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Print Friendly MapJust north of Albany, the Black Bridge Trail connects the communities of Waterford, Cohoes, and Green Island in eastern New York. As it parallels Delaware Avenue, it is sometimes referred to as the Delaware Avenue Trail. The trail was completed in 2011 and its centerpiece was the rehabilitation of the former Delaware & Hudson Railroad Bridge, built in the 1890s, that spans the Mohawk River.
The trail begins in Waterford, a quintessential canal town home to both the Erie Canal and Champlain Canal. At the Waterford Harbor Visitor Center, you can learn about these important waterways, enjoy watching the locks and the boats going by, and walk to nearby shops and restaurants. Come on a Sunday and you’ll also find a lively farmers market.
Two other recreational gems lie at the northern end of the trail: the scenic Champlain Canal Bike Trail and Peebles Island State Park, offering nearly 200 acres of woodlands to explore.
In Cohoes, you’ll find another highlight of the trail: the Van Schaick Mansion, dating back to the Revolutionary War. The historical home is located at the intersection of Van Schaick and Delaware Avenues, and tours are available by appointment.
From the end of the trail in Green Island, you can extend your journey on the scenic Erie Canalway Trail, which continues west all the way across the state to Buffalo.
Parking is available at the north end of the trail at the Waterford Harbor Visitor Center, near the intersection of South Street and Second Street in Waterford.
This is a lovely trail. We ride it to connect to the Champlain canal trail in waterford. The connection is on waterford streets, but very easy to negotiate, just look for the Empire State Trail signs and enjoy the empty gravel tail along the canal
I have ridden it several times. At the south end it links to the Albany Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail, though the signage is lacking. The north end in Waterford is very scenic and you can access another unpaved trail in the village that runs along the old Erie canal and northword. The best is being there for the Tugboat festival near Labor Day weekend. Waterford is a great little village.
This trail crosses a section of the Mohawk River where we saw an eagle walking on a short piece of beach near the south end of the bridge. The eagle was enjoying its morning meal. The bridge is new to our group and leads into an excellent section of trail to Peebles Island.
http://blog.russnelson.com/bicycling/1436559419.html
It was practically inevitable that this rail would be completed. The Black Bridge was the site of a death a few years ago. Best way to prevent that is to make the bridge safe, which they have done with concrete decking.
I rode this trail July 10th, 2015. It's a portion of the D&H line that ran close to the Hudson. I had bicycled a portion of it earlier on the Cycling The Erie Canal rides in 2012 and 2013. This bridge wasn't open until after that. I saw route markers painted on the rail-trail so I'm guessing that at least last year's ride was routed on the Black Bridge Trail.
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