As the longest multi-use path in the nation, the Empire State Trail travels by way of greater than 20 counties throughout the state and has established itself as a leisure jewel. It was named the greatest rail path in the United States by Outside Magazine in 2022, beating out well-known trails like the Moab Canyon Trail and a 180-mile path from Grand Teton to Yellowstone National Park.
Opened in December 2020, the Empire State Trail had been in the works since 2017, conceptualized as a manner to promote outside recreation, help neighborhood vitality, and bolster tourism-related financial improvement. The accomplished path community related 400 miles of beforehand present however disconnected trails whereas propelling the completion of greater than 180 miles of recent off-road paths. About three-quarters of the 750-mile path is off-road, easing street site visitors issues for pedestrians or skittish bike riders.
Here’s extra to know about the statewide Empire State Trail.
Where does the Empire State Trail begin and cease and the way lengthy is it?
The Empire State Trail’s 750 miles is damaged into three distinct sections:
- The Hudson Valley Greenway Trail, which extends from Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City to Albany
- The Champlain Valley Trail, which runs from Albany to the Canadian border
- The Erie Canalway Trail, which stretches from Albany to Rouses Point in Clinton County, the place it then travels west alongside the Shoreline Trail to Buffalo
It is feasible, subsequently, to journey the path all the manner from New York City to Canada and/or Buffalo.
Bicyclists, runners and walkers can entry the path at any level and journey in any path, creating countless entry and beginning factors. Many factors alongside the path are additionally handy to public transportation, significantly between New York City and Albany.
Empire State Trail map
Are electrical bikes, pets and horses allowed on the Empire State Trail?
Most electrical bikes are allowed on totally different sections of the path, with the exception of Class 3 e-bikes, which may attain a most pedal-assisted velocity of 28 miles per hour and are solely allowed in elements of New York City however not on the path.
The Class 1 electrical bike is a pedal-assisted mannequin that provides riders a lift up to 20 mph and is allowed extra broadly. The Class 2 sort is a throttle-assisted e-bike that may energy non-pedaling riders up to speeds of 20 mph. The latter is useful to propel bicyclists over difficult hills, for instance.
Rules on e-bikes are evolving. Some stretches of the Empire State Trail fall underneath the oversight of native governments to undertake insurance policies and, the place none are explicitly in place, e-bikes — with the exception of Class 3 bikes — are neither explicitly allowed nor prohibited.
Here is a breakdown of e-bike guidelines:
- Both Class 1 and a couple of e-bikes are allowed on giant sections of the Erie Canalway Trail and Champlain Canalway Trail which might be adminstered by New York State Parks and the NYS Canal Corporation.
- Class 1 and a couple of e-bikes are allowed on the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail part of the Empire State Trail in Rensselaer and Columbia Counties.
- In the Hudson Valley, solely Class 1 electrical bikes are allowed on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail portion of the bigger Empire State Trail.
- The solely off-road path part the place e-bikes are explicitly prohibited is in New York City.
- No Class 3 bikes are allowed on any a part of the Empire State Trail.
Dogs are allowed on most path segments however should at all times be saved underneath management and on-leash.
The path doesn’t enable horses, with the exception of a section that travels by way of Old Erie Canal State Park.
Related: Bucket-list biking: NYC to Albany alongside the Empire State Trail
How lengthy would it not take to stroll or bike the complete Empire State Trail?
According to Empire State Trails routes and distance map, it could take a minimal of eight days to stroll the path from New York City to Buffalo — not together with stops to relaxation, eat and sleep. The similar distance would take no less than two days to bike. From New York City to Buffalo, it could take about 4 days to stroll or a day and a half to bike, once more not factoring in relaxation instances.
Buffalo’s Ken Burke accomplished 565 miles of the path from Battery Park to Buffalo on foot in fewer than 12 days, operating a mean of greater than 50 miles a day. He accomplished the feat in 11 days, 16 hours and 35 minutes, pushing a stroller with meals and provides. In April 2021, Connecticut’s Jeremy Chapman took seven days to bike the complete path, conquering snowstorms and flat tires, the Sun Journal reported.
Recreational bicyclists on multi-day journeys sometimes cowl between 30 and 50 miles per day, however it’s finally up to particular person bicyclists. For these contemplating a multi-day stroll on the path, it’s suggested to plan rigorously to keep away from being stranded away from meals, water and in a single day lodging.
Related: Man embarks on charity run from Buffalo to NYC alongside Empire State Trail
How hilly is the Empire State Trail?
The prolonged path passes by way of a spread of landscapes and terrain, alongside lakes and rivers and thru busier cities like Kingston and Hudson. Some passages are additionally hilly.
Peak elevation alongside the Hudson Valley Greenway Trail, which sees elevation modifications all through, is 800 ft for a small a part of the Maybrook Trailway between Pawling and Hopewell Junction.
On the Champlain Valley Trail, the Champlain On-Road Bicycle Route between Westport and Keeseville sees its elevation peek to a no-small-feat 969 ft.
The Erie Canalway Trail is usually flat as a result of it follows canals and rivers, however the first trek in Buffalo on the Shoreline Trail reaches a peak elevation of 630 ft.
Can I camp alongside the Empire State Trail?
The path options a couple of places for tenting alongside the manner. The New York State Canal Corporation has designated tenting areas at a lot of its locks alongside the Erie Canal and the Champlain Canal alongside the Erie Canalway Trail portion, together with the Waterford Canal Visitor Center, Fort Plain, Utica, New London and Schuylerville.
Additionally, state or personal campsites will be discovered inside 5 miles of the Empire State Trail route in lots of areas, requiring a brief detour.
There are not any public or personal campgrounds situated straight on the path itself, apart from Creekview Campsites in Rosendale and Sylvan Lake Beach Park in Hopewell Junction.
Consult the Empire State Trail tenting map for extra info.
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