Via Hudson Valley Magazine

The Empire State Trail  — a 750-mile bicycle and walking trail spanning from New York City to Canada and from Buffalo to Albany — debuts December 2020.

There have been many setbacks and disappointments through the pandemic, but the completion of the Empire State Trail  — a 750-mile bicycle and walking trail spanning New York State from New York City to Canada and from Buffalo to Albany — is not one of them. This massive project, which was announced by Governor Cuomo in early 2017, is on target to be completed by the end of December. It will be the nation’s longest multi-issue trail.

The three legs of the trail include the Hudson Valley Greenway Trail (NYC to the Capital District), the Erie Canalway Trail (the Capital District to Buffalo), and the Champlain Valley Trail (the Capital District to the Canadian border).

At press time, there were two large segments in the Hudson Valley that were under construction (not yet open to the public): the 36-mile Albany-Hudson Electric Trail from the City of Rensselaer to City of Hudson; and the 22-mile Maybrook Trailway from Brewster to Hopewell Junction.  The 1-mile Hudson River Brickyards trail in north Kingston was also under construction.

The Hudson Valley Greenway Trail begins at Hudson River Park in lower Manhattan and continues north through the Bronx and the Hudson Valley, over the Walkway Over the Hudson, and ends at the Mohawk Hudson Bike Hike Trail.  From the northern section of the Hudson Valley Greenway Trail, you can go west on the Erie Canalway Trail or north on the Champlain Valley Trail. For more, go to www.ny.gov/programs/empire-state-trail.