List of rail trails in New York

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This list of rail trails in New York lists former railroad rights-of-way in New York that have been converted to rail trails for public use. Many of these rail trails are also part of the statewide Empire State Trail network, which officially opened Jan. 1, 2021.

Trails[edit]

Trail name Length Location Original Rail Road
Akron Clarence Trail 12 miles (19 km) Erie County West Shore and Buffalo Railroad[1]
Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail 9.8 miles (15.8 km) [2] Albany County Albany and Susquehanna Railroad (Delaware and Hudson Railway)
Albany-Hudson Electric Trail* ? Rensselaer and Columbia counties Albany and Hudson Electric Railway (Albany Southern Railroad)
Allegheny River Valley Trail 5.6 miles (9.0 km)[3] Allegany and Cattaraugus counties Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway (Pennsylvania Railroad)
Andes Rail Trail 1 mile (1.6 km) plus 1 mile (1.6 km) Bullet Hole Spur Andes, Delaware County Delaware and Northern Railroad
Ashokan Rail Trail 11.5 miles (18.5 km) Ulster County Ulster and Delaware Railroad
Auburn Trail 12 miles (19 km) from Powder Mills Park through Victor to Canandaigua Farmington Town Line Rd Ontario County Auburn and Rochester Railroad
Ballston Bike Path 3.5 miles (5.6 km) Saratoga County Schenectady Railway Company
Black Diamond Trail 8 miles (13 km) Taughannock Falls State Park to Ithaca, New York Tompkins County Lehigh Valley Railroad
Black River Recreational Trail 3.5 miles (5.6 km) Jefferson County New York Central Railroad
Bog Meadow Brook 2 miles (3.2 km) Saratoga County ?
Canalway Trail* ? ? Mostly towpath trails, but parts, like the Mohawk-Hudson Trail (below), use former rail beds.
Catharine Valley 12.9 miles (20.8 km)[4] Chemung and Schuyler Counties Chemung Railroad (Pennsylvania Railroad)
Cato–Fair Haven Trail 12.7 miles (20.4 km) Cayuga County Lehigh Valley Railroad
Catskill Scenic Trail 26 miles (42 km) from Bloomville to Roxbury Delaware County Ulster and Delaware Railroad
Chautauqua Alison Wells Ney Trail ? Chautauqua County ?
Chautauqua Brocton Area Recreational Trail 2 miles (3.2 km) Chautauqua County ?
Chautauqua Laurie A. Baer Trail 1.1 miles (1.8 km) Chautauqua County ?
Chautauqua Nadine and Paul Webb Trail 1 mile (1.6 km) Chautauqua County ?
Chautauqua Nancy B. Diggs Trail 1.5 miles (2.4 km) Chautauqua County ?
Chautauqua Ralph C. Sheldon Jr. Trail 4.5 miles (7.2 km) Chautauqua County ?
Chautauqua Village of Mayville Trail 1.5 miles (2.4 km) Chautauqua County ?
Cheektowaga Rails to Trails[5] ? Erie County Lehigh Valley Railroad
Corning Bike Path 3.3 miles (5.3 km) Corning-Painted Post Middle School to Princeton Avenue, Corning, New York[6] Steuben County Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad[7]
DnH Canal Heritage Corridor North ? ? ?
DnH Canal Heritage Corridor South ? ? ?
Dutchess Rail Trail* 13 miles (21 km) Dutchess County Central New England Railway
Electric Trolley Trail, Pittsford 1.8 miles (2.9 km) Shoen Place to Marsh Road Pittsford, Monroe County Rochester & Eastern Rapid Railway (interurban, aka the Orange Line)
Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville Rail Trail ? Fulton County Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville Railroad
Genesee Valley Greenway 59 miles (95 km) Jefferson Road Rt. 252 to Letchworth State Park and Sonyea, New York. Then segments and gaps to Cuba, New York Monroe, Livingston, and Allegany Counties Genesee Valley Rail Road (Pennsylvania Railroad)
Gorge Trail 2.2 miles (3.5 km)[8] Chittenango Falls State Park, Madison County Lehigh Valley Railroad (Elmira and Cortland Branch)
Greater Jamestown Riverwalk[9] ? Chautauqua County Erie Railroad (Only the portion north of downtown Jamestown along the Chadakoin River)
Harlem Valley Rail Trail ? Dutchess and Columbia Counties New York and Harlem Railroad (New York Central Railroad)
High Line 1.4 miles (2.3 km) Gansevoort Street to 34th Street Manhattan New York Central Railroad
Hojack Trail Cayuga ? Cayuga County Lake Ontario Shore Railroad (the Hojack Line)
Hojack Trail Hamlin 14 miles (23 km) Wiler Road to East Kent Road Monroe County Lake Ontario Shore Railroad (the Hojack Line)
Hojack Trail Hilton 2.8 miles (4.5 km) Salmon Creek Park to North Greece Road Monroe County Lake Ontario Shore Railroad (the Hojack Line)
Hojack Trail Hannibal 6.6 miles (10.6 km) Viele Rd. to Martville Rd. Wayne County Lake Ontario Shore Railroad (the Hojack Line)
Hojack Trail Webster 3.5 miles (5.6 km) Vosburg Rd. to Orchard Park Webster, Monroe County Lake Ontario Shore Railroad (the Hojack Line)
Huckleberry Multi-Use Trail[10] ? Tannersville, New York Ulster and Delaware Railroad
Hudson Valley Rail Trail* 4 miles (6.4 km)[11] Lloyd, Ulster County Central New England and Western Railroad
Jim Schug Trail 4.2 miles (6.8 km) Dryden, Tompkins County Lehigh Valley Railroad[12]
John Kieran Nature Trail ? Van Cortlandt Park, The Bronx[13] New York and Putnam Railroad (New York Central Railroad)
Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail 3.8 miles (6.1 km) Rockland County Northern Railroad of New Jersey (Erie Railroad)
Kaaterskill Rail Trail Currently 1.5 miles (2.4 km). The goal is to connect the Village of Hunter to North-South Lake[14] Greene County Ulster and Delaware Railroad
Keuka Outlet Trail 6.8 miles (10.9 km) Yates County Fall Brook Railroad (New York Central Railroad)
Kings Park Hike and Bike Trail ? Kings Park, Suffolk County Long Island Rail Road, Kings Park State Hospital spur
Kingston Point Rail Trail* 1.2 miles (1.9 km), extension planned Kingston, Ulster County ?
Laurel Hill Rail Trail ? Greenlawn to Northport, Suffolk County Long Island Rail Road, Northport Branch
Lehigh Valley Trail (Black Diamond) 16.2 miles (26.1 km) W. River Rd, Genesee Valley Greenway, Auburn Trail to NY 251 Monroe County and Ontario County Lehigh Valley Railroad
Lehigh Memory Trail ? Williamsville, Erie County[15] Depew and Tonawanda Railroad (Lehigh Valley Railroad)
Long Pond Greenbelt ? Bridgehampton to Sag Harbor, Suffolk County Long Island Rail Road, Sag Harbor Branch
Maple City Trail ? ? ?
Maybrook Trailway* ? Dutchess and Putnam Counties. Beacon Line (Metro-North Railroad / New York and New England Railroad) from Hopewell Junction to Brewster
Mohawk Hudson Bike/Hike Trail* (part of Canalway Trail System) 86, with gaps in Watervliet, Colonie and Pattersonville Schenectady and Albany Counties. Schenectady and Troy Railroad (New York Central Railroad) from Cohoes to Schenectady. Towpath trail from there west.
Newstead Trail ? Erie County West Shore and Buffalo Railroad
North County Trailway* 22.1 miles (35.6 km) Westchester County New York and Putnam Railroad (New York Central Railroad)
North Shore Rail Trail ? Port Jefferson Station to Wading River, Suffolk County Long Island Rail Road, Wading River Extension
Nyack Rail Trail ? Rockland County New York and Erie Railroad (Erie Railroad)
Ontario Pathways Trail (Canandaigua to Stanley) 11 miles (18 km) East Street Canandaigua to Flint Road Ontario County Northern Central (Pennsylvania Railroad)
Ontario Pathways Trail (Stanley to Phelps) 8.7 miles (14.0 km) Ontario County Pennsylvania Railroad
Ontario and Western Rail Trail (Kingston to Ellenville) 35 miles (56 km) Ulster County New York, Ontario and Western Railway
Orange Heritage Trailway 12.4 miles (20.0 km) Orange County Erie Railroad
Oswego Recreational Trail ? Oswego County New York, Ontario and Western Railway
Pat McGee Trail 12.2 miles (19.6 km) Cattaraugus County Erie Railroad
Portage Trail ? ? ?
Putnam County Trailway* 12 Putnam County New York and Putnam Railroad (New York Central Railroad)
Railroad Run ? Saratoga County ?
Rivergate Trail ? ? ?
Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern Trolley Trail 4.3 miles (6.9 km) Monroe county Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern Rapid Railroad
Rutland Trail 21.2 miles (34.1 km) from Norwood to Moira St. Lawrence and Franklin counties Rutland Railroad
Sodus Point to Wallington Trail 2.3 miles (3.7 km) Wayne County[16] ?
South County Trailway* 14.1 miles (22.7 km) Westchester County New York and Putnam Railroad (New York Central Railroad)
Spring Run Trail ? ? ?
Stillwater Multi-Use Trail* ? Stillwater Boston and Maine Railroad
Tarrytown Lakes Extension 2.5 miles (4.0 km) Westchester County New York and Putnam Railroad (New York Central Railroad)
Town of Edwards Nature Trail ? St. Lawrence County Gouverneur and Oswegatchie Railroad (New York Central Railroad)[17]
Uncle Sam Bikeway 3 miles (4.8 km) Troy Boston and Maine Railroad
Vestal Rail Trail 2.2 miles (3.5 km) Broome County Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Walden–Wallkill Rail Trail 3.22 miles (5.18 km)[18] Orange and Ulster Counties Wallkill Valley Railroad (New York Central Railroad)
Walkway over the Hudson* (Poughkeepsie Bridge) 1.28 miles (2.06 km)[19] Poughkeepsie and Highland The Maybrook Railroad Line, Central New England Railway (CNE), New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (NH), Penn Central (PC) and Conrail, et al
Wallkill Valley Rail Trail* 23.7 miles (38.1 km)[20] Ulster County Wallkill Valley Railroad (New York Central Railroad)
Warren County Bikeway 9.4 miles (15.1 km)[21] from Glens Falls to Lake George Warren County Delaware and Hudson Railroad
Zim Smith Trail 12 miles (19 km) Saratoga County Delaware and Hudson Railroad

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Clarence Pathways (TrailLink)
  2. ^ "Section of Albany County Rail Trail to Open June 2". Albany County. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  3. ^ "Allegheny River Valley Trail - Town of Allegany". Town of Allegany. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
  4. ^ Catherine Valley Trail (TrailLink)
  5. ^ Parks and Facilities. "Rails To Trails". Town of Cheektowaga, New York.
  6. ^ Corning Bike Path (AllTrails.com)
  7. ^ 1955 Topographical Map of Corning, New York (Historic Aerials)
  8. ^ Gorge Trail (TrailLink)
  9. ^ Parks and Recreation. "Greater Jamestown Riverwalk". City of Jamestown, New York.
  10. ^ http://www.gcswcd.com/images/stories/KRT/KRTmaps-combined_5%2014%2013.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  11. ^ "About the Rail Trail". Hudson Valley Rail Trail Association. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  12. ^ Jim Schug Trail (Town of Dryden, New York)
  13. ^ John Kieran Nature Trail (TrailLink)
  14. ^ http://www.gcswcd.com/images/stories/KRT/KRTmaps-combined_5%2014%2013.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  15. ^ Lehigh Memory Trail (TrailLink)
  16. ^ Sodus-Wallington Rail Trail (TrailLink)
  17. ^ Hiking the Trail to Yesterday; The Edwards Nature Trail
  18. ^ "Park Description and Program Schedules" (PDF). Walden, NY: Village of Walden Recreation and Parks. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-26. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
  19. ^ "Fast Facts About the Walkway". Walkway Over the Hudson. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
  20. ^ "Wallkill Valley Rail Trail Length Doubles". Open Space Institute. 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  21. ^ "Visit Lake George; Bicycling". Lake George Area in New York's Adirondacks. Retrieved 2013-04-11.

External links[edit]