The Old Erie Canal State Park trail runs about 36 miles between Dewitt, New York, and Rome New York, along the old Erie Canal, with a couple of short sections of road riding. It is part of the planned 500-mile Erie Canal route. Here are some web sites about the trail:
- New York State Canals (description, list of where to camp on linked page, construction information)
- State Park web site (brief description)
- nycanal.com (rough map, directions to trailheads)
Categories: 20 to 50 Miles &Flat &Gravel &No Solitude &Rural &Some Road/Street Riding
States: New York
Last Modified: April 29, 2007
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Loading ...If the map has markers, click them for extra information. You can also double-click anywhere on the map to get driving directions to that point. Note:Trail routes shown are approximate! If you have a GPS trace of this trail, leave a comment below with your email address (which will not be published), and I'll contact you. Thanks!
Elevation profile of route: feet above sea level vs. distance traveled (approximate). Green marker on map above shows which end is designated as start of route.
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If I flew into Syracuse, where’s a good place to rent a bike and is it “close enough” to the west end of the Trail? I am looking for a hybrid.
I’m not sure… you might try one of the web sites above, or do a web search to find bike rentals. Good luck!
–Jennifer
I am planning a bike tour from Buffalo to Albany along the Erie Canal. No two websites seem to agree as to what is bike path and what is road riding. For example, your map shows Old Erie Canal State Park trail running from Dewitt to the intersection of routes 46 and 49 near New London. On the other hand, the interactive map at
http://www.spatialwebhost.com/cyclingtheeriecanal/ shows the trail running from Dewitt to about 0.25 mi west of the intersection of Routes 46/49 and route 69 on the northwest outskirts of Rome.
I’ll admit the difference, according to Google, is only 3.8 miles. But in general I’m having more problems than usual planning a trip. There doesn’t seem to be a definitive web site like there is for the Katy Trail, Great Allegheny Passage, and C&O Canal.
I wouldn’t trust my site as definitive — more likely to be inspiration for a trip, and a place for people to leave comments for each other, rather than an accurate map. My sources are listed above, but you are right, it would be better if there were a definitive erie Canal trail web site. Good luck with your trip!
–Jennifer
We are looking at doing the same ride from Albany to Buffalo and also having trouble figuring out the trail vs. road situation. Do you know of anyone who has done the ride before who might know details. Also what is the motel situation like. Do you need to carry gear or pretty easy to set up lodging after a normal days ride on most of the trail.