Find the top rated hiking trails in Syracuse, 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.
Took out bikes on this trail on a lovely fall day — some nice fall colors. Negative is lack of signage, which caused us to go the wrong way at one intersection. Found it easier to bike the road than on the hill portion of Maple Avenue than on the very tiny strip of bike trail on the hill. Biked the trail in the flatter portion of the the Maple Ave. trail.
Nice trail for views but very rough in spots especially in the middle. There should almost be a warning for road bikes. Bumpy.
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.
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.
I am on a quest to complete a lot of the rail trails by bike on this app in the upstate NY area. So far I have completed most of the Rochester and Syracuse trails. This sets the bar high as one of the best trails I have done. It has a lot of diverse surface types and scenery. Rode it on 650b x 47mm road plus tires. I wouldn’t recommend going much smaller in width. Some sections can be a bit bumpy. Excellent trail! Highly recommend
The Cayuga Waterfront Trail is an all asphalt trail. We were able to keep the bikes clean and my 8 year old is safe from traffic. I found that if we travel Cass Park loops by the dog park,boat docks, inlet to Farmers Market, past the city golf course to Stewart Park loop and back, it is about 10.0 miles. Sorry for the long sentence but there’s a lot to see.
Rode through the state park with a rigid 29” mountain bike for a slow day ride. The brush-hogged trails I found to be exceptional. They are fairly wide and have some low spots with water. It is just rugged enough to give you good woodland immersion, but smooth enough where you don’t have to hike-a-bike a lot because of water or trail construction. Signs/arrows are posted at most intersections along with a few trail head maps at the start. Would highly recommend if you are looking for a “hiking trail” you can ride on.
Pleasent stroll through the bog. Punctuated with numerous mud holes presumably generated by motor vehicles
Lots of places on the trail where it is almost all grass with just a dirt rut the size of a tire. Very bumpy, lots of rocks and lots of walnuts when we rode in October. Wouldn't ride this with a street bike. Waterfalls were beautiful.
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!
My husband and I started in Canandaigua and almost reached Stanley before turning around. The single track trail was nice and flat in places, we would be roll big along and then bam! hit a section with roots. The scenery was nice but we will not return because of the bumpy ride.
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