New York Trail Resources

 

New York Agencies

 

Adirondack Park Agency manages the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States: www.apa.state.ny.us

For information on New York's state parks: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/

NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation manages state lands within Adirondack and Catskill parks: www.dec.ny.gov/

National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provides trails as well as hunting, fishing, wildlife observation; see refuges in New York: www.fws.gov/refuges/refugeLocatorMaps/NewYork.html

National Park Service units in New York: www.nps.gov/state/ny/index.htm?program=parks

 

 

New York National Recreation Trails

The newest NRTs in New York:

• Sackets Harbor Battlefield History Trail - 0.75 miles, Jefferson county
• Genesee Valley Greenway State Park Trail - 84.00 miles, Monroe, Livingston, Wyoming, Allegany, Cattaraugus county
• Harlem Valley Rail Trail - Columbia County - 4.00 miles, Columbia county
• Harlem Valley Rail Trail - Dutchess County - 10.70 miles, Dutchess county
• Long Path through Mine Kill State Park - 5.00 miles, Schoharie county
• Hudson Valley Rail Trail - 3.60 miles, Ulster county
• Zim Smith Trail - 9.00 miles, Saratoga county
• Bronx River Blueway - 8.00 miles, Bronx county
• Hudson River Greenway Water Trail - 256.00 miles, 14 counties from NYC to Lake Champlain county
• Feeder Canal Towpath Trail - 9.00 miles, Warren and Washington county

Browse all National Recreation Trails in New York: There are 1298.19 miles of NRTs in New York and 39 trails!

Visit New York's "Featured" National Recreational Trails for the most recently designated trail(s)

Visit the National Recreation Trails website to learn more about the NRT program and access over 1,200 NRTs from across the country

 

New York Bicycling and Mountain Biking

 

Bronx River Pathway, Westchester, NY
(photo by Melissa Correa)

Bicycling and Mountain Biking

Bicycling on Long Island provides information on trails, parks, clubs, and events: www.webscope.com/li/cycling.html

East Coast Greenway is a project to link seabord states with trails and on-road routes through ME, NH, Massachusetts, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL: www.greenway.org/ny.aspx

Finger Lakes Mountain Bike Club serves the southern portion of the
Finger Lakes region of upstate New York: www.fingerlakesmountainbikeclub.com/

New York City Mountain Bike Association builds and maintains trails in the five boroughs of New York City: http://www.nycmtb.com/

New York Mountain Bicycling Coalition: www.nymbc.com/

Rochester Bicycling Club includes both mountain bike and four-wheel drive trail information: www.rochesterbicyclingclub.com/

Westchester Mountain Bike Association has news, riding areas, and volunteer work: http://wmba.org/

The Western New York Mountain Bicycling Association has information on trails, advocacy, and rides: www.wnymba.org/

 

New York Equestrian Trails

 

New York State Horse Council has information on trails as well as other equestrian information: www.nyshc.org/

Adirondack Park Horseback Riding Trails: www.adirondacks.com/horsebacktrails.html

WillowBrook Trail Association maintains a network of riding trails on private lands in Dutchess County: www.willowbrooktrail.com/

 

 

New York Greenways and Community Trails

 

Brooklyn Bridge Park will stretch 1.3 miles along the East River with floating pathways, piers, canals, paddling waters and restored wetlands: www.brooklynbridgepark.org/

Catskill Mountains Online Trails Guide: www.catskillguide.com

Finger Lakes Trail System: www.fingerlakestrail.org

Hudson River Valley Greenway is a state-sponsored program that covers 13 counties along the river: www.hudsongreenway.state.ny.us/home.aspx

Niagara Greenways Network lists 50 existing and potential greenways in the Niagara Peninsula: www.brocku.ca/epi/gwaylist.htm

New York City In-line Skating Guide has photos and many trail descriptions for in-line skating: www.skatecity.com/NYC/

GORP has maps and descriptions of New York City's Greenways Borough by Borough: www.gorp.com/gorp/location/ny/bik_gree.htm

New York City Parks and Recreation's Bicycling & Greenways page: www.nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/facilities/af_bike_paths.html

Northern New York Trails covers many trail activities with trail descriptions and photos: http://nnytrails.hmienterprises.com/

Crescent Trail is a 35-mile system of footpaths within the Town of Perinton: www.perinton.org/Departments/Parks/hikingctha/

Walkway Over the Hudson worked to transform the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge into one of the world's longest elevated public park: www.walkway.org/

Rochester Trails has a database with maps and information for area routes: www.rochestertrails.info/

Shawangunk Ridge Coalition is dedicated to creating a continuous, protected corridor along the entire 50-mile length of the Shawangunk Ridge: www.shawangunkridge.org/

The Trail Builders are working on a trail system in Sullivan County connecting public lands: www.sullivanstriders.org/trailsys.htm

Westchester County bicycle and fitness trails are open year round: parks.westchestergov.com/parks-and-destinations/trailways

New York Hiking Trails

 

Adirondack Mountain Club has many chapters; is dedicated to the protection and responsible recreational use of the New York Forest Preserve, parks, and other wild lands: www.adk.org/

Appalachian Mountain Club, New York-North Jersey Chapter, has trip reports, events, and contacts: www.amc-ny.org/

Appalachian Mountain Club, Mohawk Hudson Chapter, is at: /www.wsg.net/~amc/

Interstate Hiking Club sponsors trips in New York and New Jersey: http://interstatehikingclub.org/

Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference has created over 200 miles of hiking trails on Long Island and are dedicated to protecting open space and their scenic Greenbelt trails for all to enjoy: www.ligreenbelt.org/

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has news, events, weather, and more: www.nynjtc.org/

Running Trails in Westchester County has maps and descriptions: www.westchestertrails.com/

American Volkssport Association hosts year-round walking events; search by state

New York Long-Distance Trails

 

Appalachian Trail Conservancy provides resources and stewardship for the trail: www.appalachiantrail.org/

Great Eastern Trail plans to link existing trails alongthe Appalachian Mountains from Alabama to the Finger Lakes Trail in New York: www.greateasterntrail.net/

Hudson Trail is a proposed long trail from Manhattan to Mt. Marcy: http://hudsontrail.wordpress.com/about/

The Long Path is a 326 mile hiking trail extending from the George Washington Bridge north to Albany: www.nynjtc.org/region/long-path

North Country Trail is being developed with a goal of 4,400 miles from New York to North Dakota; for information on the trail in New York: http://northcountrytrail.org/trail/states/new-york/

New York Off-Highway Vehicle Trails

 

Adirondack ATV Riders Club of Pitcairn, NY: www.adirondackatv.org/

A.T.V. New York is a commercial riding area near Modena, NY: www.atvsource.com/trailheads/new_york.htm

Gotham City Land Cruisers are at: www.gclcny.com

New England Trail Riders Association has photos, events, and clubs: www.netra.org/

New York State Off-highway Recreational Vehicle Association: www.nysorva.org/

New York ATV Safety Site has information on user education, rider certification, and other safe riding materials: www.nyatvsafety.net/

Southern Tier chapter of (New York Trail Riders Organization provides events and updates on riding areas: www.nytrostier.org/

New York Rail Trails and Canal Trails

 

Canal Society of New York State provides support for revitalizing canals and developing recreational facilities and canal trails: www.canalsnys.org/

New York State Canalway Trail System is comprised of a network of more than 260 miles of existing multi-use, recreational trails: www.nyscanals.gov/exvac/trail/index.html and http://www.nycanals.com/

Chautauqua Rails to Trails, Inc. manages 26 miles of active rail-trail in Chautauqua County, the southwestern-most county in New York: www.chaurtt.org/

Delaware and Hudson Canal Linear Park in Sullivan County: www.co.sullivan.ny.us/orgMain.asp?storyid=195&orgid=267

Dutchess Rail Trail runs 13 miles from Hopewell Junction north to the Poughkeepsie entrance of the Walkway Over the Hudson

Port Jervis Branch of the D & H Canal and Gravity Railroad Heritage Trail: http://minisink.org/delhud.html

Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail Inc. has preserved 27 miles of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Railway as a multi-use trail, featuring beautiful scenery, ski areas, farmland, villages, parks and a high trestle: www.cattrail.org/

Genesee Valley Greenway follows the paths of the abandoned Genesee Valley Canal and Pennsylvania Railroad lines from Rochester to Pennsylvania: www.fogvg.org/

Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a 46-mile project along the Hudson River in Columbia and Dutchess Counties: www.hvrt.org

Friends of the High Line work to save and reuse the 1.5-mile elevated railway that runs along the West Side of Manhattan: www.thehighline.org/

Hudson Valley Rail Trail connects to Walkway Over the Hudson on the west bank of the Hudson River in Highland, New York

Ontario Pathways Trail is a 23-mile rails-to-trails project that connects Canandaigua, Stanley, Seneca Castle, Orleans and Phelps/Clifton Springs. Ontario Pathways, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization that owns, develops and maintains the trail property on an all-volunteer basis: www.ontariopathways.org/

Wallkill Valley Rail Trail Association, Inc. of New Paltz is at: www.gorailtrail.org

New York Snow Trail

New York State Snowmobile Association has events and contacts: www.nyssnowassoc.org/

 

New York Waterway and Boating Trails

 

In the heart of the Finger Lakes Region, the Erie Canal connects to the Cayuga-Seneca Waterway: www.nycanal.com/focusoncayugaseneca/cayugasenecaindex.html

Hudson River Watertrail Assoc and Hudson River Valley Greenway are working to develop the Hudson River Water Trail, which currently consists of 67 sites along the river that provide boat launches, river access, and some camping: www.hrwa.org

Schenectady County Blueway Trail Map and Guide lists 35 attractions along the river
with mileage, reference points, and photos: http://schenectadycounty.com/

New York Statewide Advocacy and Resources

 

Parks and Trails New York is working statewide to protect and advocate for New York's parks, rail trails, greenways, and heritage corridors: http://www.ptny.org/

 

New York State Trails Program

 

Recreational Trails Program: Providing funding to all 50 states for grants programs and program management
State Trails Program contacts in all 50 states

New York Outdoor Recreation

 

Fishing reports, maps, photos, and videos for every fishing spot in the USA: www.hookandbullet.com/s/fishing-new-york/