Genesee Valley Greenway:
New York
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Description:
The Genesee Valley Greenway is a 90-mile ribbon of open space, rolling through towns and countless landscapes from Rochester south to Cuba, New York. The greenway is a work in progress, but the 18 miles from Rochester south to Avon provide a continuous off-road trail experience. Some open sections south of Avon require on-road riding to make the connections and other sections that are unimproved with bridges missing. The greenway follows the old transportation routes of the Genesee Valley Canal and the Rochester Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Historic villages, connections with other trails and relics, such as surviving canal structures, provide a rich layer to this otherwise rural ride.

Only the first 2 miles of the greenway are paved. Cinder, grass and packed dirt give the rest of the trail a firm, level platform.

From the start at Rochester's Genesee Valley Park are intriguing sights: you pass the Rochester International Airport fire training school and two charred airplane fuselages used in demonstrations. A short on-road detour along State Route 383 and Ballantyne Road takes you off and then back to the trail. A short side trail takes you north over historic Black Creek Culvert (circa 1838), one of the state's largest 19th-century canal culverts, before it dead-ends at an active rail corridor.

Back on the greenway you pass a large tract of forest conserved by the Genesee Land Trust. At 5.5 miles is the impressive stone Canal Lock #2, one of the few surviving locks along the greenway.

The village of Scottsville, at 9 miles, has connected itself to the trail via the Canal Street Boardwalk. After a detour into the village for refreshments, you can head across Oatka Creek to Canawaugus Park, which has picnic tables, parking and a view across the creek to some remaining historic canal structures. Portions of the old canal bed have become a wetland habitat. Over the next several miles wildlife abounds, attracting birdwatchers and nature photographers.

In Wadsworth Junction, at mile 12.5, you can see massive stone abutments from the bridge that carried the Lehigh Valley Railroad across the Pennsylvania Railroad route. Today both rail corridors are parks. The Lehigh Valley Trail travels 15 miles east across Monroe County. In the trail's first few hundred feet, a short distance east, users are carried over the Genesee River on the same railroad bridge that carried Lehigh Valley cars on its upper deck.

As you continue south, the views from the greenway are primarily agricultural. Occasional woods interrupt the otherwise expansive farming landscape. Horses and cattle graze in pastures. Farmhouses, barns and other outbuildings punctuate vast swaths of soybeans, corn and cabbage.
South of Avon, the Genesee Valley Greenway is a work in progress. Sections have been improved, but some bridges are missing and other sections detour onto the road. Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway's website (www.fogvg.org) contains a detailed map and a mile-by-mile trail description.


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Parking & Trail Access:
To reach Rochester from I-390 exit onto Scottsville Road/State Route 383. Turn left onto Scottsville Road. At the first traffic light, turn right onto Genesee Park Boulevard. At the T-intersection turn right again. There is a large parking lot on the left near the tennis courts. At the rear of the parking lot, you will find the Canalway Trail. Follow this trail to the west (don't cross the bridge) to the start of the Genesee Valley Greenway.

There is a large parking area for trail users on the north side of US Route 20 (Telephone Road) to the west of the village of Avon. From Avon, take US Route 20/State Route 5 west. Stay on US 20/Telephone Road. There is a large parking lot on the north side of US 20 before the intersection with River Road.

To reach other access areas along the rest of the length, contact:

Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway
P.O. Box 42
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
585-658-2569
www.fogvg.org

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Reviews: [2 trail ratings]
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Great for horses!
By toltstar in April, 2011
One of the best trails in Western, NY for horseback riding. The footing is second to none and miles of trail for riding every gait. This trail is not to be missed. Other trail users are very polite to equestrians which is a major plus.
LOVE this Trail
By travelgirl96 in September, 2010
I lived in Chili in the late 90s and biked this trail several days a week. I absolutely love it and I miss it. I live in colorado now and think about how much i enjoyed this trail. I loved packing a lunch and riding through the woods and behind the farms. I often spotted deer and other wild life and loved coming home with muddy legs after a good, long ride. I hope to ride it agin some day and am please to find photos online of it. This is truly the best trail in Monroe county!
Mapping inaccuracy
By s2000chops in April, 2010
As the map suggests, the Greenway is not continuous yet. In one important place there's a discontinuity that the map doesn't reflect. When the trail emerges from the woods south of Rochester at the intersection of Scottsville Rd and Paul Rd, it just ends. There are no sidewalks, bike lanes, or share-the-road markings along Scottsville. The map shows the trail continuing south on Scottsville, but this is inaccurate.

In fact, cyclists have to ride on Scottsville Rd, which has a generous shoulder going south, but very little shoulder going north. Car and truck traffic travels at 50mp here. After crossing Black Creek, cyclists can connect with the Black Creek Rd parking / fishing area, but it's more difficult than suggested by the TrailLink (and now Google) map.

Google StreetView will confirm this, and they even captured a cyclist going the wrong way in the shoulder of Scottsville Rd: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=I-390+N&daddr=S+Livonia+Rd%2FNY-15+N+to:I-390+N&geocode=&hl=en&mra=ls&dirflg=b&sll=42.726839,-77.346497&sspn=0.595201,1.454315&ie=UTF8&ll=43.095066,-77.680107&spn=0,0.003862&t=h&z=19&lci=bike&layer=c&cbll=43.095146,-77.680044&panoid=yQbaaMAZStC7i5Acktt2JQ&cbp=12,139.21,,0,16.56

This error won't deter experienced cyclists, but it should be corrected for the sake of
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Trail Facts
Trail End Points: I-86/CR 17/Southern Tier Expway (North Cuba) to Genesee Valley Park (Rochester)
Counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Livingston, Monroe, Wyoming
Trail Length: 90 miles
Trail Category: Rail-Trail
Trail Surfaces: Gravel, Grass, Dirt, Cinder
Trail Activities: Fishing, Wheelchair Accessible, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking, Snowmobiling, Walking, Cross Country Skiing
TrailLink ID: 6031508

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