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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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 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...
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 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...
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 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 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 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...
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 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 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...
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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...
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 Cato-Fair Haven Trail (a.k.a. Cayuga County Trail) travels a little more than 14 miles through forest, wetland and tree farm.
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 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...
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 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 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)...
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 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...
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 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...
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 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...
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 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...
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...
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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 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 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 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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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 Cato-Fair Haven Trail (a.k.a. Cayuga County Trail) travels a little more than 14 miles through forest, wetland and tree farm.
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 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 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...
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 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 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 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...
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...
I walked 1-3 miles of the trail 4 times from Penn Yan with cousins in mid-July. It was a great, well-shaded trail for walking with the chance to meet friendly bikers and walkers. It also reflected a heavy rain on the last day's hike; what had been a gentle shallow creek the first walks was a deep, surging, bank-full small river the last day.
Great trail for biking or walking. It was just my husband and I, but this trail is perfect for families with kids also. Well maintained and not too crowded
Rode from Jefferson Rd (252) to the Lehigh Valley trail. Nice and flat. Just south of Erie Station Rd there are a few huge trees that came down obstructing the trail that you have to kind of climb through (watch out for poison ivy). Otherwise a very nice ride.
It would be a nice trail if they would cut the tall weeds and remove the tree limes ready to fall onto the trail. This use to be well maintained until a few years ago.
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.
On Wednesday, 5/10/17 I parked at the baseball field in Penn Yan and walked about 2.3 miles with my dog, then turned around and we walked back to the car. Beautiful flowers and peaceful views. I used the restroom about 1/4 mile from the baseball field and found it very clean.
On Sunday, 5/14/17 I returned with my husband, daughter, and dog. We parked at the baseball field and walked about 3.5 miles out, then turned around and walked back to the car. Beautiful views again (despite the rain that started halfway through), but this time the restroom was locked. I highly recommend the trail, but wanted to warn others that the restrooms shown on the map may or may not be available.
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
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