Plan for a 750-mile Empire State Trail

[Tony T]

NYT: A State ‘Hungry for Trails’ Savors Cuomo’s 750-Mile Plan

CARMEL, N.Y. — Tim Burns, the owner of Village Bikes here, knows well the dangers of bicycling on busy roads. “I’ve lost three customers who died being hit by cars,” he said. “I don’t even try to sell road bikes anymore. People don’t drive a car anymore. They do everything except drive a car — texting, putting on makeup.”

When Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced a plan to create the longest multiuse trail in the country, Mr. Burns and other outdoor enthusiasts cheered. His bike store sits next to the Putnam County Trailway, which will be incorporated into Mr. Cuomo’s plan for a 750-mile Empire State Trail. “It’s a great idea,” Mr. Burns said. “It is very safe and very well used.”

Capitalizing on the popularity of the rails to trails movement, in which defunct railbeds are repurposed to become recreational trails, state officials envision a path that would look like a giant T on its side. Part of the trail would run from the Battery in Lower Manhattan up through the Hudson Valley and Adirondacks, all the way to Canada. The other segment would follow the Erie Canalway Trail, which is now 80 percent complete, from Albany to Buffalo.

In addition to the Erie Canalway Trail, there is a patchwork of existing multiuse trails in the Hudson Valley. So statewide, the project would entail the construction of 350 miles of new trail, which would fill in the gaps and create long new stretches. Where possible, state officials are relying on publicly owned land, such as rights of way controlled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is a state agency.

But one long segment in the Hudson Valley crosses private property, and the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has already begun talks with the landowner. Options include purchasing the land outright or compensating the owner for allowing public access on a strip of his property.

“Fortunately, that stretch has only one owner whom we are working with,” said Rose Harvey, the state parks commissioner.

Mr. Cuomo has set aside about $200 million in his proposed budget for the state trail, and it is uncertain whether lawmakers will agree to spend that amount with so many other competing interests. But the Legislature has supported Mr. Cuomo’s campaign to rehabilitate the state park system in recent years, approving nearly $500 million so far to address a backlog of deferred maintenance and capital projects. Another $400 million in improvements are planned through 2020.

Mr. Cuomo is something of an outdoorsman and has vacationed in the Adirondacks. Parks officials say that the trail was really his vision and that he pushed to have the trail extend all the way to the Canadian border.

“When the governor started working on it, he wanted to make sure that if he announced this, that we could really do it,” Ms. Harvey said. “So we went out as a team, and we really looked at it, and he was convinced that we can do this.”

Officials also hope that the new trail can help provide a boost to towns and hamlets upstate that are struggling. The trail would cross through 130 municipalities in 27 counties.

“As the largest multiuse state trail network in the country,” Mr. Cuomo said, “this pathway will also connect people with communities, increasing tourism and spurring new economic growth across the state.”

About 1.5 million people use the existing portions of the Erie Canalway Trail every year, generating an estimated $253 million, according to state officials. The Hudson River Valley Greenway, a network of trails and historic sites between New York City and Lake George, is credited with $21 million in economic activity annually from visitors stopping in communities along the trails.

About 70 percent of the trail would be “off road,” state officials said, meaning joggers and cyclists could meander past woods and lakes and leave the exhaust and traffic of streets and highways behind. The longest section to rely on roads would run through the Adirondacks to Canada, Ms. Harvey said, but designated bicycle lanes and signage would link that stretch to the rest of the trail.

Advocates for hiking trails commended the idea of a continuous trail spanning much of New York State, especially one that would be accessible to people of all ages and abilities. “Backcountry trails are not for everyone,” said Edward Goodell, the executive director of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, a federation of hiking clubs and environmental groups.

“It’s exactly the direction that New Yorkers want to go in,” Mr. Goodell said. “People are hungry for trails and they are hungry for being outdoors and active. Those are the kinds of amenities that cost very little compared to other infrastructure, but they are important to creating healthy lifestyles. I’ll ride it myself.”

Indeed, state parks officials have promoted the health benefits as much as the potential economic ones. Ms. Harvey cited a study showing that every dollar spent on trail development saves $3 in medical expenses and another study that said adolescents who bike are 48 percent less likely to be overweight.

Construction of the Empire State Trail will be done in phases, starting with the western leg, from Buffalo to Albany. The design and planning work could begin once the budget is passed, Ms. Harvey said, and construction could follow by the end of the year.

“It’s really complicated work that requires a singular focus, compressed timeline and the resources to make it happen,” she said.

Some outdoor enthusiasts said they could imagine bicycling the entire Empire State Trail as a badge of honor, similar to the feat of climbing the 46 highest peaks in the Adirondacks. Such climbers are known as 46ers.

“It would be great if they allowed you to pitch a tent along the trail as you rode,” said Mr. Burns, whose bicycle shop here is a valued way station on the Putnam County Trailway. “If it is safe, it will be very well used.”

[Tony T]

I've ridden the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
It would be nice if its hooked up to this 750 mile project
(I think that the "one long segment in the Hudson Valley [that] crosses private property" referred to in the story is what's needed to hook up the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail to the Walkway Over The Hudson)

[bikinchris]

Good luck. I hope it goes perfect. We couldn't get a 26 miles trail started here. The land owners were spittin' mad.

[bironi]

Originally Posted by bikinchris

Good luck. I hope it goes perfect. We couldn't get a 26 miles trail started here. The land owners were spittin' mad.

Sorry Chris,
That sucks. It's sad that we have paradise and hell riding, but we do. I have much respect for those that ride in relative hell.
Byron

[Louis]

Originally Posted by bikinchris

Good luck. I hope it goes perfect. We couldn't get a 26 miles trail started here. The land owners were spittin' mad.

Next time tell them it's for an above-ground petroleum pipeline - they'll be lining up to have it across their property.

[jemoryl]

Having spent most of my early years in upstate NY, I'm glad they are doing this. Unfortunately, the part they call the Erie Canalway Trail is mostly dead flat and, for the most part, there is not much to see. When I look at blogs where touring cyclists go through NYS, they almost always do the east-west crossing on the canal trail. Too bad, because there is a lot of nice riding in the hillier parts of the state.

[yarg]

A boatload of the north south route is comprised of road routes and not a trail. While any investment in bike trail/enhancements is great this initiative is misleading.

[Hilltopperny]

I live in central/upstate and have the canalway path running though my old village. The trail is flat and mixed for recreational cyclists. It's great for teaching your kids how to ride in a safe environment and putting in easy miles. The scenery is not always the best as it runs parallel to the nys thruway and route 5s.

There is great riding if you decide to get off the path and explore in pretty much any of the rural areas that you pass through though. The sections I ride with my wife and daughter are relatively unused most days. You may see a handful of others while doing a 20 to 30ish mile ride. Most of the year it is quite desolate and you'll see more animal activity than human.

I don't mind it much as almost every ride I do is solo and when I was recovering from various surgeries it provided me with an easy path to ride. It's also nice when it breaks from the noise and you can ride along the Mohawk river and cruise.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[adrien]

Does anyone know where it is planned to hit the border? There's a ton of great riding in Quebec, and the Eastern Townships has an extensive trail network, certification of bike-friendly businesses and the like. This would potentially mean a tour from New York to Montreal would be very doable.

[Hilltopperny]

Originally Posted by adrien

Does anyone know where it is planned to hit the border? There's a ton of great riding in Quebec, and the Eastern Townships has an extensive trail network, certification of bike-friendly businesses and the like. This would potentially mean a tour from New York to Montreal would be very doable.

I know that right now as it sits the canalway trail stretches from Albany to Buffalo. Not sure where they intend to end this new system, but I have a feeling it will more than likely just be an extension of the existing trail from Albany to further downstate like the Hudson Valley into NYC. I am totally speculating here

[yarg]

Much of the North of Albany route will be on roads.

[Hilltopperny]

Originally Posted by yarg

Much of the North of Albany route will be on roads.

Are they going to be different than the existing "bike routes" that are already located on route 5 and 5s or Rte 30?

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by adrien

Does anyone know where it is planned to hit the border? There's a ton of great riding in Quebec, and the Eastern Townships has an extensive trail network, certification of bike-friendly businesses and the like. This would potentially mean a tour from New York to Montreal would be very doable.

There already exists State Bike Route 9.

"State Bicycle Route 9 is a signed on-road bicycle route that extends 345 miles from New York City to Rouses Point on the New York - Quebec border. This route connects with the Velo Quebec cycling routes in Quebec and eastern Canada. It also intersects with the New York City bicycle route network and State Bicycle Routes 5, 11 and 17, and the NYS Canalway Trail."

[yarg]

The east west route will be the erie canal trail and big $ will be spent to complete missing sections. North South will be much different and its route seems to be still not yet nailed down. North South will take advantage of some existing trails but most of the route will have to use roads and flag them as a bike route.

[Tony T]

NYT asking:

If you’re a Canadian cyclist, please let me know if you’d consider using the trail for a cycling tour in the United States. Similarly, I’d be interested in knowing if it will prompt American readers to ride into Canada. emai: canadatoday@nytimes.com