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Print Friendly MapThere are so many reminders from the heyday of the railroad age on the 14-mile Auburn Trail that visitors might imagine they’re chugging through villages and countryside at the throttle of a locomotive. An old depot, a pump house, waiting shelters, and concrete mileage markers (two are original) are just some of the relics from the old days.
The crushed-stone trail follows the corridor of a New York Central line from Farmington to Pittsford.
Near the southern end of the trail, Mertensia Park offers a convenient starting point, with parking at the entrance next to the trail. Turn right to follow the trail northwest, or take a new 3-mile section that heads southeast toward NY 332 and the Auburn Meadows subdivision.
The Auburn Trail goes just over a mile to the site of a circa 1840 railroad depot of the Auburn and Rochester Railroad, which lends its name to the trail. A number of mergers resulted in its acquisition by New York Central Railroad in 1853. This corridor’s sections closed in 1960 and 1978. The depot is privately owned, as is an adjacent boxcar.
You’ll cross the dirt Seneca Trail for hikers on the right past Rawson Road, and in about 2 miles you’ll come to Lehigh Crossing Park and cross under the Lehigh Valley Trail, which heads west 15 miles to the Genesee Valley Greenway.
You’ll arrive on Main Street in Fishers about a mile past the Lehigh Valley Trail junction. The small cobblestone building on the north side of the trail is a pump house built for the Auburn and Rochester Railroad in 1845 to supply water to steam locomotives.
The trail leg to Woolston Road passes through rural countryside, crossing Irondequoit Creek on two stone-arch bridges and a 90-foot steel bridge. A painted mural graces the trail’s I-90/New York Thruway underpass. Facilities are available at the 380-acre Powder Mills Park after you turn right onto Woolston Road and travel 0.3 miles to the park entrance. The trail now continues north to Knickerbocker Rd. on nearly 3 miles of paved path, with only a small gap between Thornell Rd. and Mill Rd.
There are several parking locations along the trail, including along Probst Rd, Fisher Rd, Main St. Fishers, Victor Mendon Rd, Rawson Rd, Railroad St. and Rochester Rd. There are several additional parking locations as well, see TrailLink Map for more detailed information.
Rode the trail on my gravel bike from Knickerbocker Rd near the Erie Canal, then down to Victor and back here in the late fall after all the leaves were down. The scenery is definitely different without the leaves affording a better view of the creeks and streams that run alongside and under the trail. The crushed stone surface is smooth and well-maintained. Overall, it was a great ride! Highly recommended.
9/1/2021: Just rode the Auburn trail (as part of the Rochester Gravel Bike Loop) the short distance from the Lehigh Valley trail to Maple Avenue, going east. The trail has a good surface and is a pleasant ride. Just note that (as of today) the TrailLink map is slightly wrong: the trail goes directly to Maple Ave along the railroad right-of-way; it does not go to Dryer road.
Rode between Fishers and Rt 332. Great except for a 1/4 mile bit that is single track "mountain bike'ish" part. I think you can side track to the road for that but.
First, I am vice-chair of Victor Hiking Trails, Inc. so have both a proprietary interest and much first hand knowledge.
As of 2020, the "missing link" in the Village of Victor has been completed. So has the sewer job that interrupted things. The full surface is back to its great stonedust finish.
There is still a gap that is under construction by East Victor and Break of Day Roads. New grading has been done and a bridge constructed. The surface is NOT yet stonedust, it is dirt and larger gravel. It is suitable for mountain bikes and foot travel. Road bikes should still take the on-road bypass. Work continues.
The Town of Farmington has completed their section. The Town of Canandaigua is in the process of securing funding before any construction.
The Town of Pittsford is working, sporadically, on their section. The condition of the trail varies widely, but is passable with some on road bypass.
The Town of Brighton has in 2021 completed their section to full, wide, stonedust surface to Highland Ave.
Auburn Trail is one of the many trails of Monroe County of Rochester, NY. Auburn Trail is a very easy bike trail. The trail is about 10 miles one way. It is a beautiful ride seeing all the different landscapes and homes.
I rode this on my Mountain Bike on 6/28/2020. Weather was warm, bright, and clear. Some of the sections were wonderfully shaded. Very well maintained, some new sections, and looks like continuing maintenance. Crushed stone trail is immaculate, so nice that I saw a few folks on road bikes. It's moderately trafficked but plenty wide enough to handle it. If I didn't know better, I'd say this whole trail was just groomed yesterday. Hardly a skidmark in the stone, freshly planted grass along the sides, and places where the shoulder drops off there are wood fences that still smell like sawdust. Flat, straight, and relatively boring if not for some nice scenery. Overall a nice stretch of trail if you're going for endurance.
Starting at Powder Mills Park, there is a small parking area just east of the trail head by 0.1 miles on Woolston rd that would fit maybe 4 cars. There is more parking further in the park, but you'll have to deal with some hilly roads to get to the trail. Heading east bound, (south east really) it starts off a little downhill, but after that the entire rest of the way is ever so slightly uphill. A fact that was imperceptible until I turned around and realized the return trip felt easier. The internet later informed me it's a 1% grade for most of the 11 miles. Which amounts to about a 200ft ascent. Nothing really. Road crossings are fairly frequent, but none are major roads. However, I recommend heeding the stop signs, because the intersections are blind, especially from the perspective of the ones driving the 3000lb hunks of metal.
The trail map here on is not up to date, and neither is the satellite view on google maps. Just west of Finn's tap room the map shows the trail fizzles out and there is a road detour. However, the stone trail now follows along the railroad tracks and goes straight through. Behind Finn's is a big lot that looks like a nice place to park if you are looking to do half of the trail.
Continuing east, you get to the next break on google maps. There is a road detour of .4 miles on break of day road. It's well marked with signage and easy to find the trail again. The trail actually does continue through, although a small sign says "foot trail only". I was curious about it, so on my way back I took the foot trail. In this small section was stone (not crushed), grass, dirt, and a little wooden bridge with some pedestrians that gave me a dirty look. (probably deserved). A fun little MTB trail in my opinion, but probably best to go to nearby Dryer Road park if that's what you're after.
The trail map ends at Mertensia Park, but it actually continues to Rt 332, which adds a little less then 2 miles. Similarly well groomed and marked. Mapping it out after the ride says it was 10.8 miles from start to end. However, there is nowhere to park at the very eastern end of the trail. I suspect this section was added to give access to Mertensia Park from the tract housing developments that are half finished there.
While there are some backyards in view, in many sections you'll forget you are near residential areas, if it weren't for the power lines. The wildlife was out in full force during my trip. In addition to numerous birds and small critters, in two places I saw rabbits. There was a 2 foot garter snake enjoying a sunny spot on the trail. Luckily I didn't run him over! Then two deer hopped out about 8 feet in front of me. They ran parallel with me down the trail for almost a full minute before ducking off to the right.
Today was my first day doing The Auburn Trail I parked on the Eastern Terminus of the trail I had to cross 332 just to get on the trail. It's rough. The trail is very wide and when I went it was snowing. There were some puddles here and there. The tail is also very flat. I biked from Gloucester Way in Farmington to Railroad Ave in Victor then I turned around and headed back. There's adopt of big rocks on some sections of the trail. And not many people when I was on it. Mountain bikes would be great on the trail. Hybrids could help as well. It was totally worth the drive and I would do it again if I could.
I used to love running this trail as it is in my neighborhood. They closed it to lay some pipe and I doubt it will open again until some time next year. Hopefully the don't ruin the surface of it by using the large gravel they placed along the sides.
My wife and I had a nice ride in spite of some on and off rain during our ride. The trail was well drained and it was not muddy. My only complaint is that there could be a little better signage on some of the road sections of the trail. As we traveled west out of Mertensia Park we had to guess which way to travel on the road when the trail hit the back of the golf course.
Biked down this trail this afternoon with my 5 year old, it was a very pleasant ride. Though we only scratched the surface, looking forward to riding again.
Can’t add much to other reviews, very nice trail. Added benefit in Victor it passes by Twin Elders Brewing Co and within a 1/4 mile from Stumbling Monkey Brewing. Nice way to end a ride or take a break on the way. I bike with my dog, Stumbling Monkey is dog friendly so very inviting
I biked northwest from route 251 to the northern terminus at Woolston Rd yesterday. Very nice trail and very well maintained. I especially liked the wooded section north of Fishers with its many creek crossings and elevated right-of-way. I also enjoyed the historical information and artwork along the way. Considering that the railroad was abandoned in 1960, the concrete mileage markers are in great shape, which makes me wonder if they were added more recently.
http://blog.russnelson.com/bicycling/1410786779.html
Rode east on the Auburn Trail from its intersection with the Lehigh Valley Trail. It leaves the railbed between School Street and Maple Avenue. You have the option of taking the footpath routing, or going up School Street to a bit of the same railbed used by the Trolley Trail to the west, and then down Maple Avenue to the trailhead. I walked my bicycle on the footpath going east and the bicycle routing on my return. Rode it to the end and a bit past that to pick up some needed refreshments. It peters out at the eastern end, coming little more than a sidewalk in a residential development. The railroad continues, but is brushed over. There is no physical impediment stopping the trail, so there's hope it will be continued eastward.
I rode the whole length of this trail during a cross-state trip. It is very well maintained though it has a couple road-dependent gaps. There are a lot of historical features to add interest. It is an important green link in a growing semirural/suburban environment.
I really enjoy riding this trail when I want to just relax. You will ride over a well maintained path, some parts are shaded and no real busy intersections to cross. Very, very nice trail.
Took the Auburn Trail from the city of Victor and connected on to the Lehigh Valley Trail which we rode out to Rush NY. The trail is crushed stone and was a beautiful ride. There were plenty of maps and markers to show the different routes and it was a nice cruising path. I used a Hybrid Performance Bicycle with no problems. I saw a lot of families with their children out enjoying the trails on bike, running and walking. We did run across some deer, wood chucks and lot of birds. Definitely worth exploring.
This trail a a gem, well maintained, significant shade. Easy to find, ample/safe parking. There are minimal services though a short excursion to crossroad towns would be easy (Victor, NY is upstate NY cute). Wooden bridge, old rail over/underpasses. Connects to Lehigh Trail. Not much grade/hills. Some fresh gravel and sand. I saw some cyclists on road bikes but a hybrid is a much better fit.
On 7/11/12 and again on 7/16/12 I rode this trail end to end. This trail was a treat to ride. I'm used to hills and some difficulties but there were essentially none on the Auburn. The trail is almost completely finished, offering a smooth well finshed surface and long shady sections end to end. Only the last few trail markers on the north end are lacking, but the trail is easily found and accessed. The surface of the trail is consistant hard-packed crushed dolomite, suitable for casual riders and even some road bikes. I ride a mountain bike with trail/road tires, so had no trouble, and found few loose surface areas and no muddy sections. On the days I visited there were very few other riders, hikers and runners, maybe five folks altogether. This trail offered me a cool casual ride through the country to my destination in Ontario County. In Victor the short street detour takes the rider past shops and restaurants, which is nice for the rider who likes to stop and tour.
This trail was updated in 2009 with stonedust topping from Main Street Fishers to the Victor-Farmington townline. Excellent ride with a few road crossings. You can also connect to the Lehigh Valley Trail that leads west to the towns of Mendon and Rush. Continue west to cross the Genesee River and hook up with the Genesee Valley Greenway which runs from Rochester to Mount Morris, NY and Letchworth State Park.
Look for the extension of the Auburn Trail to the north to connect Fishers with Pittsford, NY, scheduled to be open in 2012.
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