Russ Nelson's blog

Last year, I claimed that I had ridden all of the named rail-trails in New York State. Close, but no cigar. In the past year, they finished a few new trails, and I discovered some lengthened trails. But there were also trails that I had simply overlooked, because they weren't listed by the Rails-to-Trails conservancy.

New trails completed in 2016: Pat Warner Springville, and the Tonawanda Rails-to-Trails.

Unknown to me: Syracuse Lakeside Bville, Cayuga Seneca Canalway Trail, Erie Canalway Trail Little Falls, Dolgeville Salisbury Greenway Trail, Samuel L. Fisher Environmental Trail, and the Corkscrew Rail Trail.

Previously ridden, extended or improved: Black River Trail, Ontario Pathways Phelps, RSnE trolley trail, Philip Rayhill Memorial Trail, Tarrytown Lakes Extension, Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail, and the Hoosick Falls Greenway.

As of riding these trails, I have now accomplished my goal of riding over 100 named rail-trails in New York State. Been working on it since June of 2004. In that time, I've ridden trails 144 times, for a total of 3247 miles over 470 hours (that's two months of daily rides). That double-counts some trails because I rode them twice. It also counts every day of both Erie Canalway Trail rides, not all of which are on trail-trails.

There are many more railbeds not used for trains anymore which are also ridable. They are usually unnamed, unsigned, and unpublished. I've ridden some of these but I'm more interested in getting the named trails ridden first. I'm uploading them to OpenStreetMap as I go.

Trails I've ridden:

1. Albany County Rail Trail
   • Albany County Rail Trail (Elsemere west to Slingerlands),
   • Albany County Rail Trail (Elsemere east to Normanskill),
   • Albany County Rail Trail (Normanskill to eastern end),
2. Andes Rail Trail (footpath)
3. Auburn Fleming Trail,
4. Auburn Trail,
5. Ballston Bike Trail,
6. Bashakill Railroad Trail (NYO&W;),
7. Big Flats Rail Trail,
8. Black Diamond Trail,
9. Black River Recreational Trail, the unofficial eastern end between Felts Mills and Carthage, and the official trail, now entirely paved,
10. Bog Meadow Brook,
11. Canalway Trail (Rochester/Greece),
12. Canalway Trail (Little Falls),
13. Cayuga Seneca Canalway Trail
14. Corkscrew Rail Trail
15. Cycling The Canalway Trail 2012, a supported ride sponsored by Parks and Trails NY.
    • Sunday, Buffalo to Medina
    • Monday, to Pittsford
    • Tuesday, to Seneca Falls
    • Wednesday, to Syracuse
    • Thursday, to Rome
    • Friday, to Canajoharie
    • Saturday, to Schenectady
    • Sunday, to Albany
16. Cycling The Canalway Trail 2013
    • Saturday, Buffalo
    • Sunday, Buffalo to Medina
    • Monday, to Pittsford
    • Tuesday, to Seneca Falls
    • Wednesday, to Syracuse
    • Thursday, to Rome
    • Friday, to Canajoharie
    • Saturday, to Schenectady
    • Sunday, to Albany
17. Catharine Valley Trail,
18. Cato Fair Haven Trail, (again, partially),
19. Catskill Scenic Trail
    • Catskill Scenic Trail (west of Stamford),
    • Catskill Scenic Trail (Stamford to Grand Gorge Station),
    • Catskill Scenic Trail (south of Grand Gorge Station),
20. Charlie Major Nature Trail,
21. Cheektowaga Bike Path,
22. The Chautaqua Rails to Trails has a group of rail-trails all built on the same railroad.
    • The Village of Sherman Recreational Trail,
    • The Ralph C. Sheldon Jr. Nature Trail,
    • The Paul and Nancy Webb and Nancy B. Diggs Nature Trail,
    • Village of Mayville Nature Trail,
    • The Laurie A. Baer and Alison Wells Ney Nature Trails and the Brocton Area Recreational Trail,
23. Clarence Akron Pathways and Clarence Newstead Trails, (earlier partial ride),
24. Cohoes Black Bridge Trail,
25. Corning Bike Path,
26. Corry Junction Greenway Trail,
27. D&H Canal Heritage Corridor North (which seems to be called the Marbletown Rail Trail now, the extended part),
28. D&H Heritage Trail,
29. D&H Canal Heritage Corridor South, (partially)
30. D&H Trail Southern Section (to the VT state line, south into VT),
31. D&H Trail Northern Section, only a tiny bit of which is in NY,
32. D&H railbed (not a named trail, but it's a snowmobile trail and bicyclable.)
33. Dolgeville Salisbury Greenway Trail
34. Dutchess Rail Trail,
35. The East Ithaca Recreational Trail,
36. El Camino Rail Trail,
37. Erie-Attica Trail,
38. Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Rail Trail,
39. Genesee Valley Conservancy Trail,
40. Genesee Valley Greenway
    • Genesee Valley Greenway 1 (Scottsville to Piffard and back),
    • Genesee Valley Greenway 2 (Mt. Morris to Rochester),
    • Genesee Valley Greenway 3 (Nunda to Cuba),
    • Genesee Valley Greenway 4 (Hinsdale),
41. Gorge Trail, (again),
42. Groveland Secondary Trail (not very bicyclable),
43. Great Bend Park Trail,
44. Harlem Valley Rail Trail
    • Harlem Valley Rail Trail (south and north),
    • Harlem Valley Rail Trail (Hillsdale),
    • Harlem Valley Rail Trail (extended north from Copake Falls),
45. Heritage Park Rail Trail,
46. Hojack Trails
    46. Cayuga Hojack Trail,
    47. Hilton Hojack Trail,
    48. Webster Hojack Trail Extension,
49. Hoosic Greenway Trail and the southern portion,
50. Hudson Valley Rail Trail,
51. Jim Schug Trail,
52. Jim Tedisco Fitness Trail,
53. Joseph B. Clarke Railtrail and extended,
54. Kaaterskill Rail Trail,
55. Kennedy Rail Trail,
56. Kerhonksen Railtrail,
57. Kings Park Hike and Bike Trail,
58. Kingston Point Rail Trail,
59. Lackawanna Trail and earlier while still under development,
60. Lancaster Heritage Trail,
61. Lehigh Memory Trail (Williamsville),
62. Lehigh Valley Rail Trail (Naples),
63. Lehigh Valley Trail North (Rush),
64. Lehigh Valley Trail North (Crittenden),
65. Lehigh Valley Trail (Rochester/Rush/Mendon) and from Mendon to Victor,
66. Maple City Trail,
67. Mohawk-Hudson Bike Trail (which is also the Erie Canalway Trail),
68. Moody Rail Trail,
69. North County Trailway, again, partially),
70. Northport Rail Trail,
71. New York, Ontario & Western trails
    71. NYO&W Liberty Rail Trail,
    72. NYO&W Parksville Rail Trail,
    73. NYO&W Hurleyville Rail Trail,
    74. NYO&W Woodridge Rail Trail,
    75. Verona Beach State Park Rail Trail,
76. Oneida Rail Trail,
77. Ontario Pathways Rail Trail,
78. Orange Heritage Trailway
    • Orange Heritage Trailway (the unimproved eastern end),
    • Orange Heritage Trailway (the official paved section),
    • Orange Heritage Trail Extension,
79. Oswego Recreational Trail,
80. Outlet Trail,
81. Pat McGee Trail,
82. Pat Warner Springville,
83. Philip A. Rayhill Memorial Recreational Trail and extended,
84. Pittsford Railroad Loop Trail,
85. The Portage Trail / Trolley Trail (separate railroad from but associated with Chautaqua),
86. Pittsford Rail Trail,
87. Putnam County Trailway and its extension,
88. Railroad Run,
89. Ridgeway Trail,
90. Rivergate Trail,
91. Rochester, Syracuse & Eastern Trolley Trail and the bridge over the Erie Canal,
92. The Rutland Trail (many many times. Also see the Rutland Trail website),
93. Samuel L. Fisher Environmental Trail
94. Saranac Lake Recreational Path,
95. Shawangunk Ridge Trail (Erie),
96. South Cazenovia Rail Trail
97. South County Trailway southern portion and northern portion,
98. South Hill Recreation Way,
99. Spring Run Trail,
100. Stillwater Rail Trail,
101. Sylvan Beach Rail Trail,
102. Syracuse Lakeside Bville
103. Tannersville Bike Path (Huckleberry Multi-Use Trail),
104. Tarrytown Lakes extension and extended,
105. Terry Gordon Recreation Path,
106. The Uncle Sam Bikeway,
107. Tonawanda Rails-to-Trails
108. Town of Edwards Nature Trail,
109. Trolley Trail (RS&E in Victor),
110. Vestal Rail Trail,
111. Wallkill Valley Rail Trail and North of Rosendale,
112. Walkway Over The Hudson (and the new part of the Hudson Valley Trail and more parts of the Dutchess Rail Trail which I hadn't ridden earlier), and again, only end-to-end this time, 40 miles in total, and again, just the walkway,
113. Walden-Wallkill Rail Trail,
114. Warren County Bikeway,
115. Wellsville, Addison, and Galeton (WAG) Trail,
116. White Plains Greenway,
117. Zim Smith Trail, again, and again, but this time I also rode the connected "Route 9 Bypass" trail which uses part of the Hudson Valley trolley line.

Trails I haven't ridden:

Trails I have no plans to ride:

• Anything that's not a former railroad,
• Allegheny River Valley Trail. Only a portion runs close to an existing railroad,
• Hojack Trail Hamlin. Brushed over and posted. Published in a trail guide, but not rideable,
• Maybrook Trailway in Brewster. Not finished yet.
• Southampton's Long Pond Greenbelt Trail. No bicycling allowed,
• Sodus Point to Wallington Trail is a snowmobile trail, not mowed,
• Spring Valley's Monsey Recreational Trail, doesn't exist but I included it earlier,
• The Port Jefferson-Wading River Rail-Trail, not a trail yet.

posted at: 05:33 | path: /bicycling | permanent link to this entry