We did it!
We did it! We biked the entire Erie Canal bike trail - 360 miles from Buffalo to Albany. This trip is broken into two posts. The first, Buffalo to Rome can be read here. This is the 2nd post from Rome to Buffalo.
Day 1 Rome to Little Falls
We started from our home in Lee, NY and picked up the trail in Rome where we left off. Storms the previous week left a few downed trees that we had to get around on the trail.
We got around these without too much difficulty and later on the trail saw the crew clearing the trail. Thank you to them for all of their hard work to make this trail a great experience.
We had beautiful weather and pretty scenery heading into Utica.
Heading towards Little Falls, we came across Fort Herkimer Church.
This house of worship was initiated by Johan Jost Herkimer, the father if General Nicholas Herkimer of the Revolutionary War. Being a settlement along the fur trading route during the French and Indian wars, the limestone walls also protected settlers during those wars and other raids, including the Revolutionary War. It was built in the mid-1700’s and 2 1/2 centuries later is still standing.
Fort Herkimer Church looks like a fort at its base because essentially that’s just what it was. When raiders came, settlers took refuge inside because it was virtually impenetrable. Its four corners are built out to look fort-like, and the massive limestone walls are pierced strategically with “loopholes” — gun ports that allowed colonial defenders to poke out a musket barrel and fire at intruders. If you look closely in the picture you can see these gun ports.
Our first night was spent in Little Falls. We had a fantastic dinner at Ruggiero’s Trattoria and Italian Steakhouse. The menu was fantastic as was the service and atmosphere. We couldn’t decide what to get so ordered two dinners and shared them both. This is a great place to go if you stop in Little Falls.
Day 1: 45.70 miles
Day 2: Little Falls to Amsterdam
Leaving Little Falls is a scenic and peaceful portion of the trail.
Shortly outside of Little Falls is the General Herkimer Home.
This colonial frontier home was completed around 1764 and General Herkimer is also buried here. General Herkimer was wounded in the Battle of Oriskany and died at his home 10 days later rom complications from a leg amputation.
General Herkimer’s grave, complete with canon and canon balls.
We had some rain on the way to Amsterdam but crowded under an overpass waiting it out. We were joined by several other cyclists.
Luckily on our second downpour of rain, we found another overpass and waited about 45 minutes.
All in all it was not bad. After the second rain delay the sun came out and it was clear riding. The trial is all paved so no problems there.
Day 2: 43.82 miles
Day 3: Amsterdam to Albany
This section of the trail, also known as the Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway or Mohawk-Hudson Bike Trail is all paved with a couple of sections of roads. There are some hills, some pretty large. Since the Erie Canal trail is mostly flat since it follows the towpath in many spots, this is a change.
In Schenectady, the tree-lined Stockade Historic District with restored 17th- and 18th-century homes and churches along Union Street. Is a beautiful area? Continuing east, the trail goes through the town of Colonie, and it runs along the Mohawk River.
The Canalway Trail leaves the Mohawk Valley in Cohoes and turns south into the Hudson Valley. As the trail approaches its end in Albany, it runs through woodlands along the Hudson River and connects with the city’s popular Corning Riverfront Park.
Day 3: 50.25 miles
This was a spectacular trip. My husband still calls it one of our best vacations ever (and we have done extensive travel). If you get a chance to bike this, I highly recommend this. Many people camp, but we stayed in hotels. Every hotel was very accommodating and we brought our bikes into our rooms each night.
By the way, we completed this in our 60's. We bike every day there is good weather.
We met some great people along the trail from many places such as Nashville, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Boston and Vermont, I love how much the trail is biked and the camaraderie among cyclists.
Debbi Marquette Photography is located in Upstate New York at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Debbi is an award winning and published travel, landscape and bald eagle photographer specializing in artistic, authentic, and memorable landscape and wildlife photography. She travels frequently, lives near the mountains and constantly has a camera in her hand to capture photographs so others can see the beauty of our world.
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