Explore the best rated trails in Rochester, NY. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Hojack Trail and Brickyard Trail. With more than 22 trails covering 555 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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Two former rival railroad corridors that crossed in Buffalo’s eastern suburbs now form a nearly 18-mile paved trail system called Clarence Pathways in Clarence, Newstead, and Akron. Five trails...
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 Cayuga-Seneca Canalway Trail is a 5-mile pathway beginning in Waterloo, New York and terminating at Seneca Lake State Park. The roadbed it uses was constructed by the Seneca County 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,...
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 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 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...
The Keuka Outlet Trail offers a sinuous route of nearly 7 miles between Penn Yan and Dresden in New York’s Finger Lakes region. The rail-trail follows a railroad corridor that traced a former canal...
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...
By the early 1800s, Rochester had earned the nickname of Flour City because of its numerous mills that allowed the young town to rapidly become the largest flour producer in the United States. The...
Snaking along the shoreline of Lake Ontario, the Irondequoit Lakeside Multi-Use Trail provides a smooth journey infused with the region’s rich natural and cultural heritage. The nearly 7-mile 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 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...
Located in the majestic Finger Lakes region, the Lehigh Valley Trail is a well-used gem with a sparkling future. Wandering 16.4 miles through beautiful landscapes and rich greenery, the trail connects...
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...
By the early 1800s, Rochester had earned the nickname of Flour City because of its numerous mills that allowed the young town to rapidly become the largest flour producer in the United States. The...
The Keuka Outlet Trail offers a sinuous route of nearly 7 miles between Penn Yan and Dresden in New York’s Finger Lakes region. The rail-trail follows a railroad corridor that traced a former canal...
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...
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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...
Two former rival railroad corridors that crossed in Buffalo’s eastern suburbs now form a nearly 18-mile paved trail system called Clarence Pathways in Clarence, Newstead, and Akron. Five trails...
The Ontario Pathways Rail Trail is the crown jewel of the trail system managed by the organization for whom it is named in Ontario County, New York. Comprising two disconnected segments, including a...
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 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...
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...
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,...
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...
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 WAG Trail snakes for 9 miles along the upper Genessee River. The trail follows the route of what was once a shortline operation called the Wellsville, Addison & Galeton (WAG) Railroad. Though the...
The Cayuga-Seneca Canalway Trail is a 5-mile pathway beginning in Waterloo, New York and terminating at Seneca Lake State Park. The roadbed it uses was constructed by the Seneca County Railway...
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...
There are so many reminders from the heyday of the railroad age on the nearly 10-mile Auburn Trail that visitors might imagine they’re chugging through villages and countryside at the throttle of a...
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 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...
Located in the majestic Finger Lakes region, the Lehigh Valley Trail is a well-used gem with a sparkling future. Wandering 16.4 miles through beautiful landscapes and rich greenery, the trail connects...
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 WAG Trail snakes for 9 miles along the upper Genessee River. The trail follows the route of what was once a shortline operation called the Wellsville, Addison & Galeton (WAG) Railroad. Though the...
The Ontario Pathways Rail Trail is the crown jewel of the trail system managed by the organization for whom it is named in Ontario County, New York. Comprising two disconnected segments, including a...
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 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 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 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 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...
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 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...
There are so many reminders from the heyday of the railroad age on the nearly 10-mile Auburn Trail that visitors might imagine they’re chugging through villages and countryside at the throttle of a...
The Keuka Outlet Trail offers a sinuous route of nearly 7 miles between Penn Yan and Dresden in New York’s Finger Lakes region. The rail-trail follows a railroad corridor that traced a former canal...
By the early 1800s, Rochester had earned the nickname of Flour City because of its numerous mills that allowed the young town to rapidly become the largest flour producer in the United States. The...
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...
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 Cayuga-Seneca Canalway Trail is a 5-mile pathway beginning in Waterloo, New York and terminating at Seneca Lake State Park. The roadbed it uses was constructed by the Seneca County Railway...
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...
Two former rival railroad corridors that crossed in Buffalo’s eastern suburbs now form a nearly 18-mile paved trail system called Clarence Pathways in Clarence, Newstead, and Akron. Five trails...
We rode this trail on 10/13/20. As others have stated it varies from level crushed stone to a dirt path with lots of large roots and rocks that is at time less than level. If you are heading west from Shoen Place you are on the Erie Canal trail which is flat and cinder. Once you turn onto the Pittsford Rail trail it turns into a grass path with occasional spots of cinders but is level. As you go behind the shopping centers on Monroe Avenue the trail turns into a hilly, twisted dirt path that is not level and a little treacherous. Mountain or hybrid bikes will do ok but road bikes will have problems. Mileage is also off, one loop is about 5.5 miles, not the 11 listed in the description.
We rode our bikes all the way from Waterloo to the Visitors Center in Geneva. Great ride, we loved it.
Hiked the first two miles South of Fairhaven. Very difficult walk full of rocks and cinders and plainly not hospitable to hikers and groomed for motorized vehicles instead. Would recommend a pavement for bikers and hikers since it would seem to help supplement activities at the park and allow families to bike and hike some beautiful backwoods Upstate scenery.
(10/8/2020) We started at the Victor end (Lehigh Crossing Park) and ran into a bit of confusion about 1/2 mile from the parking lot. As you approach the catch and release pond on the North side, you want to take the path to the right. This is the actual trail but there is no signage indicating it is the trail; it looks like a patch to a pavilion. If, instead, you go past the pond you will come to an intersection that says you are on the trail but if you try to continue in a Westerly direction the trail is just dirt and there are signs that say it is not a trail and to keep off. If you go back to the intersection you can take the Bie trail North and it runs into the Lehigh. Just be careful of the steep hill you have to go down.intersection and take the Blue Trsil The rest of the trail was great!
Dirt path and crushed stone path, good for walking the dog. Nice little parking lot on French road. Only did part of the loop, but plan to do more of it when I have more time.
I did this trail on a grey day. The ride was flat, not technical. I did flat about 5 miles in due to a huge thorn. There were lots of debris from trees due to recent storms. My in-laws live here and this trail was the perfect length in distance and time for a ride to get away for a bit. I rode my gravel bike with 40mm tires which was perfect. I only passed two people walking dogs and a couple of other cyclists on hybrids on my return. I would just caution people that there are a number of road and farm road crossings. Definitely slow down and stop to make sure no traffic is coming.
My husband and I hiked this from Stanley to Canandaigua and just loved it. Mind you, it’s September and the manure smell wasn’t bad at all at this time of year. We have been walking a trail a day to raise $ for a charity and are up to 9 rail trails so far and over 144 miles to date. This was by far the easiest and kindest to our feet! Lots of soft, well maintained grass and also mossy areas in shadier places. Again, this was from Stanley to Canandaigua. I’d listen to other reviewers for the Phelps side of the trail. BTW, the Stanley to Canandaigua side has the delightful Pooh Corner signs, at least 12 or more! It could use more benches...there is only one.
Ontario Pathways is mostly single track and grass with occasional spots with gravel and stone dust. It is well maintained in terms of mowing and trimming back trees but would definitely suggest using a mountain bike if cycling on either leg of this trail. The trail goes through rural forested areas and pretty farmland. Canandaigua on the west terminus offers the only services on the route.
Tried riding the section identified as Trail #7 in the southern section of the park. Probably OK for mountain biking, but not typical rail-Trail. Better luck at the north end at Mount Morris. You can park right at the west side of the river or a little further south in town is a nice access with parking. We rode several miles south from Mount Morris and found it to be a nice easy ride. Mostly packed gravel with some dirt.
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.
Rode my hybrid cruiser along half the trail from Penn Yan to Seneca Mill Falls. It was overcast, threatening to rain just before sunset or otherwise would have gone further. It’s true that riding East is much easier that West. The smell of manure and sewer were a little strong for a short distance but the cliffs and the stream were beautiful. Will try it again from the eastern side soon.
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