Biking the Erie Canal Trail - Days 1 & 2
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- Опубліковано 17 лис 2024
- In October of 2022, I loaded my bike onto an Amtrak train in Albany and rode to Buffalo, NY with the goal of riding the Erie Canal Trail back to my car at the Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak Station. I planned out 8 days for the 360-mile trip. This video captures the first two days of that journey, from Buffalo to Rochester. This trip was made possible in large part by the community of people in the Cycling the Erie Canal Facebook group. If you are thinking of riding any or all of this trail I highly suggest you become a member of the group. The people there are friendly and highly knowledgeable about all aspects of this trip. I also want to give a shout-out to Warm Showers. Even though I am not a member, I did stay one evening with a Warm Showers host and it was a fantastic experience.
for more info visit www.warmshowers.org
GPX file for Garmin is available at this link - ridewithgps.co...
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For two days I have been searching for a RideGPS recorded map for the canal trail. Countless UA-cam video links. Every key word and phrase I could think of using the RGPS app. Nothing. Then I came across your video. Hallelujah! Here’s the kicker. I typed the exact words, punctuation, upper and lower case letters based on your link….RGPS doesn’t recognize it. Unbelievable. Thanks for saving my sanity.
Great video, thanks for sharing your adventure.
Excellent guide of Erie Canal Trail.
I'm attempting do the same route from Buffalo yo Albany in August. I got already train tickets to Buffalo. Thank you for all the details on the trail it's very helpful. 😊
Have fun!
Used to ride Buffalo to Middleport all the time for yrs until I finally rode the entire NYS trail in 2017.Best tour since Buffalo-C&O canal.🤖♥️
I think the only thing that could make it better is the addition of more hiker/biker campsites. That is one of the great things about the C&O trail. You are never more than 5 miles or so from a legit camping location.
Thanks, Jeff good stuff. Going to binge watch this on the trainer this weekend!
Thanks. My production quality isn’t on par with yours but hopefully it still conveys the beauty of this ride.
@@JeffRevell I’ve enjoy your narration a lot. Makes me want to get out there again. I didn’t realize the temps were so low.
Cool!! 2019 framinghan MA to bufallo,10 days ride!very nice memories.
Excellent video!!
We plan on doing Erie canal sections this summer on e-bikes.
I grew up in Niagara county and crossed the canal 100s of times but NEVER explored it.
I loved when you mentioned the places you ate or camped at and what amenities were available. Lockport has an amazing museum by the locks that tells the history of the canal. Definitely worth visiting. It was an amazing feat. I really enjoyed your pronunciations😂Locals pronounce Medina (Meh-Die-Nuh) Albion (Al-Bee-Unn).
It’s so great to see the canal being used as a fun biking destination Thanks for sharing your adventure!!
I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I got a lot of info for my ride from other UA-cam Videos and I like to pay it forward with as much info as possible.
I rode the Erie Canal Trail from Buffalo to Albany last year. I was impressed with the bike infrastructure in Buffalo and Syracuse.
Interesting about the zero mark for the Erie Canal. I was following the empire trail which seems to have a different zero mark than the Erie zero mark. I have a picture at the Erie zero mark you showed on your video and only realized it now. The empire zero mark is a little south of this one. Great video.
Cool place
I tried to do this exact same trip also in October! We must've just missed each other because I had nothing but rain. Unfortunately, I think I was a bit too ambitious and tried to do it in 5 days. Got to Syracuse and had some pretty rough knee pain so had to call it quits. Watching this is making me want to get back out there and try again!
At my age, I take the "smell the roses" approach to my bikepacking adventures. It's a rare day that I exceed 50 miles. I'm fortunate enough to not have a lot of time restrictions so I can generally go at a pretty leisurely pace. Hopefully you get the chance to ride it again, this time with a lot less rain (yes, I did get really lucky with my weather).
Starting this trip Sept.1, 2023 !
Jeff, Thanks for one of the most complete videos on the entire length of the canal traisl. Excellent job and I enjoyed your great work. So many people, on various sites, ask about the conditions of the trail. In your great video you give them a very good idea of what to expect. Quick question?: Out of Utica to Frankfort is there a dedicated trail. I have asked this question a few times, but no one seems to know. Your video gave me the impression that there is now a section from Utica to Frankfort. In any case, great video and many thanks!
As I recall, there is a short bit of path going through Utica but then you transition onto road just past the town. I believe you have to ride Southside Rd. all the way through Frankfort. Once you are past the town you will get off the road and back onto a paved section of trail.
@@JeffRevell Jeff, Many thanks for the info. I thought this was the case. Once again, great series of videos!
Loved the videos of the Erie Canal trip and am planning to do later this year. You mentioned numerous times about checking the GPS. Was there a particluar app you used or was it simply Google Maps. Insight appreciated. Thanks
When I would say that I was checking the GPS I was most likely referring to my Garmin 530 biking computer. I had the route pre-programmed into the unit and would refer to it from time to time. I would also check Google Maps every now and then just to se how far I was from a particular town. The trail is pretty easy to navigate most of the time as it just follows the canal but there are a few sections where it diverges from the waterway onto other paths and roads and the trail signs are not as plentiful as I would have liked. That being said, there is an annual group ride on the canal and the organizers spray marks on the roads to guide their group and these marks were also very handy. Have a great ride on the trail. It is beautiful and I'm sure you will enjoy it.
FYI, that's not Canada when you were in Tonawanda That's Grand Island NY
Where did you keep your bike at the hostel?
They let me roll it right into my room.
👌👏🙌💪👍🏻
Did you take Amtrak? Did you video that ?
Yes, I took the Amtrak from Albany to Buffalo but I didn't film it. The biggest issue was getting a train that had bicycle space because Amtrak had cancelled bike service on one of the routes that people would usually use. As far as the bike went, I took off my panniers and my front wheel on the platform outside my passenger car. I then hung my bike on a vertical bike rack inside the car and carried my panniers to my seat. There is space inside of these cars to supposedly hang two bikes but I was the only bike in my car. I put the wheel and panniers back on just before arriving at the Buffalo station and then wheeled the bike down to the platform once we arrived. All in all it was a pretty simple process. I think each Amtrak station can be a bit different in how they deal with bikes. When I took my bike from CD to Pittsburgh I had to check in at the main check-in counter and get a tag for my bike. It was then loaded into the luggage car and put on a vertical bike rack. I think Amtrak is updating the way they transport bikes on some of their trains so it's probably best to call the departing station to see what your requirements will be for your intended route. As for the Albany station, there was a kiosk in the main waiting terminal with some employees. I told them I was taking my bike and they told me to hang out and they would let me know when to head out to the train. It was much more chill than DC.
Medina is actually pronounced ma die na. 😊
If your butt is that sore I would check out Trikes, I went from a Trek Mountain bike with full Suspension and every who rode loved it but my butt was killing me after a day of riding, I already had a stack of seats but none of them helped.
Plus I hated looking just at the ground while pedaling, neck pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain, lower back pain ( which ended up I have 2 pins and 6 screws in my lower back), balance issues are a thing of the pass and having to look for that one place to either lay your bike up against or putting down the kick stand is a thing of the pass also.
Albion is al bee un. 😊
So noted. 😀
@@JeffRevell thanks for your content. I'm just a short distance rider, but im hoping to go farther on towpath someday soon.
The narrator misspeaks a lot. [Many videos have corrections appear as text over the video. For example, the Pendleton Guard Gate is not a lock. But, worse than the misspeaking, I suspect that the narrator has no idea what the term "gravel" means and misuses it. [Many bicyclists don't know what gravel is and use the term for anything that isn't asphalt or concrete.] There is absolutely no gravel on the Erie Canal Trail. Most of the non-paved parts are stone dust. Gravel is stones about thumb size mixed with sand. ["Pea gravel" has pea-sized stones.] It's impossible to ride on with a bicycle with tires narrower than, say, motorcycle tires. The PTNY interactive map always uses the term "stone dust".