Erie Canal Bike Trail Forum

Gail B from Bennington VT on 3/7/2023 8:13:12 AM:

Hi folks,
My boyfriend and I are planning a four day bike ride on the trail in June. We are looking for transportation with our bikes from Pittsford to Tonawanda or somewhere close by to these towns. Is there a bus, train, shuttle service, that anyone knows of? Also, we would love to find a service that could shuttle our luggage from place to place. Thanks for your input. ??

Bob from Albany NY on 3/7/2023 3:55:03 PM:

Train stops near your points would be Rochester (near Pittsford) and Buffalo (near Tonawanda) shuttle for gear will be hard to find and probably costly. I’m not sure about bus service.

Bill in Houston from Houston on 3/7/2023 5:22:05 PM:

Getting bikes onto a train when and where you want is a crapshoot. If I lived in Rochester near the train station and was planning to camp or sleep under a bridge, then I might try to take the train. But I don't, and wifey likes to sleep on a bed, so we need reservations, so I can't take the risk on the train.

So, I've been around here a bit, and I even looked to see where Bennington is, and here's what I'd suggest.

*Park at the Amtrak parking in Buffalo, which is supposed to be nice and safe and reasonably priced.

*Ride 4 days to Rochester. Get a hotel in Rochester, get some sleep.

*In the morning, pack all your stuff and your bikes and ask the hotel to hang onto it for you. (make sure they are cool with this ahead of time, of course). Check out of the hotel.

*Take Amtrak to Buffalo, jump in your car, drive back to Rochester, collect your stuff from the hotel, and then drive a little further and spend the night somewhere cool in the finger lakes area.

*Next day, drive the rest of the way home.

This saves you from trying to get your bikes and luggage on the train, but lets you have a train ride as a shuttle. Your car is parked somewhere safe. Your driving distances are easy.

Yankee John from Braintree VT on 3/8/2023 11:21:31 AM:

Take the Amtrak from Rochester to Buffalo. You need to make a reservation for the bicycles, which locks in your dates, but it's reliable and inexpensive. The ride from Pittsford to downtown Rochester is pleasant. The bike trails around downtown Rochester have been improved over the years, with some information kiosks and overlooks on the Genessee River, etc.

Anonymous on 6/5/2023 8:21:42 PM:

Wilderness Voyagers may offer some sort of shuttle service. I know that they do for the GAP.

Transportation