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Camping on the Canal Rochester to Buffalo


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PedalinPam from Rochester on 3/19/2021 1:40:58 PM:
Planning to ride a long weekend Rochester to Buffalo and back on the canal, but I want to camp! It doesn't appear to be an easy task. Can anyone help? Offer advice?

 
Bop from Rochester on 3/19/2021 3:23:18 PM:
Not going to be a big help here. I've seen tents setup along the north side of the canal from time to time. Coming from Hulberton NY to Greece.

There's spots at Henpeck park in Greece before Rochester for tents. But I don't know if it's allowed. Stealth camping my be order of the day most of the way.

On the big July ride I believe they do 50 miles a day. Which get's you to Rochester on night two..

 
wnybubba from Bflo/ROC on 3/19/2021 9:43:59 PM:
Not an easy task... Not really!
Can you provide more information on the plan? How many miles are you planning to ride in a day, what is your timing, etc.?

ROC - BFLO: For most, this is more than a days ride (93 miles or close to an 8-hour bike ride), so are you planning on an overnight on the way to, an overnight once in Bflo and then another overnight on the return? If so, that's three nights on the trail. Next, where do you want to camp? A private campground, in a Canalway "semi-designated" camping area or trailside? All are possible. I stayed right off trail on a lawn (with permission) near Medina without any plan. However, just looking outside of Medina (a bit east), right at Bates Road the trail goes up and over the roadway and back down. Just to the west side is a boat launch area and you can see a large grassy area close by and another decent area further down the trail. Either looks ideal and somewhere near 1/2 way.

I "found" these by using Google Maps, went to Street Level and looked around. I couldn't get to the Conservation Club (Identified on the map) or the Launch but saw the sign on the road. So I went into the Satellite mode and -- wow... you can see that this would be a nice place to bivouac for the evening. Next morning you're right in Medina for breakfast (unless you want to prepare at camp) and on the trail into Bflo in about 4 hours -- you'd be there by noon.

Where you would camp in the Buffalo area might be a bit more difficult. I'm sure you could find campgrounds. Trailside after Tonawanda would probably be difficult, but around that area might be something. Nothing says you can't call the City of Tonawanda or City of North Tonawanda (either side of the Canal) and ask the police department if there was a park or anywhere you might be able to set up camp. Also, there is a hostel in downtown Buffalo.

Lastly, as you will learn while riding, there are a multitude of places trailside that can accommodate an overnight tent. The hard part here is that you don't know exactly where they are. But, once you feel you are nearing where you want to stop, start looking for a spot that would work. The trail is pretty rural between the little towns along that way. Also, when you are planning, think about your time planning -- for instance, leaving Rochester afternoon on Day 1 puts you near Medina 4-ish hours into a ride. In other words, enough time to get dinner and set up camp. Leaving early morning puts you half-way by mid-day, but then you have time to visit places, take a swim, relax or whatever. You just need to think it through.

If you need more info, just post or give us a better idea of how you are looking to pull this off. All fun and all doable.

 
Bop from Rochester on 3/20/2021 10:08:19 AM:
Whoops, managed to misread the trip destination.

 
Bktourer1 from Da Bronx (living in Mass) on 3/29/2021 4:27:44 PM:
Call the town offices along the canal. You may get permission to camp at town parks