Today, 10/6/2011 I started out in Dresden, NY heading West on this trail. The ride was uphill most of the 6.7 miles but the grade was very mild and was an easy run to the West side of the trail. Acorns along about 10% of the trail proved uneasy but even the dirt trail with all the recent rain proved very easy to handle. The Bridge IN PENN YANN IS BEING REBUILT AND MAKES ACCESS FROM THE WEST SIDE OF THE TRAIL IMPOSSIBLE. I would suggest for the balance of 2011 and most of 2012 to come in from the East side of the trail in Dresden. Parking in Penn Yann and the traffic with the bridge out makes it very hard if you don't know the area.

We rode this trail from Dresden to Penn Yan, so the slight climb came first. Our party was Mom, Dad & 3 kids ages 10 & 11. The surface was fine for hybrids & mountain bikes. I wouldn't try it on a road bike. The trail is partly shaded, the scenery is varied and interesting. The trail crosses quiet roads in only a couple of places. The creek is gorgeous! My kids were thrilled by the crumbling mill, defunct bridges and old dam ruins. We all enjoyed blue herons and, in one pond in the old canal, 12 turtles on logs! Mr. Twisties Ice Cream (at the Dresden trail head) made a good treat at the end of the ride. We drove quite a distance to bike this 14 miles and we figure it was well worth it.

This is my favorite trail for riding my Icelandic horse with friends. There are many spots with beautiful views of waterfalls and interesting old buildings. The footing is generally very good for horses and everyone is friendly and likes to pet them. Our horses are very easy-going and friendly, and enjoy the attention. There is at least one nice spot where the water is shallow and you and your horse can wade there to cool off. Parking space is somewhat limited, but even with horse trailers we've never failed to find a spot. This is a beautiful ride in all the seasons.
Stephanie

This is one of my favorite trails for horseback riding. It’s like stepping into a magical valley lost in time. Beautiful scenes and foliage all along the way. The surface is usually good and they do a great job of trying to deal with problems as they arise. All the other trail users that I have met have been very kind and accommodating of horses. In the summer make sure to stop for ice cream at the Dresden end – very refreshing after a ride!

The trail was fairly scenic but trail maintenance had been neglected. We rode from Keuka Lake to Seneca Lake and back. There is only a service station with snacks in Seneca. With some good trail mx this could be a great trail.

"I biked this trail on Sept. 5, 2004. I drove up to Dresden, NY, and started my ride from the Seneca Lake side and rode west to Penn Yan. I have a Rans Stratus recumbent bike with narrow wheels and was not sure how it would handle the dirt path, which runs almost the entire length of the trail. As it turned out the ride was O.K., but I held my speed down to around 8 miles per hour. I was told that the Dresden to Penn Yan ride was an up hill ride but you can hardly notice that you are going up hill. The ride back, however, was a lot faster with a lot of coasting and speeds around 12 miles per hour.

The trail runs parallel a high volume waterway. Kayaks forget about it. The water is class 4 with a few large waterfalls. It was a sunny day but you’re in the woods and the trees provide you with a nice shady ride. I brought one bottle of Gader Aid with me and it lasted the whole trip – just under 2 hours.

I passed a lot of other bikers but the most interesting was a group of 6 young Amish girls. They were all dressed the same with blue dresses and white bonnets, and they were all very attractive girls. Must be those Amish people have the right genes.

All in all, it was an enjoyable day, and I would recommend the ride. "

"My family and I did this trail over the Fourth of July. It's very nice and there are lots of old mills to look at. We even swam in a waterfall and my kids -- ages 8 and 11 -- slid down the 10 foot drop. All in all, it's a nice, easy trail."