Explore the best rated trails in Albany, NY. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Spring Run Trail and Black Bridge Trail. With more than 28 trails covering 461 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville Rail-Trail (FJ&G) has one main section and one shorter section. The main segment runs for nearly 8 miles between Union Avenue in Johnstown and the intersection of...
When complete, the Erie Canalway Trail will run for 360 miles in upstate New York—from Buffalo in the west to Albany in the east—linking many other communities along the way, including Rochester,...
The Saratoga segment of the 71-mile Champlain Canalway Trail includes three disconnected segments near the Hudson River, from Stillwater Township to the town of Saratoga. The longest section is under...
Following the route of the former Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Railway, the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail serves as a scenic oasis and community connector for residents living southwest of...
The scenic Valley Trail spans 9 miles connecting Dover and Wilmington in southern Vermont along the Green Mountain National Forest. It provides a critical off-road pathway for bypassing State Route...
Popular with residents of Saratoga County who commute under their own power or love to exercise outdoors, the nearly 9-mile Zim Smith Mid-County Trail is considered the backbone of a growing trail...
Currently, the 1-mile Spring Run Trail extends between East Street just south of Excelsior Avenue and I-87, or the Northway, near Exit 15. Eventually, the trail will begin in Congress Park and run...
The Railroad Run trail runs for just a half mile between West Circular Street and Congress Avenue in Saratoga Springs. The trail is part of a growing network throughout the town and county. There are...
Visitors to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail will find the full splendor of the scenic Berkshires along this nearly 12-mile-long paved trail. The Ashuwillticook (ash-oo-will-ti-cook) follows MA 8 through...
This asphalt trail is the legacy of an inter-urban trolley system operated by Schenectady Railway Company (SRC) in the early 1900s. To attract visitors on weekends, SRC built an amusement park at...
The Railroad Ramble occupies a corridor abandoned by the Central New England Railroad, which provided service from 1871 through 1967. In Lakeville, the trail can be found just off of Route 41 behind...
Visitors can expect a couple of easy climbs as they travel on the Warren County Bikeway through the southern Adirondacks for 10 miles between Glens Falls and Lake George. It’s well worth the effort,...
Inland and east of the Hudson River, the Uncle Sam Bike Trail (also called the Uncle Sam Trail or Uncle Sam Bikeway) largely serves as a trail for residents of Troy. If, however, you are traveling in...
Just 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...
The Ashokan Rail Trail is an 11.5-mile multi-use trail that traces the northern edge of the Ashokan Reservoir, which provides a large proportion of New York City's drinking water. The trail sits on...
The Glens Falls Feeder Canal Trail begins at the Feeder Dam in Glens Falls and follows the Hudson River through town to the Champlain Canal, then turns south toward Fort Edward. The 9-mile trail...
Paralleling the Connecticut and Massachusetts borders, which lie only a few miles away, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a beautiful paved wooded pathway along the former New York & Harlem Railroad...
The Schuylerville segment of the 71-mile Champlain Canalway Trail rail runs between Schuyler House, past Lock 5 of the canal and does a loop around the island (Hudson Crossing Park). As of 2011, only...
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For family riding and walking, the Tannersville Bike Path offers a 2.7 mile stretch of graded dirt path starting on Clum Hill Road directly across from Cortina Valley. The opposite end is on Bloomer...
The Catskill Scenic Trail lives up to its name as it winds through a broad farming valley and small towns in New York's Catskill Mountains. The West Branch of the Delaware River is often in sight,...
The heavily wooded Lye Brook Falls Trail runs for 2 miles through the Lye Brook Wilderness of the Green Mountain National Forest near Manchester. The blue-blazed hiking trail follows the bed of a...
This out-and-back rail-trail's beautiful natural setting and informative signage invite visitors to appreciate the importance of wetland habitats. Located just east of downtown Saratoga Springs, the...
Although short, the Hoot, Toot and Whistle Trail provides an enjoyable journey through peaceful woodlands on Wilmington's west end. As you might guess, the rail-trail gets its name from the former...
The first section of the Corkscrew Rail Trail opened in June 2015. It begins at Knapp Road in Stephentown and heads south under a shady tree canopy towards New Lebanon, near the New York/Massachusetts...
Currently, the 1-mile Spring Run Trail extends between East Street just south of Excelsior Avenue and I-87, or the Northway, near Exit 15. Eventually, the trail will begin in Congress Park and run...
Just 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...
The Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville Rail-Trail (FJ&G) has one main section and one shorter section. The main segment runs for nearly 8 miles between Union Avenue in Johnstown and the intersection of...
This asphalt trail is the legacy of an inter-urban trolley system operated by Schenectady Railway Company (SRC) in the early 1900s. To attract visitors on weekends, SRC built an amusement park at...
The Hoosic River Greenway spans 2.5 miles along the river’s east bank through the Village of Hoosick Falls. The gravel pathway follows the former route of the Boston Hoosac Tunnel & Western Railway,...
When complete, the Erie Canalway Trail will run for 360 miles in upstate New York—from Buffalo in the west to Albany in the east—linking many other communities along the way, including Rochester,...
The Saratoga segment of the 71-mile Champlain Canalway Trail includes three disconnected segments near the Hudson River, from Stillwater Township to the town of Saratoga. The longest section is under...
Paralleling the Connecticut and Massachusetts borders, which lie only a few miles away, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a beautiful paved wooded pathway along the former New York & Harlem Railroad...
The Railroad Run trail runs for just a half mile between West Circular Street and Congress Avenue in Saratoga Springs. The trail is part of a growing network throughout the town and county. There are...
The Railroad Ramble occupies a corridor abandoned by the Central New England Railroad, which provided service from 1871 through 1967. In Lakeville, the trail can be found just off of Route 41 behind...
For family riding and walking, the Tannersville Bike Path offers a 2.7 mile stretch of graded dirt path starting on Clum Hill Road directly across from Cortina Valley. The opposite end is on Bloomer...
Visitors to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail will find the full splendor of the scenic Berkshires along this nearly 12-mile-long paved trail. The Ashuwillticook (ash-oo-will-ti-cook) follows MA 8 through...
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The East Branch Trail is a 0.5-mile ungroomed, backcountry pathway built on a former logging railroad bed in southern Vermont's Windham County. The remote, heavily wooded trail lies just north of the...
The Kaaterskill Rail Trail offers a beautiful wooded walk through Haines Falls in eastern New York, nestled in the northern Catskills. It begins at the historical Ulster & Delaware Train Station,...
Popular with residents of Saratoga County who commute under their own power or love to exercise outdoors, the nearly 9-mile Zim Smith Mid-County Trail is considered the backbone of a growing trail...
The Schuylerville segment of the 71-mile Champlain Canalway Trail rail runs between Schuyler House, past Lock 5 of the canal and does a loop around the island (Hudson Crossing Park). As of 2011, only...
Following the route of the former Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Railway, the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail serves as a scenic oasis and community connector for residents living southwest of...
The heavily wooded Lye Brook Falls Trail runs for 2 miles through the Lye Brook Wilderness of the Green Mountain National Forest near Manchester. The blue-blazed hiking trail follows the bed of a...
Popular with residents of Saratoga County who commute under their own power or love to exercise outdoors, the nearly 9-mile Zim Smith Mid-County Trail is considered the backbone of a growing trail...
Inland and east of the Hudson River, the Uncle Sam Bike Trail (also called the Uncle Sam Trail or Uncle Sam Bikeway) largely serves as a trail for residents of Troy. If, however, you are traveling in...
The Catskill Scenic Trail lives up to its name as it winds through a broad farming valley and small towns in New York's Catskill Mountains. The West Branch of the Delaware River is often in sight,...
This asphalt trail is the legacy of an inter-urban trolley system operated by Schenectady Railway Company (SRC) in the early 1900s. To attract visitors on weekends, SRC built an amusement park at...
The Railroad Run trail runs for just a half mile between West Circular Street and Congress Avenue in Saratoga Springs. The trail is part of a growing network throughout the town and county. There are...
Just 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...
The Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville Rail-Trail (FJ&G) has one main section and one shorter section. The main segment runs for nearly 8 miles between Union Avenue in Johnstown and the intersection of...
The Kaaterskill Rail Trail offers a beautiful wooded walk through Haines Falls in eastern New York, nestled in the northern Catskills. It begins at the historical Ulster & Delaware Train Station,...
The Railroad Ramble occupies a corridor abandoned by the Central New England Railroad, which provided service from 1871 through 1967. In Lakeville, the trail can be found just off of Route 41 behind...
Currently, the 1-mile Spring Run Trail extends between East Street just south of Excelsior Avenue and I-87, or the Northway, near Exit 15. Eventually, the trail will begin in Congress Park and run...
The Delaware and Hudson Rail-Trail follows the flowing contours of the western Vermont countryside, rambling in and out of New York state, where you’ll find a 4-mile gap. This border area is known as...
The East Branch Trail is a 0.5-mile ungroomed, backcountry pathway built on a former logging railroad bed in southern Vermont's Windham County. The remote, heavily wooded trail lies just north of the...
The Glens Falls Feeder Canal Trail begins at the Feeder Dam in Glens Falls and follows the Hudson River through town to the Champlain Canal, then turns south toward Fort Edward. The 9-mile trail...
Visitors can expect a couple of easy climbs as they travel on the Warren County Bikeway through the southern Adirondacks for 10 miles between Glens Falls and Lake George. It’s well worth the effort,...
The Hoosic River Greenway spans 2.5 miles along the river’s east bank through the Village of Hoosick Falls. The gravel pathway follows the former route of the Boston Hoosac Tunnel & Western Railway,...
When complete, the Erie Canalway Trail will run for 360 miles in upstate New York—from Buffalo in the west to Albany in the east—linking many other communities along the way, including Rochester,...
For family riding and walking, the Tannersville Bike Path offers a 2.7 mile stretch of graded dirt path starting on Clum Hill Road directly across from Cortina Valley. The opposite end is on Bloomer...
Beautiful and no crowded from Amenia to Milerton - 8 plus miles from the parking lot indicated on the map. Trail ends in Millerton - I did not ride along rite 22 to pick up the rail trail again for the final five r so miles, as it is crazy town to ride on Route 22. Overall, a pleasant there and back (I went past the parking lot to make a twenty mile ride). I hope that the trail does get connected and soon.
Completely paved and in great condition from Wassaic to Millerton. Tree covered and shaded most of the way. Passing farmland, ponds, horses, sheep, apple farms. Only a few roads you pass over. One main road (not very busy at all) and a few smaller country roads (saw no cars). They are currently extending it farther North of Millerton but for now, the ride firm Waasaic to Millerton and back I believe is just about 20 miles.
This used to be my favorite bike trail, but on a recent day we encountered more motorized vehicles on the trail than bikes. We were overtaken by two ATVs, and had to pull off the trail to let a pickup truck pass! Clearly it's now unsafe for bikes to use the trail, yet when I contacted the sponsoring organization (Catskill Revitalization Corp.) they seemed unconcerned. It's a shame that this trail is now in decline and can't be recommended for biking. Let's hope these issues are addressed before it's lost for good.
Rode one way approx 7 miles starting in Amsterdam. While pedaling under the thruway overpass, it smelled like feces/urine. This area has an abandoned building and an adjacent overgrown wareyard with debris piles, junk and very weedy. Approx 1/3 mile past the overpass we stopped to look at map and weather app (the clouds were looking ominous) and I see a large man riding toward us (up until that point we saw no-one else on the trail). As he passed us grunting and snarling at us, I noticed he was filthy with dirty hair and face. He rode past us and less than 30 seconds later when I looked down the trail, he had disappeared into the brush (this is a straightaway section - you can see a long way). We turned around and within 10 minutes the downpour was upon us. We were soaked when we arrived back in am-dam.
My advice: do not pedal this section by the overpass alone. This man had no good reason to pursue us, then growl/grunt when passing us and then disappear back into the brush. If I had been solo riding, I can only speculate on a different outcome. He is living under/by the overpass. We apparently pedaled thru his "area".
Started out in bloomville. Rode 5.3 miles on fat tires. The trail was too rough for our bikes. We encountered an UTV on the trail. A grandpa and grandson were using the trail to get to town. Pops was setting a bad example imo showing it is okay to drive motorized on an nonmotorized trail... Also encountered heavy equipment on the trail in the same area. Either someone is maintaining the trail and removing debris or again, someone is using the trail to get to their property. The tracked equipment was leaving ruts so between the ruts, logs, rocks etc, this trail was too rough to be fun. The map shows the TH in bloomville is across the highway. That too is being overtaken by adjacent landowners. The "TH" was cluttered with industrial sized trash bins scattered everywhere leaving little room to park and no appearance of a "TH" . Despite these issues, the turntable foundation was cool. And so was the old dairy.
First what this isn't...an "off road" trail. No dirt or gravel.
However if you want a beautifully maintained paved bike path, then you found it.
Extremely flat with a variety of scenery from forest to wetlands to lakes to old industrial.
A lovely ride
I'm a local who lives just down the mountain and I often frequent the trail. I love the tracks that remain from the some of the first times our area was booming. Tourists seem to hate them, which is ironic because that's how they were able to get to the area back in the day.
This is the first of a multi-part review, since the trail is so long. It takes me and hour and a half to drive from New Paltz, NY to one of the parking areas.
Last year I rode the section from the Corning Center in Albany along the Hudson River to end at a parking lot in Watervaliet. Right next to the the river, there is a lot to see and hear on this paved trail, as the highway is sometimes very close. There are plenty of areas to stop and touch the water while on a break. Just do it sometime anytime. I would like to revisit this section after the leaves have fallen, just before winter.
Last month I rode from the through the Albany suburbs of Watervaliet, Green Island, and Cahoes. Though it is fairly flat and well paved, it is totally on-street section of the trail. One nice side trip is north up to Waterford, which goes over several bridges to Van Schaich Island and Peebles Island. When you cross the steel bridge you can see the beginning of the actual canal and its first lock near the Waterford Harbor Visitor Center. Just go down Cannon Street.
Last week, Tuesday August 20, 2019 I went to the section that includes the towns of Latham and Colonie, turning around at Lock 7 on the Mohawk River. This is a very nice section of the trail, good pavement, mostly shady and offers a few nice views of the Mohawk River. There is a short on-road section in Dunsbach Ferry where you ride underneath Route 87. Then a significant hill back to the trail. Headed west, from the Lions Park in Niskayuna ( a good parking area) there is one very straight and flat section of about a mile or so for time-keepers and racers. Lock #7 is a pleasant park to stop for a break and watch the boats navigate the rise or fall of the lock, next to a waterfall.
It may take several years for me to complete the entire Erie Canal trail, but it is a fun goal.
I rode this trail for the first time yesterday and have mixed feelings about it. I found it disturbing that there were so many police cars driving on the Gloversville end of the trail and there were way too many street crossings. On the other hand I did enjoy riding along the creek and seeing the big abandoned factory buildings in Gloversville. The history to all those buildings must be amazing. Frequent stops interrupted my riding and made me slightly nervous riding through so many neighborhoods as I wasn't sure who I would encounter with the passing of 3 police cars. Well maintained.
We have been loving this trail from Herkimer ( starts at Movac parking lot rt 5s Mohawk) , past Fort Herkimer Church about 4 miles is paved and mostly flat. A beautiful ride. Will be great when the connection at rt 167 in LittleFalls is finished. The trail continues to be paved across rt 167 ( Little Falls). Mostly flat and very scenic. Turns to stone dust at Finks Basin rd. LF ( parking). Paved again@ STJ
Thanks! to the HVRT for resurfacing some of the trail that the tree roots had pushed up pavement. It was nice to be able to ride without having your fillings about ready to come out Thanks HVRT
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