Find the top rated hiking trails in Albany, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Started in Roxbury and fell a couple of miles short of finishing trail but headed back. A lot of mud towards Bloomfield section.Can't say enough about the views. Totally fine for any gravel bike or hybrid .
My experience did not match the glowing description and reviews for this trail. While I agree it can be ridden with a road bike as I did it makes for a very rough ride. The surface is clearly not crushed stone as advertised but rather gravel with 1/4 to 1/2” pebbles. Furthermore with the exception of a few hundred feet at the beginning (West Hurley) you don’t see the lake, the rest of the way you are in the forest, which on a hot day is nice but also almost completely blocks the view of the water. I ended up riding back via route 28A, which makes for a loop of a little over 30 miles and was not too busy with cars. If you do go this route make sure to take the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade, which parallels route 28A along the shore of the lake for about three miles. The only difficulty is crossing busy route 28 at the end to get back to the parking lot in West Hurley.
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.
While short at 11 miles one way, this trail has a lot to offer. The view of the reservoir with the green Catskill Mountains in the distance is quite enchanting. Much of the ride is through the woods with plenty of shade. The surface is packed cinders and the ride is generally flat. There are plenty of port-a-potties at the trail heads. This is our second time on the trail, so we did view it as worth returning too. Our first trip, during a summer weekend, was quite busy. This time we were there on a rainy weekday in June, and there were minimal people.
We extended the ride by travelling an additional 20 miles on the rode to ride around the reservoir. Starting at the Woodstock Dike Trailhead, we headed east on a very busy Route 28, but only for less than a quarter mile. The rest of the trip had minimal traffic, although I should note it was a rainy weekday. I ‘m unsure how different it would be on a sunny weekend.
We then followed Basin Road to Dike Road where we enjoyed amazing views. Dike Road is on what I believe is the dam at the east end of the Reservoir, offering unobstructed views of the water. From there, we continued on Route 28A. We were a short distance from the Promenade when we encountered a rain storm approaching in from the west. We turned back, managing to get to the car right before the rain began. In total the trip covered 40 miles on hybrid bikes.
While we did not reach the Promenade on this trip, I would highly recommend visiting it. During a previous visit, we took a short drive from the Rail Trail to the Promenade. It was well worth the hassle of loading and unloading the bikes on the car. You will find gorgeous views of the revisor with the mountains in the distance. We even spotted a bald eagle soaring over the water.
It takes us 2.5 hours to drive from our home to the western trailhead. The journey is well worth it. We definitely will be visiting again.
We biked the entire northern half of the D&H Rail Trail to the NY state line. Was pleasantly surprised to find no ruts. Trail was mostly made up of crushed stone. It's mostly a scenic ride, I would recommend this Rail Trail.
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.
Started in Adams and rode to the end and back. Nice weather on this wide paved and shaded trail. It is in great condition. There are a number of road crossings but most are small streets. The gates are all the same, an opening on each side and we saw atleast two recumbent trikes make it through without problems. Photo to show the gates today.
Visiting in lower NY area and had this on my bucket list. It was a well paved and maintained trail. Parked at railroad at in Cheshire and rode to the parking area in Pittsfield and then back and a few miles into the Adams area. All in 18 miles. Plenty of options for parking, bathroom Facilities in a few areas and many benches and picnic tables placed to stop and take a break or enjoy the views of the Lindai a or chechsire reservoir. It was well worth the trip!
This is a great trail. Great scenery and well paved. The northern part is partially under repair and new pavement so you have may to go to a starting point a little further south
Several sections of the trail are currently closed between Copake and Millerton. Although I wouldn't recommend them to everyone, I considered them very rideable or walkable. I'd probably start a few stops down next time, but only to avoid rerouting if they were actually doing maintenance and wouldn't let me pass though. When I wasn't considering alternative routes I was overtaken by the scenery between Copake and Milerton. The wildlife and landscapes were seldom disappointing, but the countless bugs were distracting. Milerton to Wassaic was underwhelming if you've drove along 22 before. Strangely, it was in worse condition than the closed sections. Scattered frost heaves sent cyclist darting around the trail or shot out of their saddle and skateboards trying to break their fall. Knowing this made it easier on the way back, but also way slower.
Cannot say this enough. I rode into more bugs in 4h on this trail than I have in over 4000 miles anywhere else.
TLDR:
This trail is currently "closed" for several miles. The trail is full of stunning scenery, bumps, and bugs. Well worth visiting, but keep expectations in check. Would give 3.75 if it was an option.
It looked very nice from the parking area, but could not get through the barricades with a recumbent trike. Drove over an hour and gates were shut and would have had to lift trike over gates. Disgusted with Massachusetts and whomever designed the barricades. Has anyone heard of the ADA?
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