsterdam NY near bike trail. I’ve seen a lot of negative comments and was wondering what others have experienced. Thanks

Staying at Amsterdam Castle

My brother and I rode the entire Erie Canal Trailway this past June and stayed at the Amsterdam Castle. It was a fabulous room with all of the conveniences. It was well-decorated and offered all of the comforts you would need after a long trek on the trail. We had a great dinner at the local wood-fired pizza place just down the street from the castle. The only inconvenience was there wasn't a close place for breakfast, but we made it work out with our packed food. When I ride the Erie Canal again, and if I'm in Amsterdam for the night, I will stay at the Castle again.

The castle is OK, but expensive. Desk staff did some dumb stuff that made our stay less pleasant, and there was no food, but the physical facility is fine.

When you reserve your room, specifically state that you want a room with good internet and with currently properly functioning air conditioning. Make the same request when you check in.

Get Chicken Riggies at Shorty's for dinner and then hit Evolve Eatery for breakfast. :)

It looks like there are limited lodging options in town in Palmyra. What are the roads like if we bike from the cancel to the Best Western? shoulder? traffic?

Thanks

I use Google Maps Street View to scope out the roads. Maybe try that if nobody responds.

I wanted to take the train to Buffalo with my bike this week. However, the train is only 60% full but the bike spots are sold out. Does Anyone have any ideas?

Ed,
Keep trying to get that bike reservation. My brother couldn't get a ticket for his bike either, but checked a few days later and a spot became available - so he grabbed it right away. This was just a few days ago. You might try calling them as well.

Try booking your bike for various legs of the trip on Amtrak, since the booked reservations might not be for the whole trip. Maybe you can take the bike Utica or Syracuse to Buffalo and leave your car in Utica/Syracuse. Then take the train from SCTDY/ALB back to Utica/Syracuse without your bike to pick up your car.

We rode the C&O and GAP last year. We decided to go east to west because it was easier to find bike tickets out of Pittsburgh than out of DC. I noticed when we stopped at towns between the two, plenty of people put their bikes in the baggage compartment, which had plenty of space. They did this even though the bike racks (i.e. where they put the ticketed bikes) were full. My takeaway was that Amtrak may let you take your bike onboard even if you don't have a ticket. I haven't been brave enough to try this, but I'm curious if others have.

I heard about this issue, so we rented a car in Albany and am dropping it off In Buffalo. Paid extra for the one way, but it wasn’t much more than the train tickets.

Yeah, we have never been able to make the train make sense when we compared it to a one way car rental. Add in the risk of Amtrak just flat out cancelling you with no notice, and the car becomes a no-brainer.

I had a similar problem last spring when riding the GAP/C&O trail. Bike transport available Chic to Pitts, no bike available Wash DC to Chicago. It turns out, Amtrack allows you to box you bike and it travels as luggage, they provide the box for $15 and all you need to do is turn your handlebars and remove panniers. Racks, fenders and wheels all stay on. Most amtrack customer service reps don’t seem to know of this optio. Call the station luggage phone line to confirm, this service may not be available everywhere,

Are there any bike shops along the paved sections of the trail that rent electric assist bikes? Thanks

I would think that Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, at a minimum, would have bike shops that rent out e-bikes. Have never looked, but that's my hunch.

The best strategy is calling Amtrak ticket reservations and speaking with a live agent. You might be on hold for 10 mins but they can see all of the bike ticket openings that you can’t.

If you can’t get the date you want, ask them what days have bike ticket openings during the week of such and such and pick from there.

Good luck,
John

Where are the off road sections of the Erie Canal ny

If you look at the map, you can see where the trail is on a road, and where it is separate. I might not be understanding the question.

Can anyone recommend good places along the trail to charge an ebike during the day? My bike has a battery that cannot be removed so the bike itself needs to be plugged in. Thank you

If you want to plan it tightly, you could look ahead to places where you could eat lunch, and then call them now to see if they have an outlet outdoors. And you better bring a long cord...

Some of the towns on the eastern half have boat tie-ups with utilities that you ought to be able to plug into.

Seems like you can find outlets on the outside of convenience stores, grocery stores, little shopping centers, gazebos at parks, churches, etc.

As long as you are physically able to pedal your bike with a dead battery, I wouldn't worry about it. Stop and have a drink and a snack at an outlet every so often.

Just make super sure that you don't have a dead battery for the on-road stretches, as those are much hillier, especially on the day you ride into Weedsport.

We are planning a trip from troy to rochester next year and we also have bikes with batteries that cannot be removed. Wondering if you would share your actual experience with finding outlets along the way to top off.

I’d like to plan 40-50 miles a day whereas our batteries are rated for max 40 miles.

Thanks.

We are planning to ride from Niagara Falls and hit the Erie Canal trail at North Tonawanda. I previously had something on that but now cannot find anything on it. Is their a trail linking the two or do we need to take roads. Any guidance would be appreciated!

Try this:
TONAWANDA & NORTH BUFFALO RAIL TRAILS:

NORTH BUFFALO SPUR TRAIL:

I used this to connect from Depew to Niagara5\The Minnesota Linear Park has one official trail. There are two other trails however, if you are willing to look around.

Thank you who responded to this post I had this exact question. I really didn’t want to take my bike on any major highways. So thank you again

Unfortunately there is not a 100% bike path that will take you from Niagara Falls to North tonawanda. There is a section that you will have to take the road for and that is a dangerous section of road. The cars go fast and there is little room for a bike lane. Be careful.

Hello Gretchen so from Niagara Falls I rode nheading north we were able to get on the Niagara Gorge trail into Lewiston which is a beautiful little town with coffee shops restaurants and lodging (we spent the night there) the next day we rode the bikes to Old Fort Niagara which was beautiful to see lake Ontario we did ride the rode it wasn't awful 18F to 18 parelling lake Ontario we rode until Rt 78 south and made our way into lockport were we spent the night and were able to get on the Erie Canal. I dont know why they wouldn't extent that trail into Fort Niagara Lewiston and Youngstown are beautiful quaint little towns!

Hello Gretchen so from Niagara Falls I rode nheading north we were able to get on the Niagara Gorge trail into Lewiston which is a beautiful little town with coffee shops restaurants and lodging (we spent the night there) the next day we rode the bikes to Old Fort Niagara which was beautiful to see lake Ontario we did ride the rode it wasn't awful 18F to 18 parelling lake Ontario we rode until Rt 78 south and made our way into lockport were we spent the night and were able to get on the Erie Canal. I dont know why they wouldn't extent that trail into Fort Niagara Lewiston and Youngstown are beautiful quaint little towns!

Hi folks -- wondering about parking for 3 days in one of the small parking areas next to the trail in Verona. We will be starting our trip there and ending in Albany. I could park at the hotel where we are staying but it would be a five mile ride to just get on the trail.

Is overnight parking or multi day parking allowed at this station?

Is there a company that can transport our luggage daily , inn to inn as we traverse the Erie canal next September, 2023?