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We rode this trail from the Seneca Lake State Park in Geneva to Waterloo and enjoyed it a great deal. Some people have said the trail is hard to find, and I think it was two years ago when we were first there. This time, though, it was simple: We entered the park at the main drive (Park Rd) off of Route 20. It costs (as of May 2021) $7 to park for 24 hours, and there is a kiosk at the entrance where you pay and get a ticket to put on your dashboard. We could have parked for free in the visitor's center, I suppose, but we thought $7 was a fair price to pay to help support the New York Park System, especially since we're not NY taxpayers.
Once we got our ticket we followed the road to the left until we saw the sign for the trail access. Just beyond it there was parking. We could have parked anywhere there--could have parked at the Welcome Center as well--and ridden the paved road along the waterfront, but we chose to ride that part the next morning. We just wanted to get on the trail since they were predicting rain.
We followed the signs to the trail. Don't be discouraged by the path that leads to the trail itself--it is ballast (difficult for me to ride in) followed by a boardwalk type of path that leads over the railroad track and under the highway. It's not bad, but I was envisioning an entire trail like this and wasn't thrilled. After we got past that very short section, though, the trail became packed limestone dust and it was a joy to ride on. Good exercise but not over-challenging for two folks in their early 60s with hybrid bikes. From this point to Waterloo is only about 4.5 to 5 miles. (Apparently the 10 mile distance shown in TrailLink includes the paved path around the north end of Seneca Lake.
We road to Waterloo, saw the canal lock, and rode back on a nice level, well-maintained trail. It should be said that the trail rises slightly from Waterloo to Geneva, so the return trip was slightly more strenuous than the outbound trip, but the incline really is very slight.
Just as we got back to Geneva it began to rain so we left for the day. We returned the next morning (we still had time left on our parking pass) and bicycled along the northern end of Seneca Lake. It's a wide, asphalt path that was quiet in the morning (a few joggers). The views were lovely and we rode the length twice. At one end (beyond the visitor's center) there is a tunnel that leads under the road and into Geneva, so if you wanted to ride into town it would be easy. The visitor's center itself, by the way, is lovely with good food and a lot of places to sit and just enjoy the lake view.
The creek is pretty nice, but overshadowed most of the way by the adjacent noisy interstate. Also, much of the asphalt has tree roots running under it, causing the trail to be quite bumpy.
So much to see. Old mill, waterfalls and the creek is beautiful. There are places to stop and rest and picnic. Portable toilets available along the way. Great ride. Definitely will ride again.
Nice in town hike with pretty scenery once you get past the start.
I live close to one of the sections of the trail so I walk it with my dog often. But we also venture out to the other parts. I’ve actually done all of it twice with many sections much more. It’s a great trail for walking a dog. There are some really beautiful parts and I am looking forward to seeing them through all of the seasons.
New off road section was created along Broadway in Albany after coming out of the tunnel. Watch for the signs for the Empire Trail also
Easy to find; we parked in Dryden Park, nice picnic pavilions, playground. We only walked 2 miles, and the trail was very well kept, clean, nice and wide. Great for younger kids, strollers, dogs.
This is a definite must for you! We loved the ride.
Small section of this trail runs alongside sewage treatment facility (no bad smells, just interrupts the natural environment for a while). Nice views of the stream. Well maintained, easy walking.
We rode our bikes all the way from Waterloo to the Visitors Center in Geneva. Great ride, we loved it.
Very nice bike trail, but poor signage thru Montour Falls. To make it easy: if you are facing the Falls on Genesee St, go left about 6 blocks to Cook. Turn left on Cook and just beyond the city’s DPW site is the trailhead south to Millport. The sign is not seen as you come down the street and we actually went right by it the first time, but it is on the right immediately past the DPW site. The route to Millport is beautiful so it is a shame to miss it when you can’t find the trailhead. It is gradually uphill to Millport so it makes for a very nice ride back. Hope this helps!
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