Canalway Challenge Testimonial: Cycling the Trail
Guest blogger Chad Rogers biked the length of the Erie Canalway trail in the summer of 2019. Here he shares his experience, including gaining a deeper appreciation for his new home in upstate New York.
Chad Rogers is an assistant professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Union College in Schenectady. He is also the husband of the League’s Director of Communications.
In the late Summer of 2019 I rode the 365-mile length of the Erie Canalway Trail from Buffalo to Albany. I had recently moved to New York from the Midwest and am an enthusiastic, if inexpert, touring cyclist. In my opinion bicycle touring is a great activity, one that combines exercise, travel, exploration, sightseeing, and a little bit of problem solving. During my trip I talked to lots of people, visited many towns and historic places, and logged a lot of miles on my bike. I finished the trip in one piece, with a deep sense of gratitude for the wonderful resources of the Canalway Trail and the Erie Canal itself. Historically speaking, the Erie Canal represents a major artery connecting America to the rest of the world, and in some sense, the pre-Industrialized world to the post-. Even now the canal connects many communities, including my own, across New York State.
A section of car-free trail with water on both sides
My trip started in Schenectady, where I rode from my then-apartment to Schenectady Train Station to catch the Amtrak Empire service, which allowed bicycle luggage for my trip to Buffalo. I was thoroughly packed for this trip — I had no car support (someone following me with a car and the comforts of home therein), and I intended to spent most of my nights tent camping. After a late night arrival to the hotel in Buffalo, I gathered myself and caught a city bus to the trailhead Downtown. There I began the ride northward, along the beautiful blue and swift Niagara to Tonawanda, where I would turn east and ride the rest of the way along the canal to Albany. The views along this northward stretch were gorgeous — views of aircraft carriers and summer homes along the water, riding along beautiful city parks, over bridges, and alongside long-forgotten relics of former industry. If I had continued north just a dozen or so miles I would have reached Niagara Falls and the Canadian border. The first, but not the only, side trip I would have to decline in order to stay on schedule.
A view of Lock 35 in Lockport
Tonawanda began a string of charming historic towns built along the canal with a long history. Many of these towns share similar features: a bridge over the canal, sometimes a canal lock, a downtown area that could be as few as two buildings or several city blocks, park areas along the path for cyclists and other travelers, and a generous number of historical markers. These towns all share a similar history of industrialized commerce along the canal that declined after the railroads became the new form of commercial connection across America. How the towns reinvented themselves afterward varies widely. Many of these towns have become reinvigorated with the canal bringing summer tourists such as Lockport, Fairport, and Little Falls. Lockport has a gorgeous lock downtown and a beautiful lush park area in its lower sections that attracts summer revelers in good weather. Fairport has spent millions to have a lively and attractive waterfront with ice cream parlors, merchants, live music, and an active bar and restaurant scene.
It is worth noting that the Erie Canalway Trail has an impressive amount of mileage that is car free. Much of the trail runs on the flat former towpaths along the canal, either asphalt or chat. In this way the trail is truly unique in connecting hundreds of miles of communities in a very safe, fun, and accessible manner. However, there are certain sections that are not car free and could be more difficult for novice riders. The ride from Lyons to Weedsport is largely along bicycle highway. There is ample riding on the shoulder, but on two-lane highway. While it may be intimidating for some riders, I will note that I was passed by a troupe of girl scouts who were performing the same ride as I was (albeit with car support). That section also goes through the historic towns of Lyons and Clyde, as well as passing through beautiful Amish country. At several sections I was tempted to turn south and head for the Finger Lakes, Waterloo, and Seneca Falls. Yet I pressed on, eager to meet a friend on time waiting to meet me in Syracuse.
The sunset at Verona Beach State Park
The ride from Syracuse was beautiful along sections of parks and planned trail. We turned north off the trail toward Oneida lake and camped at Verona Beach State Park. We spent the evening having dinner at a lakeside bar and grill while the sun set along the lake. It felt oddly Floridian for being in Central New York.
The next day we rode on empty country roads and rejoined the trail at State Bridge, then headed to Rome where we got great donuts and saw the National Historic Site at Fort Stanwix. Then we rode on to Utica for a proper Utica Club. Most of the day was car free aside from a tough portion from Utica to Little Falls, which is a scenic small town, with restaurants, a marina, and an outdoor natural climbing wall along the canal. We camped at the marina, and the attendant there gave us a an impromptu tour of the old canal house. She reveled as she showed us the hand rails for the loading docks where a century of wear had lefts imprints of countless fingers in the wood grain.
The trail with Fort Stanwix just ahead
The entire time our weather had been exceptional. Fair days with little rain (rain makes riding dangerous, particularly in the sections that are not car free, and annoying, particularly when carrying all of your belongings on bike-mounted satchels), but a massive storm was coming so we made haste to Schenectady, where home was but 45 miles away. I was struck by how much beauty there was in the hills along the Mohawk, and that is was so close to my home. There were also historic places like the many locks and the ruins of the Canajoharie Bridge, which with its crumbling pillars resembled something from Antiquity.
Even though it is where I call home, I think it bears mentioning that Schenectady, especially along the bike trail, is one of the most beautiful and historically interesting spots on the whole trip. The town has a beautifully revamped commercial district focused around the famous Proctor’s Theatre, the Mohawk River, and the Stockade, a beautiful (and highly Instagram-worthy) historic district with some of the oldest still-inhabited buildings in the state. I recommend dropping by Perecca’s bakery for a vanilla cupcake and then getting drinks across the street at Hunter’s on Jay. Cyclists need calories to get that mileage.
Chad Rogers at the end of his ride in Downtown Albany
I was really heartened to see that the last leg of the trip, closest to my home, was one of the most beautiful. I left after waiting out the rain (which never came) in Schenectady for a day. An almost entirely car free trip along jaw-dropping waterfalls, several bridges and locks, and towns that burst with Industrial Revolution-era architecture (Cohoes) or sang a siren call with their quaint marinas and fishing spots (Waterford). The ride ended at SUNY-Albany’s downtown campus, striking in its gothic majesty. Once the moment came I was struck by how easy the ride was. I am not in amazing shape and earlier I mentioned I was passed by a group of (preteen) Girl Scouts, but I am an experienced rider. Even so I was nervous to have begun such a trip, especially riding alone and to places I had never before been. It had felt like adventure, but the riding was easy, the destinations tranquil, and the weather cooperative. For the less experienced, sections from Lyons to Weedsport and Utica to Little Falls could be skipped, but they are beautiful in their own right and worth seeing. Parks and Trails New York organizes an annual ride in every summer with guides, meals, and camping accommodations for a very reasonable price. I would note that I benefited from riding after that event had taken place since all of their road markings were still intact and reliable for moments when I felt unsure about my navigation. That organization also publishes a cycling map of the entire trail, which I highly recommend. By the time I made it home, it was fairly dog-eared. I would wholeheartedly recommend this trip to anyone who thinks it sounds like a fun thing to do.
Click through the slideshow below for a few more photos from Chad’s trip.
