Find the top rated running trails in Mayfield, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
This trail (14 mile section) was in pristine condition with surprising amount of wildlife (herons, deer, turtles) along the way. Park, falls and 1800's mill factory at the southern end was worth a stop. Maybe shaded 50% so suntan lotion a must. There's a parking lot in Nassau right next to the trail. As others have mentioned, very few bathroom facilities on route.
I've been riding many of the trails that make up the Empire State Trail system though out the years and the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail is one of the best in my experience.
I parked at the Stuyvesant Falls Trailhead and headed towards the Miller Road trailhead right outside of East Greenbush making for a 42 mile round trip. There are a fair amount of road crossings on this trail but all of the busier ones have crossing lights and I found that motorists were very courteous to me at every one. There is also a few short on road sections on quiet streets that are all very well marked. I was able to keep on the trail without too much confusion.
The trail is a mix of asphalt and tightly packed gravel and is in very good condition. My only complaints are a lack of benches and bathrooms directly on the trail. The trail is also not the most shaded so be mindful of that on a hot summer day. The towns along the trail all offered places to eat and resupply so that's always and option.
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!
This is a well maintained rail trail and a wonderful ride!!
This is a great trail with views of streams, wetlands and lakes. It is very well maintained
Well maintained and places to stop along the way.
We did 11 miles of this trail. We went from Nassau Lake to Valatie. It was mostly flat. It did go on a road for a short section. There was ONE bench the whole way and no bathrooms. Valatie did have several places to eat. Please be aware that many are closed on Tuesday, so that limits the selection somewhat. Pizza ab Mexican we’re closed. Deli and diner were open. Overall it was worth the trip.
*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.
The key to enjoying this trail is knowing what to expect. It is a packed gravel trail that is a little washed out in some places. They did pave some of the hills, too. Since it is gravel, there isn’t as much traffic as a lot of the other rail trails in the area. The Waterford part ends at the lock. The lock welcome center has restrooms when it is open. When we stopped there on a Sunday, they had live music and food. We saw lots of dragon flies, chipmunks and other wildlife on the ride. The Cohoes side is not as well maintained as the Halfmoon side. The openings to cross the road are a bit narrow and the signs are covered in graffiti. The Cohoes side could use a face lift, but I would not skip it.
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