The Empire State Trail is a multi-use trail in New York State that was proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in January 2017 and completed in December 2020. The trail runs from Manhattan north to the Canadian border in

Rouses Point Rouses Point is a village (New York), village in Clinton County, New York, Clinton County, New York (state), New York, United States, along the 45th parallel north, 45th parallel. The population was 2,209 at the 2010 census. The village is named ...

near the northern tip of Lake Champlain, and also from Buffalo to Albany. At , it is the longest multi-use trail in the United States. The trail includes pre-existing trail segments, which retain their existing identity but are now co-signed as a segment of the Empire State Trail. The trail also links to other regional bicycling and hiking trails such as the Appalachian Trail, the Adirondack and Catskill Parks, the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, the Genesee Valley Greenway, and others. A segment near its southernmost part, on the Hudson River Greenway in Manhattan, is concurrent with the East Coast Greenway. The trail is used for hiking, biking,

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

, cross-country skiing and in some areas snowmobiling. Completing the trail required 40 construction projects to create new trails and to eliminate gaps in existing segments. On December 30, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced that these construction projects were finished, and that the Empire State Trail was officially completed and open to the public.

Route

The trail is organized in three main segments: the

Hudson River Valley Greenway The Hudson River Valley Greenway is a system of parks, trails, kayak/canoe routes, etc. along New York's Hudson River, and the organization that serves to promote and preserve them. The Greenway system includes the Hudson Valley Rail Trail. Fourteen ...

Trail, the

Erie Canalway Trail The New York State Canalway Trail is a network of multi-use trails that runs parallel to current or former sections of the Erie, Oswego, Cayuga-Seneca, and Champlain canals. When completed, the system will have of trails following current and ...

, and the Champlain Valley Trail. The

runs from New York City to Albany along numerous greenways and rail trails, including the Hudson River Greenway in Manhattan, the North County Trailway and South County Trailway in Westchester County, the

Walkway Over the Hudson The Walkway over the Hudson (also known as the Poughkeepsie Bridge, Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, Poughkeepsie–Highland Railroad Bridge, and High Bridge) is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, ...

, the Albany–Hudson Electric Trail, and others. It loosely follows the eastern shore of the Hudson River with a brief section in Ulster County on the western shore. This section of trail is primarily off-road, but contains one significant on-road section between

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

and

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...

. The

runs from Buffalo to Albany (via Rochester and

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

) along towpaths and rail trails following both the old Erie Canal and the later New York State Canal System. After the completion of the Empire State Trail, this section is almost entirely off-road, with notable on-road gaps remaining between Clyde and Port Byron, Schuyler and Frankfort, and Cohoes and Watervliet. The Champlain Valley Trail runs from Albany to the Canadian border in

. This section initially follows the

Champlain Canal The Champlain Canal is a canal in New York that connects the Hudson River to the south end of Lake Champlain. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal for use by commercial vessels, fully opening in 1823. Today, it is mostly used by ...

from Albany to Whitehall, and then follows Lake Champlain to Canada. The section along the canal utilizes the Champlain Canalway Trail, but north of Whitehall the trail is entirely on-road, following State Bike Route 9 the rest of the way. The trail connects 22 counties and many cities throughout the state, including New York City, Buffalo, Albany, and points in between. There is also a proposal to extend the trail from its southern terminus into Long Island.

Trail maintenance

The trail connects existing trail segments operated by a variety of state entities, local governments, and non-profit organizations such as the

New York State Canalway Trail The New York State Canalway Trail is a network of multi-use trails that runs parallel to current or former sections of the Erie, Oswego, Cayuga-Seneca, and Champlain canals. When completed, the system will have of trails following current and ...

, Dutchess Rail Trail, Wallkill Valley Rail Trail and others. The trail maintenance activities continue to be undertaken by the entity that operates each local segment of the larger Empire State Trail.

Trails included

Empire State Trail trailhead at New Paltz

New York City to Albany

* Hudson River Greenway * Putnam Greenway (NYC) * North County Trailway * South County Trailway *

Putnam County Trailway The Putnam County Trailway is a paved bicycle and pedestrian trail in Putnam County, New York. With few exceptions, it follows the former right-of-way of the New York and Putnam Railroad from the northern end of the North County Trailway at the ...

* Maybrook Trailway * Dutchess Rail Trail *

Walkway over the Hudson The Walkway over the Hudson (also known as the Poughkeepsie Bridge, Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, Poughkeepsie–Highland Railroad Bridge, and High Bridge) is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, ...

* Hudson Valley Rail Trail * Wallkill Valley Rail Trail * Kingston Point Rail Trail * Albany-Hudson Electric Trail

Albany to Buffalo

- Erie Canalway Trails *

Onondaga Creekwalk The Onondaga Creekwalk is a mostly paved, partly bricked, multi-use trail running in Syracuse, New York, which has so far seen more than three decades of planning, construction, and delays, starting in 1988. The trail is designed for bicyclists ...

* Shoreline Trail

Albany to Champlain

- Champlain Canalway Trails *

Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail The Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail (MHBHT) is a trail in New York's Mohawk Valley and Capital District regions. It is also the easternmost segment of the Erie Canalway Trail, as well as a portion of the Empire State Trail. History and route Th ...

*Delaware Avenue-Black Bridge Trail - Van Schaick Island *Terry Gordon Trail

External links

Official site

Interactive Map

Open source map of cycling route

Open source map of walking route

References

{{coord missing, New York (state) Nature reserves in New York (state) Tourism in New York (state) Hiking trails in New York (state)