I've done some looking for info about the Erie Canal trail. All I found was buy the guide book on the websites. So I did. Crazy guy said stealth camping is possible, but be extra careful. Is there anywhere else I should look? Or do you have info for me?
Thanks!!

There is free camping at many of the locks and motels are plentiful.

If you want to do it via an organized ride, there is always the New York Parks and Trails annual Erie Canal Ride which would eliminate your need for stealth camping.

Parks & Trails New York :: Annual Bike Tour

Seems pretty straightforward, some say you actually can camp at the lochs after calling the loch operator and asking. Fairly straight trail, NYS has info about it on a stateparks website.

Did you buy the guide book from the NY State Parks Dept? That just about covers it. There are Trail sides along roads when the towpath isn't availble for riding. I've done the western half, from Buffalo to just before Syracuse. I didn't really see any great places to stealth camp, but there are campsites along the trail in some towns for use by bikers & boaters. Lots of open farmland along the trail, but I wasn't really seeking out those places to camp. After Syracuse (heading east), the "trail" actually does a far amount of road riding and isn't too near the open canal from what the guidebook shows. Also, the towns in that section didn't seem to have lots of services. The trail from Schenectady to Albany is very interesting, riding along the Mohawk River then along the Hudson. I've ridden the section the joining of those rivers, south, and its a nice ride, but very busy on weekends with all the Albany folks out riding & enjoying the parks.

When I rode across NY a few years ago with my son, we found SR 31, which follows the canal for much of the length, to be a much better surface to ride on. Not much traffic and beautiful scenery. We stayed at a couple of the biker / boater campsites, which were very nice. Basically, NYS Bike route 5.

Rode from Albany to Niagra Falls a few years back on the Erie Canal Trail and were able to camp at the locks. Most let us use their shower.

Thanks!! But sounds like the book was worth buying. Anything to say about groceries, or other sources of food?

Do you have some pics of your new bike? The trek 920???

Sounds like my experience. When I did ACA's Northern Tier tour in '99 we left Niagara Falls, ONT, hit the trail at Lockport and spent the night in the dorms at SUNY Brockport. At that time, the trail surface was really unpleasant in places. Some of us ended up getting off and riding the roads. Not sure which ones we took. We just knew we wanted off.

The next day we continued on the trail to east of Rochester before leaving the trail (at Fairport maybe) and heading up to Lake Ontario. I found the trail mind numbing. My most recent long trail experience was the Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills. If that's a 10 scenery-wise the portion of the Erie Canal I did is about a 3 or 4.

OP: No. You may not legally camp along the Mickelson.

In 2013, the condition of the trail was all over the place, from perfect to sand trap. We both had decent tires for touring, but parts of that trail really required off road tires.

I talked briefly with someone who did an organized Erie Canal tour. It sounded too tame for what I would want (I want more effort or higher miles than it sounded like they were doing).

Now I know this will sound weird but I've always wanted to do the actual canal on a boat that is bicycle powered. I figure two riding stations where bikes can be clicked into a propeller drive system; maybe a lightweight pontoon setup with a coverable deck area. Bikes can be extracted for some exploration of towns or local sights.

Something like this?

OK, what am I missing here, I don't see any paddle? attached to the rear wheel, how is the drive created? By what is on the front wheel?

I've done the Buffalo to Albany ride on my own a couple of times. Simply because of the history of the canal, you're never more than 10 miles or so from the next town large enough to have at least a convenience store, or more often, a full blown grocery. Access to food is of no concern whatsoever.

For camping, you can always stay at the locks ( though some are in the middle of towns, so might be less pleasant because of noise, etc. ) and often at tended bridges. There are dedicated free camp areas at Holley, Middleport, Brockport, and Newark that offer bathrooms and showers. Holley is my favorite--it has a lovely park. As mentioned elsewhere, the western part is more rural, so you wouldn't have any issue finding a stealth spot, but once you get east of Rome you're hitting more urban areas, and mostly on-road riding, so you might want to check for paid campgrounds if you're in the mood for a shower.

The last couple of years there's been a ton of work done on the path--both in terms of extending the off-road sections, and rebuilding the existing ones. It really sucked in a bunch of places a few years ago, but is now is pretty good condition. I did Buffalo to Rochester last year and it was pretty much perfect.

It can however get a little tedious sometimes because it's often miles and miles of nothing but the canal to one side of you and trees to the other, so as mentioned, going on-road to bike route 5 may be a good idea.

All in all though, I love the ride; it's incredibly relaxing.

explained at the website. It must be hell against a headwind.

Shuttle Bike

robow,
Have you done this ride before? The wife and I are thinking about it next year.

jsjcat

I haven't done it, but I did the 2012 Hudson Valley tour wth my 11-year-old, which was run by P&TNY as well. I spoke to many people on that tour who had also done the Erie tour; every single person thought that they were very, very well done.

I was extremely pleased as well. The rest stops were always well staffed and supplied, cue sheets were spot-on ( more important for the Hudson tour, since it's nearly impossible to get lost on the Erie Canal ;-) ), and all of the staff and volunteers were top-notch. I really can't recommend the group highly enough.

Not yet but I have a friend who wants to get into bike touring (heck of a cyclist) and wants to start out with a little more hand holding, ie a more organized/supported tour so we are going to be participating in that ride this July. I would normally prefer to do it unsupported but I'm sure it will be fine and they now have a shuttle back to Buffalo so we don't even have to concern ourselves with the return trip. Check back with me at the end of July and I'll give you the scoop but everything I've read sounds like it is very well organized (maybe too well organized-ha)

I'm riding the Erie Canal trail from Buffalo to Albany in August with 3 friends. I ordered the guidebook from NY parks and it's worth it. We are softies and are sharing hotel rooms along the way. The guidebook was very helpful in deciding where to stay each day.

Will do.

robow I will be doing the tour this July as well. I will be one of the volunteers this year.

Ran into a couple of slow downs. Mechanic was sick, then my guy at the LBS took a long weekend. Now it's how to get it home, it won't fit in my car. Should be by the end of the week.

I would highly recommend an organized ride. IMHO the trail itself is BORING. One mile is pretty much like the next, with the exception of a number of wonderful small towns. A narrated ride might be kind of interesting. Another idea to make the trip worth it is to spend time in some of the small towns. They are worth the extra time.

Disclaimer: I have only done the trail from Buffalo to Rochester but it is my understanding that things don't get much better after Rochester.

If you want to stop here (or actually my new place) on the way up you are welcome. Buffalo is about 3.5 hours drive from here. There are a few warmshowers hosts in Buffalo where you can leave your car. Albion is an easy afternoon ride from there. There a miserable but clean little motel there.