Find the top rated trails in Rochester, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Brickyard Trail offers a pleasant north-south route through the Town of Brighton, which sits on the southeastern outskirts of Rochester. Its name is a nod to the town's brickmaking industry dating...
In the heart of New York's Finger Lakes Region is a rail-trail that is part natural wonder and part industrial archaeology, and the 7-mile trail Keuka Outlet Trail has a unique heritage. Technically a...
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The Pittsford Trail System, also called the Railroad Loop Trail, provides access to the Erie Canal, town of Pittsford, and shopping and business district in the quaint New York village. A short...
Travelers on the Lake Ontario State Parkway Trail will enjoy scenic views of wooded areas, surrounding bodies of water and wetlands. The trail parallels the north side of the Parkway, which runs along...
The Irondequoit Lakeside Multi-Use Trail is currently open in two disconnected segments: one going east-west through Irondequoit and the other going north-south through Rochester. In Irondequoit,...
The Lehigh Valley Trail is part of a developing system of rail-trails in western New York. The segment from Victor to Rush offers nearly 16 miles of serene wooded and rural areas. Plus, it is...
The North Branch of the Lehigh Valley Trail connects the campuses of the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology. The trail’s northern terminus is where the Erie Canal Heritage...
The Erie Attica Trail lies in the Finger Lakes region of New York along the former railroad for which it's named. A glimpse of this past can be seen in the beautiful truss bridge that spans 220 feet...
Four trails make up the Clarence Pathways trail system: the 3.5-mile West Shore Trail, 4.8-mile Newstead Bike Path, 6.1-mile Clarence Bike Trail and 2.3-mile Peanut Line Trail. The trails radiate...
The Manchester Gateway Trail is a scenic route used by walkers and cyclers that follows the Canandaigua Outlet through Manchester. It has also been used for skiing during winter months. The trailhead...
The Auburn Trail is a major cross-town, multi-use pathway, which provides connections to other trails and an up-close view of one of the oldest railroad buildings in the country. Start in...
The Genesee Riverway Trail links the area's vast array of recreational, historical, and cultural attractions. The Genesee Riverway Trail is popular for walking, jogging, bicycling, inline skating, and...
The El Camino: Butterhole-Seneca Park Trail (often more simply called the El Camino Trail) runs diagonally through a neighborhood and industrial properties in northeast Rochester on an abandoned CSX...
The I-390 Bike Path is a 5-mile paved trail starting in Greece and ending at the Island Cottage Woods Preserves just south of Lake Ontario. The trail starts just after crossing Route 104 using the...
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The Groveland Secondary Trail follows a portion of abandoned right-of-way of the old Groveland Branch of the Erie Lackawanna between York and Alexander. The York terminus begins just east of Main...
The Cato-Fair Haven Trail (a.k.a. Cayuga County Trail) travels a little more than 14 miles through forest, wetland and tree farm.
The Auburn Trail is a major cross-town, multi-use pathway, which provides connections to other trails and an up-close view of one of the oldest railroad buildings in the country. Start in...
Brickyard Trail offers a pleasant north-south route through the Town of Brighton, which sits on the southeastern outskirts of Rochester. Its name is a nod to the town's brickmaking industry dating...
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, Syracuse, Rome,...
The El Camino: Butterhole-Seneca Park Trail (often more simply called the El Camino Trail) runs diagonally through a neighborhood and industrial properties in northeast Rochester on an abandoned CSX...
In the heart of New York's Finger Lakes Region is a rail-trail that is part natural wonder and part industrial archaeology, and the 7-mile trail Keuka Outlet Trail has a unique heritage. Technically a...
Four trails make up the Clarence Pathways trail system: the 3.5-mile West Shore Trail, 4.8-mile Newstead Bike Path, 6.1-mile Clarence Bike Trail and 2.3-mile Peanut Line Trail. The trails radiate...
The Lehigh Valley Trail is part of a developing system of rail-trails in western New York. The segment from Victor to Rush offers nearly 16 miles of serene wooded and rural areas. Plus, it is...
This pleasant community trail connects suburban residences close to the shore of Lake Ontario with a school, a church and a commercial area in Webster, New York. Near the trail's northwest end, it...
Shaped like a left-leaning V, the Ontario Pathways Rail Trail travels southwest from Canandaigua to Stanley, then shoots north to Clifton Springs. The rural trail is the pride of an industrious...
The North Branch of the Lehigh Valley Trail connects the campuses of the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology. The trail’s northern terminus is where the Erie Canal Heritage...
The Erie Attica Trail lies in the Finger Lakes region of New York along the former railroad for which it's named. A glimpse of this past can be seen in the beautiful truss bridge that spans 220 feet...
The I-390 Bike Path is a 5-mile paved trail starting in Greece and ending at the Island Cottage Woods Preserves just south of Lake Ontario. The trail starts just after crossing Route 104 using the...
The Manchester Gateway Trail is a scenic route used by walkers and cyclers that follows the Canandaigua Outlet through Manchester. It has also been used for skiing during winter months. The trailhead...
The Genesee Valley Greenway rolls through towns and countless landscapes from Rochester south to Cuba, New York. The greenway is a work in progress, but there is a long, continuous segment (37 miles)...
The Irondequoit Lakeside Multi-Use Trail is currently open in two disconnected segments: one going east-west through Irondequoit and the other going north-south through Rochester. In Irondequoit,...
The Pittsford Trail System, also called the Railroad Loop Trail, provides access to the Erie Canal, town of Pittsford, and shopping and business district in the quaint New York village. A short...
Travelers on the Lake Ontario State Parkway Trail will enjoy scenic views of wooded areas, surrounding bodies of water and wetlands. The trail parallels the north side of the Parkway, which runs along...
The Genesee Riverway Trail links the area's vast array of recreational, historical, and cultural attractions. The Genesee Riverway Trail is popular for walking, jogging, bicycling, inline skating, and...
The Auburn Trail is a major cross-town, multi-use pathway, which provides connections to other trails and an up-close view of one of the oldest railroad buildings in the country. Start in...
The North Branch of the Lehigh Valley Trail connects the campuses of the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology. The trail’s northern terminus is where the Erie Canal Heritage...
Travelers on the Lake Ontario State Parkway Trail will enjoy scenic views of wooded areas, surrounding bodies of water and wetlands. The trail parallels the north side of the Parkway, which runs along...
The Groveland Secondary Trail follows a portion of abandoned right-of-way of the old Groveland Branch of the Erie Lackawanna between York and Alexander. The York terminus begins just east of Main...
The Genesee Riverway Trail links the area's vast array of recreational, historical, and cultural attractions. The Genesee Riverway Trail is popular for walking, jogging, bicycling, inline skating, and...
This pleasant community trail connects suburban residences close to the shore of Lake Ontario with a school, a church and a commercial area in Webster, New York. Near the trail's northwest end, it...
The I-390 Bike Path is a 5-mile paved trail starting in Greece and ending at the Island Cottage Woods Preserves just south of Lake Ontario. The trail starts just after crossing Route 104 using the...
The Pittsford Trail System, also called the Railroad Loop Trail, provides access to the Erie Canal, town of Pittsford, and shopping and business district in the quaint New York village. A short...
The Genesee Valley Greenway rolls through towns and countless landscapes from Rochester south to Cuba, New York. The greenway is a work in progress, but there is a long, continuous segment (37 miles)...
The town of Perinton, New York, has been hard at work improving the Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern Trail, and it shows. Since 1996, when the American Hiking Society designated Perinton as a Trail...
In the heart of New York's Finger Lakes Region is a rail-trail that is part natural wonder and part industrial archaeology, and the 7-mile trail Keuka Outlet Trail has a unique heritage. Technically a...
The Lehigh Valley Trail is part of a developing system of rail-trails in western New York. The segment from Victor to Rush offers nearly 16 miles of serene wooded and rural areas. Plus, it is...
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, Syracuse, Rome,...
Brickyard Trail offers a pleasant north-south route through the Town of Brighton, which sits on the southeastern outskirts of Rochester. Its name is a nod to the town's brickmaking industry dating...
The Irondequoit Lakeside Multi-Use Trail is currently open in two disconnected segments: one going east-west through Irondequoit and the other going north-south through Rochester. In Irondequoit,...
The Manchester Gateway Trail is a scenic route used by walkers and cyclers that follows the Canandaigua Outlet through Manchester. It has also been used for skiing during winter months. The trailhead...
The Cato-Fair Haven Trail (a.k.a. Cayuga County Trail) travels a little more than 14 miles through forest, wetland and tree farm.
The El Camino: Butterhole-Seneca Park Trail (often more simply called the El Camino Trail) runs diagonally through a neighborhood and industrial properties in northeast Rochester on an abandoned CSX...
Four trails make up the Clarence Pathways trail system: the 3.5-mile West Shore Trail, 4.8-mile Newstead Bike Path, 6.1-mile Clarence Bike Trail and 2.3-mile Peanut Line Trail. The trails radiate...
Shaped like a left-leaning V, the Ontario Pathways Rail Trail travels southwest from Canandaigua to Stanley, then shoots north to Clifton Springs. The rural trail is the pride of an industrious...
Anne and I biked this rail trail today and loved it. We arrived in Canandaigua just as thunderstorms were moving through, so visited the Dalai Java coffeeshop on Main Street for some coffee and lunch. Very nice. After the rain ended, we rode for about 8 miles round trip. The beginning little bit along the active train tracks is just okay, but it fairly quickly leaves the tracks and enters an enchanted green tunnel. The shrubs and trees arch over the trail to provide shade and a feeling of isolation in nature. Unfortunately we had to turn around between Smith and Freshour Roads, due to a tree across the trail. It could be cut with a hand saw, but I did not have one.
Thanks to the folks who created and maintain this gem.
We parked at Lock 32, and rode west to Henrietta Rd (we were going to Genesee Valley Park, but trail closed at Henrietta Rd for bridge construction). Then turned around and went east to Fairport. 26miles roundtrip. Trail is paved, flat, and in good condition for most of the way. Since it is along a canal, it is open with little shade. Tough on a windy day. There was a portapotty at Lock 32, but no other restrooms or water that we saw.
Nice review of this great trail. But, there are a few errors here. The northern end of the trail does begin at Ontario Beach Park. But this is in the City of Rochester, not the Town of Irondequoit. The southern end of the trail is near the Erie Canal, also in the City of Rochester, not the Town of Brighton. This is a wonderful urban trail that is fully within the City. It is not in the suburbs as reported here.
April 17, 2017: After reading the reviews, I decided to ride my fat bike on this path since it was new territory to me. After riding the trail from Canandaigua southeast to Gorham & turning around after 11 miles at Old Mill Road, this rail trail can easily handle a hybrid bike. If you have knobby-er tires/GatorSkins, even better. Though our weather here in Update NY over the past two weeks has been rainy, there were some low lying spots with mud/standing water. These areas are totally do-able on a fat bike and I'd be able to navigate them on my hybrid too. I wouldn't call this rail trail rutty by no means. It's comparable to the Greenway or Lehigh Valley Rail Trails...bumps and ruts randomly, but not consistently along the path. Talking about scenic...farmlands, Ontario County Fairgrounds, rusty cars, backyard neighborhoods, light industrial, great spanning bridges going over rivers and streams...it's just an overall delight to experience. I would recommend OPRT for anyone training for long distance trail run/walk where you need flat distance over technical terrain, bikers looking to ride on hybrid, mt., or fat bike. I can't wait for my next adventure on the OPRT!
I live in the Cato area, so I ride this trail all the time. In May, it's beautiful, filled with the wild purple Dames Rocket flowers. If you get on the trail earl morning, 7am you'll see the deer and great blue herons...there's lots of water along the edges and you'll go by three large ponds too. The bugs don't bother you, if you're moving fast enough on your bike. There's one 1.5 mile stretch between the first Ira Station rd (closer to Cato end) and the second Ira Station Rd crossing that's very bumpy with lava like rocks...I hate that part, but there's one of the big ponds in that area too. There are a number of big holes that are easy to go around the outer edges to avoid the possible water in it. The ATV's have always been very polite in slowing down when passing. It's great for horse riding too. I like it because the 14 miles is in the wilderness/very rural and it's ALL GREEN and there's variety all along the way. And the best part is in Fair Haven, eating home baked cookies at the FLY BY NIGHT COOKIE Company!!!!
Love the Lehigh valley trails out in the Rush area. was out on it today and the scenery is beautiful. The ride is pretty good. not really bumpy. my favorite so far
I have walked, rode my bike and ridden my horse on all parts of this trail. It is an amazing place with seasonal changes that make it different every time you go. My favorite time is May when the whole trail is decorated with wild lilacs of white, pink and purple. It is a lush fairyland. A word of caution regarding horseback riding. Approximately 1/2 mile from Dundee trailhead the overpass of Route 14A crosses over the trail. You can start to hear the traffic long before you get near it. My horse who is usually spook proof would not continue on the trail. She reluctantly allowed me to lead her with me on foot but the noise is awful. I would never again take my horse on that last 1/2 mile stretch. I will bike it to the end next time. In Dundee continue on Seneca Street to dead end at a small lake parking area. Very pretty view of the lake. I always take my visiting friends to walk the trail. It is always awesome. The history of the trail is quite interesting to read about.
Rode this trail 10/5/16 on a sunny day. Trail surface was good all the way from Penn Yan to Dresden and the falls and stream provided a pleasant view with several good places to stop and take photos. Not quite as flat as we expected but nothing too challenging. Ice cream store in Dresden was closed but the diner across the road had some. :-)
This was a very pretty and enjoyable ride - smooth, paved trail, easy inclines, nice variety of woods and open grassy areas, and marshlands with bridges.
Rode this just recently from Canandaigua to Phelps/Rt 96. Beautiful scenery and very rural. We rode it on a week day and did not see any other cyclists for the full 19 miles. Definitely a mountain bike trail due to the tree roots in some sections.
The western half from Lake Rd. to Hard Rd. is a beautiful trail! It is a generally grassy path that goes through woods, and follows a creek, so it's shady most of the time and easy riding. The eastern half from Hard Rd. to Phillips Rd. is not as nice - it's hot and harder to traverse the cinder rock. However, the Bird Sanctuary Trail (which connects to the Chiyoda Trail), located near the eastern parking area behind North Ponds Park, is a great ride through the woods!
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