Biking the Erie Canal Bike on trails
that are paved bicycle trails, others  
that are stone dust, still others, gravel
or a loop through the downtown of a
village. The Erie Canal Bike Trails
connect Albany to Buffalo New York,  
a distance of 360 miles or so.
Biking the Erie Canal's Trails you  
follow the canal, built in 1825.
Although some sections are on a wide
path along the paved  highway Route
31,the trail builders have a goal of
over 300 miles of off-road bicycle
trail within a few years.

Biking
The Erie Canal
www.SoftSeatTravel.com      david@SoftseatTravel.com
Bicycle 260 miles and Counting: Off-Road Bicycle Trails From Albany To Buffalo
Biking the Erie Canal - the Erie Rail Trails:
Canal Towpaths and Rail Lines Turned Into Bike trails
Friendly lock tenders will
give you good info about
the trail ahead
Other Bike Trails
Remnants of the 1825 Erie Canal, the first of three versions, offer historic sites and
old towpaths where mules once pulled the boats and now bikers ride
Erie Canal was first proposed by a flour
merchant near buffalo and then championed by
Governor of New York, Dewitt Clinton who
broke ground in 1817. The Erie Barge
Canal was completed in 1825 and made it
possible to travel by boat from Lake Erie in the
west to the Hudson River in the east. This
engineering marvel was called at times
Clinton's Folly but proved to be a boon to New
York City, making it the financial capitol of the
world. The Canal once touted as the Eighth
Wonder of the World has seen two rebuilding
phases since the first project. As boats grew
larger and steam power came in, the towpaths
along the old course fell to disuse.
Railroads built track along the canal and then
as that mode of transport gave way to
airplanes and trucking, the flat and wide rail
beds became bike and walking paths.
Now determined groups along the 360 miles of
canal would like to build off-road biking the
length and they have nearly reached that goal.
Erie Canal's western end
near Niagara Falls
George Eastman's house (Kodak) in Rochester, a main port on the
old canal
The Eastman House is now a museum that displays Kodak
memorabilia and photo exhibitions.
Boats tie up in Fairport for the
night.
Bikers use the same facilities that
the boaters and campers use
Sunset over Niagara Falls
Biking Erie On the Tonawanda bike trail
Hi Lorraine, can I do white buckets too? Fishing at the
confluence Erie Canal and Niagara River.
Modern Locks built in 1917
emptying for the passage
of a boat bound for NY City
Biking on the Erie's multi-use trails
along the Erie Canal that total nearly
300 miles
Bike Trails Cape Cod
Biking Vacation
Erie Canal's tow paths have
been paved for safe biking
and walking
Soft Seat Travel
Dave Hilbert's
SoftSeatTravel.