Explore the best rated trails in Utica, NY, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Verona Beach State Park Rail Trail and Black River Feeder Canal Trail . With more than 14 trails covering 404 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.
The trail is well marked it's a bit tough going on roads through parts of Lockport. Once back on the trail, is well maintained.
In early June, we rode the section of the Erie Canal from Camillus to Syracuse. We also took a side trip on the Onondaga Lake West and East Shore Trails. Round trip, we biked approximatel 30 miles.
We parked at the June Reed Webster Park. The bathrooms were open. With that said, we have been there before and they have been closed. I would not count on them 100%.
The trail was in excellent shape. The Erie Canal section was hard a packed with small gravel. We did encounter hills, which we did not expect on a canal trail. They were small and manageable. Most of the hilly sections were paved, making them easy to navigate. The Onondaga Lake trails are paved and in fantastic condition. We only came across two small sections with tree root bumps.
This section of the Erie Canal Trail goes through the New York State Fairgrounds. It was eerie and strange to be at the Fair when no one else was around. Made for a unique experience.
The Onondaga Lake Trails were a pleasure with views of the lake, woodlands, birds, and flowers. We saw several bluebirds, which is not something we encounter routinely.
The Onondaga Lake Trails are part of the Onondaga Lake Park which has multiple bathroom facilities and picnic tables. We ate our lunch with a view of the lake and pickleball courts. There were a people playing, which provided our lunch time entertainment.
The only potential downside is the trail near Camillus is next to a garbage dumb. It is landscaped nicely with wild flowers in abundance and we did find a turtle on the path. We noticed an odor on our way back when the temperature was hotter. On the positive side, it is a productive use of the land.
We give this trail a thumbs up and will ride it again.
About a 45 minute ride on the Erie Canal path ,starting at the Medina lift bridge, through farmland and villages (Middleport, Gasport) herons that are absolutely not afraid of you! Beautiful in the fall!
*PLEASE NOTE that the portion from Bridge Street to the Onondaga Creek, Syracuse NEEDS UPDATING on the Trail map, as connecting trail is now available and this isn't reflected in the map.* Today was our 3rd ride (each out and back) on this trail, completing the section from Port Byron to the Inner Harbor in Syracuse. Today's ride in nice weather was 21 miles round trip to the Camillus Museum from Syracuse. We enjoyed the museum and the newer section that is paved along the west side of Onondaga Lake from the Fair Grounds parking area to the south part of the lake. We did miss a turn heading up the hill to turn off the trail to the parking area so we could cross 690; not sure there was clear signage on that; there was going back down. We were able to go through the portion on the NYS Fairgrounds and noted that this is not open to biking during the colder months (I believe Oct-April 1); it wouldn't be hard to go around, but signage would be helpful on that, too. Signs for this portion of the Empire State Trail were quite good otherwise. Since we haven't had much rain in the past month, trail conditions were excellent on today's portion. Least favorite was the road portion (or "sidewalk ride") on Hiawatha Blvd as it was very busy. Parts of the portion we did today is hillier than most sections; it was not difficult for us "intermediate level" bikers, but parts wouldn't be the best for younger children or somebody who hadn't biked in a while.
Starting in Colonie in the parking lot on rt9 it was a great ride headed towards Schenectady. Smooth paved surface. A little on a local road but minimal car traffic and clearly marked. Plenty of bench’s and stopping areas along the way.
We started from the Fulton end. We only did 5 miles and then turned around. A few times it was necessary to walk our bikes through sections.
Did a small section from Jordan to Solvay. Nice Ride about 14.5 miles on a cooler sunny day. Muddy in a couple spots. Hope to complete more sections soon ¿¿¿
Rode this trail on 10/11. Beautiful day. I wish I could say that for the trail. Who ever maintains the trail, doesn't. I started at the Boonville end and the trail kept getting rougher and rougher, more like a truck trail with rocks sticking up. Plenty of puddles toward the Forestport end. The trail shook my bike so hard I had to stop on the way back to tighten my mirror and cyclometer. I have ridden this bike over 1400 miles on trails and never had this problem. Perhaps on a full suspension mountain bike it would be better. I normally ride a towpath at 13 - 17 MPH. I was below 10 most of the time and my hands were still numb. The two stars is because of the scenery.
Oswego County Trail starting in Central Square and heading East toward Sylvan Beach. If you enjoy riding a combination gravel pit/mud bog through swamps and what smells like a sewage treatment plant this trail is for you! We rode 20 miles dodging mud pits and ATVs but that was easy because there was really no interesting scenery to distract us from the trail. The abandoned playground was mildly creepy and the outhouse was too sketchy for me (and I grew up with outdoor facilities) so we kept going. The trail was so rough parts of my bike rattled loose but I wanted to decrease the bike weight anyway (silver lining am I right?). We actually left the trail in Constanta so we could look at the lake. The 10 miles of trail crossed 10 roads so if you enjoyed playing Frogger in the 80s you will LOVE this ride. All in all I give this trail one star because it is actually a trail and it is well marked. There is no parking at the trail head so you have to ask a nearby business if you can leave the car in their lot while you ride.
Parked at west Monroe park off rt 49, road to where the entrance to Sand Bar is. 11.27 miles out and back. It was flat but did have a lot of soft gravel areas. I would recommend it.
On August 12, 2022 I rode my bicycle on the Erie Canalway trail from Port Byron to the Erie Canal Park and Museum in Camillus (which is on the trail) and back, approximately 19 miles each way. It was a dry, sunny day in the 80’s. The surface was mostly crushed gravel and packed earth with a few stretches on asphalt in the breakdown lane of some local roads where the trail diverged from the canal. The condition was good to excellent except for the final short stretch near Camillus which was unacceptable because erosion in two areas created the dangerous possibility of falling into the canal and because the trail was too narrow for two bikes in opposite directions to safely pass each other. For this small section, I recommend riding on the local road on the other side of the concrete barrier dividing this path from the local road. The surface on this local road was only fair secondary to potholes and cracks in the asphalt.
The museum in the Camillus Erie Canal Park is open 12-4 PM on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and is open from 1-5 PM on Sunday. Most sections of the Erie Canalway Trail from Port Byron to Camillus run along a non-navigable branch of the Erie Canal which is very shallow and is overgrown with algae or cattail plants or is filled in with dirt. Other sections go through wooded areas, rural areas, farmland and the small town of Weedsport.
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