Explore the best rated trails in Amsterdam, 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 19 trails covering 419 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.
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 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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
The Albany-Hudson Electric Trail (AHET) follows a 35-mile course through the former Albany-Hudson Electric Trolley corridor from Hudson to Rensselaer in New York State. The electric trolley ran for 30...
The Cohoes Heritage Trail is less than a mile long but serves as a significant local connector: it provides a way for people to travel between the riverfront to the Mohawk Hudson Bikeway. The northern...
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...
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 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...
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,...
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 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 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,...
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...
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 Albany-Hudson Electric Trail (AHET) follows a 35-mile course through the former Albany-Hudson Electric Trolley corridor from Hudson to Rensselaer in New York State. The electric trolley ran for 30...
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 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...
Ballston Spa's Jim Tedisco Fitness Trail spans 0.5 mile between Front Street and Prospect Street on what was once a railroad bed.
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...
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 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...
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 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...
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,...
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...
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...
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 Cohoes Heritage Trail is less than a mile long but serves as a significant local connector: it provides a way for people to travel between the riverfront to the Mohawk Hudson Bikeway. The northern...
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,...
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...
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 Cohoes Heritage Trail is less than a mile long but serves as a significant local connector: it provides a way for people to travel between the riverfront to the Mohawk Hudson Bikeway. The northern...
The Albany-Hudson Electric Trail (AHET) follows a 35-mile course through the former Albany-Hudson Electric Trolley corridor from Hudson to Rensselaer in New York State. The electric trolley ran for 30...
Ballston Spa's Jim Tedisco Fitness Trail spans 0.5 mile between Front Street and Prospect Street on what was once a railroad bed.
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...
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...
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...
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 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 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,...
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 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...
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,...
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...
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 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...
I live this trail, especially the section from Miller Rd in Schodack to the columbia county line. It's nicely paved a few hills, but mostly flat from Nassau south. Looking forward to riding further into columbia county this year.
I enjoyed biking the trail. I was only able to do areas that construction was completed and the road sections. I used a road bike on the stone dust and did not have a problem. The spots I rode were recently completed and I wonder how the stone dust will fair over the winter. around the Kinderhook area there was a good portion available. Lots of walkers the morning I rode it. I am planning on purchasing a gravel bike with a little wider tires and this will be one of my first rides this summer. I will start in the middle and hopefully make it to both ends the same ride. I want to include both of the train stations in the video even though they are a quarter of a mile from the official endpoints.
I hope to do the complete trail and record sections with a Go Pro in June '21. It will be round trip ride, so it will be double the trail length of 35 miles.
Starting at nearly sea level on Busy So. Pearl st (and there is new path linking the Mowhak Hudson Trail) you enter a curve which takes you on a bridge over So Pearl, and into unfettered nature. First the Normanskill rapids, pass under the Thruway and 9W, cross an 1850s railbridge over the Normanskill, and you begin segments of a 3-5% climb thru the backwoods of Delmar, probably as the Dutch saw it in the 1600s. There is a rest area by Stewarts where it crosses Delaware. By now you climbed about 200'. Then you continue and cross under the Cherry Ave Extension, to the Slingerlands Rest area. The rest of the trail passes thru Suburban backyards and subdivisions, fields, gradual grades, finally crossing rt 155 and vly creek, and ending at Grove and So Main Street in Voorheesville, elevation 330'. There is a replica train station there.
A great paved surface perfect for inline skating or biking. A true Treasure to the community, and there is some talk in planning materials about westward expansion.
After reading the mixed reviews here about the trail being super bumpy and overrun by ATVs, my husband and I weren’t sure what to expect. We decided to risk it and really enjoyed the ride on our hybrids. We took a 24 mile there-and-back from Stamford to Bloomville in late October 2020. Weather was a bit chilly, and we saw a few walkers, who seemed like locals, one other biker, and one motorcyclist. No problem finding the trail in Stamford — it’s right at the Depot.
Pros: (1) The scenery is really nice and has a great variety. We also biked on the Ashkogan trail while vacationing in the Catskills, and while that trail is better maintained, there is a lot more to see on this ride. You basically go through farmland, by streams, through small communities. (2) It’s very flat and easy riding.
Cons: (1) The trail is decently maintained, and not nearly as bad as some reviewers have suggested, at least between Stamford/Bloomville. There were a few bumpy sections, and some sections overgrown with grass. It had rained the day before, and there were a couple of muddy patches. If you want to barrel through as fast as possible without watching the trail, this isn’t for you. But if you want to keep a moderate pace, the trail is just fine. At no point did we need to get off our bikes or find it so bumpy that it was not rideable. I would say that 85-90% of the trail is in quite good shape — kind of like biking on a country lane. (2) There are a few sections near Bloomville where the trail passes right by backyards of small houses with a lot of trash and junk in them. Just not the nicest vibe. (3) We encountered one guy on a motorbike cruising down the trail at probably 30 mph. From other reviews, seems like motorized vehicles might be more frequent at some times than others. If that’s the case, that would definitely have changed this from a really fun ride to one that I wouldn’t enjoy.
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
From Coons Crossing the trail has been extended 2.5 miles to Mechanicville. Beautiful broad paved trail along the railroad but far enough away to be safe. You may see a freight during your trip.
Great trail in the Albany area! Can't really add to the previous comments. Just note that there is major road construction on Rte 32/ South Pearl St at the eastern end trail head. The parking lot is still open but you may experience delays in getting to it. I would definitely advise not trying to on-road cycle to the trail head.
My wife and I rode the Warren County Bikeway and connected to the Glens Falls Canal trail system on August 31, 2020. The trail meanders a bit through Glens Falls local streets, then we rode on Warren Street a couple of blocks to Shermantown Road and connected to the Feeder Canal Trail. The Feeder Canal trail is a hard packed dirt/stone dust trail that runs along the old canal system…takes you past some old manufacturing plants, working cement plants, etc. Very flat, easy pedaling, you don’t really need a mountain/trail bike. The route we took went around some old industrial areas, past the backyards of some neighborhoods, through some small downtowns. A good amount of shade all along the way. We ended up at the Five Combines park and turned around, so we roughly went 10 miles round trip on this section as well. This is a nice resource for local folks in this area. Definitely check out the Feeder Canal website as it details more about the trail including several different branches you can take for more miles. A nice quiet ride.
This is my go to trail. Close to home, well kept, god for biking or walking and have always felt safe on it.
Trail near Amsterdam is pretty scenic and has potential to be really nice, however, the trail both East and West of Amsterdam was very bumpy in spots with many tree roots pushing thru the old pavement. Some sections need to be repaved.
August 2020
Starting in Round Lake at a wonderful parking lot, I rode and enjoyed the entire trail, which is beautifully asphalt paved. Some nice scenery. Finishing at 5:00 pm the local church was playing more than 5 minutes of various tunes, the longest I have ever hear. Definitely worth a visit.
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TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!