A vacation on the Erie Canal can provide daily recreation on canal
towpaths and rail lines that have been turned into bike trails
Remnants of the 1825 Erie Canal, the first of
three versions, offers historic sites and old
towpaths where mules once pulled the boats.
Still, on the Erie Canal, East End, you can ride for miles on off-road trails that connect
the villages.  Some of the trails are paved roads along the canal with wide bike lanes
that run for miles, others  are stone dust, and others are gravel or a combination that run
along the canal and then  loop through the downtown center of a village.
  • Schenectady
At Schenectady the trail runs on a wide path set aside along the highway that parallels
the canal: The New York State Bicycle Route 5.   
  • Rotterdam
Routes 5 and 5s become the New York State Bicycle Route in the area of Rotterdam
and Pattersonville as they follow the Mohawk River.
  • Amsterdam
In Amsterdam you find the Canalway Trail, Erie Canal Trail on the south side of the
Mohawk River. The trails join  about three miles east of Lock 11 in Amsterdam.
Erie Canal B&B, Inn to Inn Vacation East End,
Albany to Rome
Vacation on the Erie
Canal.  
Go inn to inn as you
bike through New York
farm country.
History museums,
recreation, canal
barge tours, and
off-road bicycle trails
are offered on the
eastern section of the
Erie Canal along the
Mohawk River from
Albany To Rome
Multi-use trails along the
Erie Canal total nearly 300
miles
You could take the Erie
Canal one section at a time
or you could take an
extreme vacation and join
the 500 bike riders who
make the annual 400-mile
group trip each July to
promote awareness of this
resource
.Erie Canal Bike Trail,
Summer 8-day Tour Buffalo
to Albany July
Take the Erie Canal in three small sections East End: Waterford near Albany to Rome, Mid
Section: Rome to Palmyra, West End,  Palmyra to Buffalo.
Paved trails beside the
Mohawk River section
of the Erie Canal at
Niskayuna and
Schenectady offer
recreation and
sightseeing.
A trolley line in Niskayuna is now the
Canalway Trail, a walking and biking trail
beside the Mohawk River.
Another way to tour the Erie Canal is on a tour boat that
makes a few day or week-long passage with a captain.
Erie Canal Inn to Inn Vacation
The eastern section of the Erie Canal
incorporates the Mohawk River with a
series of dams and locks around the
falls created by the dams.
These modern locks built in 1917 allow
the passage of boats bound for NY City
or west to Buffalo. Parks along the way
invite boats to tie up for the night
Much of the area
along the east
end of the Erie
Canal is farm
country and
nature preserve
The Eastern Section of the Erie Canal uses the Mohawk River much of its length
Bike riders, walkers, canoers and kayakers use the trails and river for
recreation
Commercial boats rarely use the Erie Canal
today, most traffic is tour boats and pleasure
craft.
Farm stands and farmers Markets in the
villages produce fresh produce
An Erie Canal B&B, Inn to Inn vacation on the East end
of the Erie Canal includes history museums, canal boat
tours, and off-road bicycle trails from Albany to Rome.
The Mohawk River offers biking through farm country
and the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown.
The eastern end of the canal can be confusing for bikers and walkers because of the many turns of the
Mohawk River near Niskayuna and because the bike trails are not contiguous.  For bikers and walkers
looking for an Inn to Inn experience the best bet is to use the info that the bikers and boaters use for trails and
lodging to cross the 400 or so miles of the Erie Canal.  
Listed below are reference books and web pages that might help.  
The annual bike trip uses local high school grounds in the villages along the way as campsites to lodge the
500 or so participants who bike from Buffalo to Albany during the annual July trip.

http://www.canals.ny.gov/exvac/trail/index.html

http://www.canals.ny.gov/exvac/cguide/index.html  (Book for Cruising the Canal has maps and information
about the local towns)

http://www.canals.ny.gov/exvac/boating/bcmarinas.html  
(A list of the canal marinas where you can obtain local information about lodging in each area)

http://www.canals.ny.gov/maps/water-trail/index.html  (maps)

http://www.nycanal.com/bandb/bandbindex.html
(Erie Canal B&B Inns)

http  Erie Canal B&B list
(Book with info , inn to inn sections of the canal trail)


http://www.ptny.org/pdfs/canalway_trail/inn_to_inn/albany-schenectady-montgomery.pdf
(inn to inn info for biking the canal, scroll down for inns list)
Custom Search
Inn to Inn  
Albany to Rome
Reach the Erie Canal
  • Air
Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)  is a major air hub for flights to the Erie Barge Canal at the
west end. Check Auto Europe's Flights and Rental vehicles.
Albany at the east end of the Erie canal has air service from Albany International Airport (ALB)
Rental Cars Available   
  • Auto
Interstate highway 90 runs parallel to the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo
  • Bus
Greyhound, Trailways, and other bus lines service Buffalo and Albany.  Bikes can go aboard in the
luggage compartment
•Baggage must not exceed 62 inches when adding the total exterior dimensions of the piece (length + width + height). A charge of $30
- $40 (depending on the distance traveled) will be applied to any baggage above the 62-inch limit.
◦Packaging exceptions will only be made for the following items: bicycles, skis and ski poles must be packed in wood, canvas or other
substantial container, and securely fastened    (Excerpted from Greyhound)
  • Train
Amtrak, Albany-Rensselaer, NY, (ALB) To Buffalo,  Depew, NY,  (BUF),   $47 USD , five hours
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Erie Canal Bus, Train Travel
Erie Canal Lodging
Erie Canal History
Erie Canal Biking
Index All Canal Biking
Erie Canal Museums
Erie Canal Inn to Inn Vacation
Erie Canal Travel, Tour
Erie Canal  Hotels, Lodging  
Erie Barge Canal Biking, Lodging, Events, Sightseeing
Save On Air Travel
When traveling by air to the Erie Canal in New York State you can save on your air fare by Parking your Car for   
Two Weeks Free after one night Lodging in Airport Hotels near your home city .   (60 US cities and hundreds of   
others   worldwide)  Cruise passengers included.
The early shuttle from the hotel to the airline terminal will allow you to book an early flight and save money  on the
airfare. Two weeks of free parking offsets the cost of the hotel room and you do not need to arrange for a limo from
your home to the airport.  Free, 24 hour shuttles to the airport.
See details, photos of the hotels, and reviews.
Convenient Two Week Free Airport Parking with a one night hotel stay could save you money and enhance your Erie
Canal vacation experience.   
Erie Canal boat traffic, Lock Nine, Mohawk River
Erie Canal Lock Nine on the Mohawk River
  • Waterford
The Erie Canal starts in Waterford near Albany were
the Mohawk River enters the Hudson River.  Biking in
this area will be a combination of off road and road
biking on the Canalway trail, a bike route of 520
miles between Albany and Buffalo.
Canal State Park Lock 6 is one of the grouped locks
that make a prodigious lift of more than 160 feet to
convey boats over the escarpment on the west side
of the Hudson.
Hotels, Inns Albany
Locks between Waterford and Lock Seven at Niskayuna
are part of the Mohawk River.
  • Little Falls
The town of Little Falls offers interesting locks,
history, including the mansion of Revolutionary
War hero, General Herkimer, and a 35-mile
side trip to Cooperstown Baseball Hall of
Fame.
Lodging in Little Falls

  • Utica, Oriskany
The City of Utica will offer a museum of art,
restaurants, and lodging  The town of
Oriskany is famous in Revolutionary War lore
for the 1777 Battle of Oriskany.
  • Rome
Rome offers canal museums and history.
At 120 miles by road from Waterford, Rome
is a convenient end to a one week inn to inn
biking vacation.  
Rome offers train, bus, and air service to
many locations.        lodging
Lodging in Rome
Niskayuna
The area of Niskayuna offers an old trolley line turned
paved bike trail beside the Mohawk.  
The use of the Mohawk River for the Erie Canal was a
1917 upgrading of the canal that occurred after draft
animals were no longer used.  Therefore on the
eastern section of the Erie Canal you find few haul
road or mule paths beside the canal.
Detailed Canal Trail maps and lodging
The locks on the
Mohawk River were built
in 1917