As you come into Utica, there is a construction area that would benefit from some temporary signs. You ride down a small hill into a wide open area. Once you do this, you will find that there is no sign that should direct riders to go left. Going left will take you across railroad tracks, and to one of the locks. You cross the lock and rejoin the trail. If you make the mistake and take a right instead of going left, you will be forced to ride into Utica on a busy road. Other than needing a sign at this location in Utica, the trail is amazing. We road from Syracuse to Albany.

We did the whole trail on our electric bikes. Never passed anyone. Bring along a lunch, great spots to stop.

In mid September, when my husband and I were walking the trail, we found the mosquito population from Dresden to the parking lot for Seneca Mills Falls to be horrible. I would never hike in that area at that time of year again. Even mosquito repellent hardly helped. However, hiking from the Seneca Mills Falls parking lot to Seneca falls is lovely and the falls is lovely too.

At end of 60 mile ride we took this trail south into Ithaca. It seemed to be all downhill or maybe I was delirious!

2021: Biked the Erie Canal trail from Buffalo to Cohoes. Well worth the time. And mostly a very pleasant experience, with just a few caveats. Trail improvements are ongoing and signage along the trail is not always up to date, so check your route carefully, especially where it is on-road. The initial section from downtown Buffalo is grungy city streets, but that improves with a great, mostly off-road trail all the way to Lyons. Lockport to Spencerport is fairly exposed, but from there on to Lyons is generally pleasantly green and shaded. From Clyde to Port Byron and through Syracuse were onroad and not always clearly signed and were the least pleasant. From the east side of Syracuse all the way to Cohoes was a delightful and beautiful ride, with the exception of finding one's way onroad and with poor signage through Rome. All in all (despite my caveats) a good, local, human-powered bucket-list endeavor, with thanks to all the communities along the way and everyone maintaining and improving and filling the gaps in the trail.

Nothing could have prepared me for the experience of walking this trail and unfortunately the memory will be ingrained in my head for the foreseeable future. I went with my grandparents, intent on enjoying the nature and picturesque waterfalls. The first red flag should have been the singular car in the parking lot as we arrived, but we ventured out on our journey nonetheless. All began well as we made our way down the trail. As I swatted a couple mosquitoes from my face, I questioned why I hadn’t thought to use bug spray. We made our way deeper into the woods and this fleeting regret turned to all consuming contrition. The mosquitos and gnats were a cloud around us and my desperate flailing arms served as poor defense. We were in too deep before the situation got bad so we persisted towards the waterfall, needing our efforts to be fruitful. Just before I thought I couldn’t bear it anymore, the sound of rushing water was a beacon of hope shining through the dense cloud of insects tickling my skin. My grandparents and I admired the waterfall for a few minutes before deciding we needed to turn back. There was no way we could continue on through that inferno. Two miles. That’s all that stood between us and the safety of the car. We set off and the fury of the mosquitos seemed to increase exponentially. Left and right the little suckers were descending upon me, sucking my blood even through my clothes and buzzing in my ear with fierce perseverance. I knew the only solace would come from walking faster, but my grandparents wouldn’t be able to match the necessary speed. I stayed back with them until I thought I might throw myself into the river in an attempt to end my suffering. Eventually they gave me their blessing to do what I had to do, and therefore I set a furious pace. I felt bad leaving them behind, but I had to save myself. There was nothing I could do to help them. I did indeed leave them in the dust, pumping my arms as I tried to outrun the bugs. Apparently they had no mercy in their tiny souls because they refused to relent. My eyes were squeezed almost shut to prevent them from flying in and I was slapping my skin like a member of a high school step team. All I can say is it was a massacre. I was on the verge of tears and if I weren’t carrying a backpack and a camera I would have broken into a full out run. At this point I thought I’d also like to mention the weather conditions. It was around 90 degrees and the percent humidity was probably about the same. The sweat was cascading down every inch of my body as I was booking it and the fact that I didn’t care really says something about the situation. The swarm thinned as I drew closer to the parking lot and I almost cried in relief at the sight of car at the end. I had to then wait in the sun as my grandparents made their way back, hoping they hadn’t been consumed entirely by the bugs. Luckily, we all made it out alive, but not without the battle scars both physical and emotional that came with this experience. I went to bed that night, twitching with the phantom sensation of mosquitos on my skin, aching to forget the events of the day. All I can do now is recognize this hike as a piece of character development that has humbled me deeply for years to come.

With this being said, the trail is very nice and I just want to warn those hoping to go that they should proceed with caution and probably unload an entire can of bug spray on themselves before going.

I would rate this trail a 5 for its excellent condition, but I have to give it a 4 because the pretty views were blocked by the woods. Easy parking at Lock 4 in Waterloo. The "tunnel" walkway under the highway at the Seneca Lake State Park is open so you can ride right through the park and along the waterfront of Seneca Lake into Geneva. This is a really nice ride for an afternoon, peaceful and showing how nice Upstate New York can be,

Did the entire 23 mile trail to Canandaigua and back… definitely recommend a mountain bike or as I have, a decent front suspension on a hybrid with knobby size 40 tires. The final 7 miles(16-23) to Canandaigua are the best ride with mostly smoothish dirt. The roughest part are miles 11-16 to Canandaigua… spine jarring and butt banging… mostly grass and fairly rough 12 inch wide single trail over that stretch. Be prepared for fairly slow 7-8mph going… I tend to average 15 to 16 mph on the mixed gravel/pavement of the Erie canal trail between Fairport and Brockport… I averaged only about 10mph on this 46 mi. round trip. But nice scenery and time on Canandaigua lake is worth the effort as a pitstop

Very simple trail, not very long. Be aware that the trail is also used for marathons and other races so if you're coming from away check on that first. Only downside is the parking area could use more shade for the summer time.