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About 5 miles of newly paved trail has been open east of Amsterdam to Pattersonville. It is a really nice ride along the river.
We had been waiting for the new paved section of trail to open connecting Slingerlands to Voorheesville. It opened and they did a terrific job. There is limited parking at the Port of Albany trailhead but it’s a great ride of about 9.5 miles from there to Voorheesville. At the Voorheesville end the trail ends at a small park that has a new gazebo where an old railway station used to be.
19.5 mile round trip from Platt St Glens Falls NY to Lake George and back. Enjoyed lunch and a boat show in Lake George at the 1/2 point which added to the charm and makes the few larger hills coming out of Lake George worth while. Near the Glens Falls end has a nice top for a drink The trail is all asphalt. A short section is on the road (rt 66 and 17) with decent shoulder. The northern section from Glen Lake to Lake George is nicer than the southern section but it is a bit hilly at times. The southern section has a lot of road crossings causing it to be stop and go.
Although this Bike Path is scenic, it is NOT maintained, it is continues wide cracks in the pavement and huge bumps. I already saw a couple bickers fall because of the neglected pavement. Not only do you risk a fall because of the neglect, you also risk damage to your tires as the bumps & cracks are severe. I have a Road Bike, and changed my tires because of the bumps, also note the bumps also can shift your gears.
I rode from Stamford to Bloomfield on May 21st. The ride is scenic although you should expect farmfields and farm trash pushed to the edge of fields. I do a lot of cycling and used a cyclocross bike, but this trail really was rough with downed trees and many, many sticks on the trail. The constant attention I had to give to avoiding sticks flipping into my spokes and sending me flying made me lose sight at times of the marvelous scenery. A few parts of the trail all grass. I wish I could win the lottery and give the CST folks a generous donation so the trail could be a bit better maintained. Stamford has a gorgeous amenity with this rail-trail and a depot still standing.
The northern half is by far the best. The southern part is not well marked, has some long road sections and dumps you in town with nothing around. It is well paved and taken care of. The northern part goes to Lake George and is very nice. For someone seeking a short ride, I would start at the outlet center and ride north. That is about 8 to 10 miles round trip depending on how much you ride around town.
I am an experienced rail trail rider. Had this been my "first" venture on a rail trail, I would be hard pressed to be convinced to go on another. I love the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the work they do. I am an avid trail rider. I don't usually write reviews but feel in this case it is wise to give a heads-up to inexperienced trail riders.
I started in Roxbury. It was hard to even find the trailhead. The grass is knee high. No signs for parking. I took my chances and parked on Rt 30, which turned out to be fine. There were no other cars parked at the trail head. Not a good sign! Except for the high grass (oh boy, ticks were on my mind) the trail from Roxbury to where you cross Rt 30 towards the Gorge was uneventful except for the marshy area where you come out at the road that required walking your bike.
Once on the other side the "fun" begins. As one reviewer noted, lots of sticks. And mud. And rocks. And loose gravel. The stretch of exposed railroad ties is short and definitely walkable. The rest of the trail is hard going, and between the high grass, mud, rocks, gravel and sticks, my time was really slow, slower than my usual slow pace.
I was disappointed that the Catskill Revitalization Corp building was fairly dilapidated and closed (on Memorial Day Weekend). There are basically no amenities along the way (except a Family Dollar right on the trail in Stamford) and no signage pointing to any at any of the street crossings. I do not see how it is possible ride the entire trail out and back AND take in the off the trail sightseeing as described in the trail description (Official Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Guidebook), and do it all before dark. (Fishing, picnicking, reading a book, exploring the towns, really?) As it were, it took me from 9:45 am to 6:30 pm to go out and back. (Granted, I am a 60 year old woman riding alone but with 1000s of miles of experience.)
There are no mile markers, but some signage after the Gorge indicating miles to the next town. Only no signs to indicate that you indeed had reached that town. (I am comparing this to other rail trails that have signage, amenities and indications that you are in a certain town.) It is obvious there's a town nearby at some of the crossings, but unless you are well armed with maps and prior research, you won't be absolutely sure of where you are. Signage connecting the trail at crossings is good.
You can read about all the types of areas you'll be riding through in the trail overview.
Lack of riders on a beautiful, sunny holiday weekend day in May is an indication that the trail may leave a lot to be desired. In the entire trip out and back I only saw may a dozen other riders, and only three of whom I saw coming and going.
Even with all the hardship, it was a beautiful area of the country to ride. My recommendation is to not ride this trail alone as there are too many areas where if you got hurt or had mechanical issues you'd be waiting a good long while for help. I had no cell phone coverage for most of the trip. Make sure your bike is suited for the conditions. Don't even think about taking your road bike. Take lots of water, food, bug spray, first aid kit, etc. Don't depend on being able to stock up along the way. Don't make this trail your first rail trail experience. Try a shorter one that's less difficult first. If you are hell bent on doing the whole trip in one shot (like me, as I read that recommendation in the overview, ahem), start in Roxbury as the grade will be in your favor on the way back.
I hope the Catskill Revitalization Corp is able to raise the funds to support the upkeep of this trail. It has so much potential and is one of the few trails in the northeast that are more than a few miles long.
(My ride: Surly Long Haul Trucker.)
I've ridden this section for more than 30 years with no flats. New aggregate has been laid down in this section over the last three weeks. It sparkles in the sun. I've had five flats on the new surface. Each was caused by a tiny glass shard, some clear some brown. The workers said they were putting down crushed limestone. It seems to there may be recycled glass in the mix. I'm running Schwalbe G one 700x60 tires at 30# rear 25# front. It's an admittedly light tire but I've had no problem with flats elsewhere including rough gravel roads. Go belted or tubeless on this section or be prepared to flat. Without the nice smooth new surface I'd have given this trail four stars.
Six older couples cycling from East Syracuse to Albany in May, just before the Canal opened. Advantage: Lots of camping. Disadvantage: no boats to watch in the locks and towns. The book was pleasantly wrong and needs a wee bit of an update with the wonderful new additions, trail re-locations, and especially attractions. There was much less on-road cycling than we had worried about. The drivers on the road were suitably accommodating. We camped some nights and stayed in motels as the mood and weather might indicate. When we got to Amsterdam, NY, however, we slept in a CASTLE!! The Amsterdam Castle, a mere 800' from the trail was amazing and worth the few dollars more than the chain motels we had stayed at. There was a breakfast and wonderful rooms. The artwork was worth a museum entrance fee. Everything was AMAZING! We enjoyed a nice meal at Parillo's Italian Restaurant (go through through the Armory Bar and Grill and take a left). Another fun culinary highlight of the ride was Mike's Diner in Fultonville. It's just under the highway on the left. Great food, great fun. Very entertaining proprietor and a fair price. Now, the areas that need improvement: Only one or two cross streets were signed. There were virtually no signs for important trail-side amenities, like, lodging, camping, ice cream, groceries, repair shops, ice cream, attractions, or restaurants with ice cream. [The Great Allegheny Passage really got that right.] ECT should take a look. There were no trail-side tool set-ups like on the Norwootuck or GAP trails. Those were nice. Some of the really cool attractions, like the first bike ridden cross-country, a huge high-wheeler, is in the second floor of a darling historical society in Henniker. Each local Chamber of Commerce should be all over this trail. As multi-day trails go, this one had the most to offer in scenery and museums, but they were often not in the book and hard. We only knew about them from prior research and our AAA Guide. Rome and Fort Stanwix not withstanding. We broke a chain on the tandem in Schenectedy. One bike shop, Plaine and Sons, fortunately has a mobile service van. We called them and explained the issue, and they don't actually use the van. It's basically just a sign. We went to NY Bike on Congress, where an efficient young man repaired the bike in less than five minutes. If an establishment isn't really going to support the trail, they should not be mentioned. My advice would be double your time from other trails of the same length and see the sights which lie not far off the trail. This ride is more of an adventure and less of just a bike ride. To just ride it is to miss the mark. Hope some of this helps. Happy trails.
This trail has a ton of potential, but a couple words of warning: the sections East of Stamford are looser, and the Roxbury--Grand Gorge section in particular is ill-maintained. We went in April which was probably a bit early in the season, as much of it was wet and we found it tough going for much of it, even on gravel bikes. Full MTBs might work better.
Last summer, a group of 10 friends did the trail from Buffalo to Albany. Before we started the trail in Buffalo, we ride our bikes to Niagara Falls in Canada. Great experience and wonderful ride, except for walking the bike over the border.
The "trail" between Buffalo and Albany has some gaps but in general is ok. There is a small section before Rochester where the trail is in horrible condition. The good thing is that there are good hotels in Albany, Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester (Marriott) so you can accomodate your trip to stay in a nice hotel after a long ride. There is only one stop where you have to sleep in a run-down motel, but, hey! No trip is perfect!
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