Cycle the Erie Canal 2024 Itinerary

GATHERING & CHECK-IN DAY

Saturday 7/6/24

BUFFALO: PRE-RIDE EVENTS

Nichols School
1250 Amherst Street
Buffalo, NY

• Dinner
• Overnight camping available
• Saturday downtown ride
• Pre-Ride Niagara Falls
• Wine Tasting
• Music

DAY ONE

Sunday 7/7/24

Buffalo To Medina: 48 Miles

Overnight: Medina Central Schools
1 Mustang Drive
Medina NY 14103

• Ride along the Niagara River from Buffalo.
• Take a boat ride through canal locks, developed to allow boats to navigate the different elevations along the canal.
• At Lockport, explore underground sluiceways, caves, and the “Upsidedown Bridge” as you begin to ride 400 miles of Canalway Trail through charming villages and rolling farmland.
• Spend the night in Medina, a lovely village reminiscent of the historic era of the original canal.

DAY TWO

Monday 7/8/24

Medina To Fairport: 63 Miles

Overnight: Center Park West 1100 Ayrault Rd Fairport, NY 14450

• Relax at rest stops in friendly “port” villages such as Holley, Brockport, and Spencerport, where a unique “lift bridge” carries Main Street over the canal.
• Take a short excursion along the Genesee River bike path into downtown Rochester, with its spectacular waterfalls.
• Stop in Pittsford and visit Pittsford’s popular Schoen Place, where you’ll find boutiques, galleries, and cafes.
• Finish the day in Fairport and visit Packett's Landing Wharf

DAY THREE

Tuesday 7/9/24

Fairport to Seneca Falls: 51 Miles

Overnight: Mynderse Academy, 105 Troy St, Seneca Falls, NY

• Watch bridge tenders raise and lower the famous Erie Canal lift bridges as you cycle through quaint canal towns.
• In Palmyra, visit the farmhouse of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion.
• Leaving the rest stop in Clyde we come off the Erie Canal Trail and head South towards Seneca Falls on rolling country backroads. Look for the Amish family that sell riders baked goods every year.
• At the end of your day, tour Seneca Falls, birthplace of the modern women’s movement. Visit the Women’s Rights National Historic Park, National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Elizabeth Cady Stanton home. Dinner on your own—enjoy the local eateries.

DAY FOUR

Wednesday 7/10/24

Seneca Falls to Syracuse: 41 MILES

Overnight: Burnet Park 521549 Burnet Park Drive, Syracuse

• Visit the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.
• Cool down in the Visitors Center at the Old Erie Canal Heritage Park at Port Byron, then pedal through the authentic enlarged Erie Canal Lock 52 to the c. 1895 Erie House Saloon, Blacksmith Shop, and Mule Barn
• Take a break in the Village of Jordan and visit the Jordan Historical Society Museum, enjoy the flower gardens in the bed of the old canal, then continue on the towpath on an original aqueduct over Skaneateles Creek.
• Follow the canal towpath to Camillus’ Erie Canal Park and stop by the park’s Sims Store, a re-creation of a 19th century general store. Take a boat ride on a restored aqueduct.
• Have a bite and brew at a pub or coffee house in Syracuse’s trendy Armory Square and tour the Erie Canal Museum in the Weighlock Building.

DAY FIVE

Thursday 7/11/24

SYRACUSE TO ROME: 48 MILES

OVERNIGHT: Fort Stanwix, 200 N. James St., Rome, NY 13440

• Spend a leisurely day riding along the serene Old Erie Canal State Park.
• Visit the Chittenango Canal Museum and dry docks and the Canastota Canal Town Museum.
• See the location where the first shovel of dirt was turned for “Clinton’s Ditch."
• Tour Fort Stanwix National Monument, a restored fort where local battles shaped the outcome of the American Revolution.
• Dinner on own.

DAY SIX

Friday 7/12/24

ROME TO FORT PLAIN: 55 MILES

OVERNIGHT: Fort Plain Elementary school, 25 High St, Fort Plain, NY 13339

• In Little Falls, explore the glacial potholes of Moss Island, a National Natural Landmark, and shop at restored Canal Place.
• Tour Revolutionary War General Herkimer’s home.

DAY SEVEN

Saturday 7/13/24

FORT PLAIN TO SCHENECTADY: 48 MILES

OVERNIGHT: SCHENECTADY JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER
2565 BALLTOWN RD
SCHENECTADY, NY

• Ride alongside the scenic Mohawk River, the only water-level passage through the Appalachian chain of mountains.
• Stop at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, featuring sections of all three alignments of the Erie Canal.
• Tour historic Schenectady and toast your fellow riders at a celebratory dinner and program.

DAY EIGHT

Sunday 7/14/23

SCHENECTADY TO ALBANY: 27 MILES

Finish line: Corning Preserve, Albany

• View Cohoes Falls, one of the most powerful falls east of the Rockies and a major challenge for Erie Canal engineers.
• Visit Peebles Island State Park. During the Revolutionary War, American forces prepared defenses here to make a final stand against the British.
• Ride along the Hudson River and finish your tour in downtown Albany, New York State’s 300-year-old capital.