Erie Canal Bike Ride, Annual Buffalo To Albany Group Bike Ride

Erie Canal Bike Ride, July

Erie Canalway or Erie Rail
Trails, The Canal Towpaths
and Rail Lines Have Been
Turned Into Bike trails

Erie Canal Bike Trails, Softseattravel.com

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

Paved Bicycle Trails

Some of the trails are paved bicycle trails along
the canal, others are stone dust, and others are
gravel or a combination that runs along the
canal and then loops through the downtown
centers of the villages.
.

Week Long Bike Ride

The week-long bike ride will bring this resource
to the attention of people who love biking.
The trail is a work in progress. This network of
bike and walking trails connects Albany New
York to Buffalo New York, a distance of 360
miles or so.
Most trails follow the Erie Canal, built in 1825,
although some sections are on a wide path
along the paved highway Route 31.

Erie Canal's western
end near Niagara
Falls

Sunset over Niagara
Falls

The Tonawanda bike trail near Niagara Falls and
the western end of the Erie Canal bike trail
system

Long distance bike riders
on the Erie Canal Bike Trail

Erie Canal Bike Ride is an Annual Buffalo To
Albany Group Bike Ride.
Eight days of biking, off-road bicycle trails, and
dedicated bike lanes for 360 miles from Buffalo at
the end of the Erie Canal near Niagara Falls to
Albany near the Hudson River
See optional Weekend Rides below

Off-Road Bicycle Trails
From Buffalo to Albany 360
miles

Five hundred riders make the annual 400-mile group trip in July to promote awareness
of this resource

Erie Canalway and Erie
Rail Trails run beside the
Erie Canal and at times go
over the gates of the canal,
seen here above as the
railed walkway on top of the
gate

Modern Locks built in 1917 are maintained by a fleet
of state boats painted blue and Yellow

Biking and walking
trail beside the
canal in Macedon

Erie Canal, 1825 Remnant, Softseattravel.com

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

Each year in July about 500 riders join for an eight-
day, cross-state bicycle tour on the Erie Canal
The annual trip runs between the second and third
week of July.

Where

The nearly 400-mile recreational bicycle tour starts
in Buffalo New York at the west end of the Erie Canal
and ends in Albany at the east end of the canal.
Seventy five percent of the tour is off-road and
covers flat trails, many paved, that run beside the
Erie Canal.

Recreational Bike Ride

This is a recreational trip geared to all ages.
Historically there have been riders in their 80s
alongside preschoolers; it can be a family event; the
recreational aspect is the focus, not racing.
Optional Weekend Rides
There are optional rides for those that can join only
for a weekend.

Promote the Erie Canal Bike Trails

The focus of this annual ride is to elevate awareness
of the canal bike trail resource for recreation.

Weekend Optional
rides:
Buffalo to Pittsford
July Dates info,
518-434-1583
www.ptny.org/canaltour

On the eastern end
Canojohrie to Albany
Weekend rides for those
that can not participate
for the full week