WHITE PLAINS, NY –The outstanding bicycling and sightseeing along the legendary Erie Canal is highlighted in the newly revised edition of Cycling the Erie Canal: A guide to 400 miles of adventure and history along the Erie Canalway Trail. The guidebook, now in its fourth edition, features new sections of trail and up-to-date listings of lodgings, bike shops, and other services. The guidebook is published by Parks & Trails New York (PTNY), the leading statewide advocacy organization for parks and trails, in partnership with the New York State Canal Corporation and the National Park Service Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.
Cycling the Erie Canal is a key resource for cyclists planning to bike the entire 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail or cyclists out for a day trip, as well walkers, in-line skaters, boaters, and auto travelers who want to enjoy the trail and the historic and cultural sites along the Canal Corridor.
The 152-page guidebook includes 42 easy-to-read, full-color maps that detail the trail route, as well as the things to see and do along the way. In addition to parks, museums, historic sites, and visitor centers, the maps indicate lodging and bike shops. Services such as restaurants, convenience stores, ATMs, pharmacies, post offices, hardware stores, and parking areas are also shown.
Cycling the Erie Canal includes interpretive information about the history of the canal and tips for planning a trip. The guide features high-quality spiral binding, and its convenient 5” by 9” size is just right to tuck into a saddle bag, backpack, or glove compartment.
“As the Erie Canalway Trail nears completion as an off-road trail—it’s 78% off-road now—more and more cyclists are looking to plan a trip. Because of the length of the trail, and the huge number of historic and cultural attractions, they need a resource to organize it all. Cycling the Erie Canal does this, as well as showing them where to find a B&B, and how to locate a bike shop, pharmacy, or ATM – all in an easy-to-use format,” says Robin Dropkin, Executive Director of Parks & Trails New York.
“Under Governor Cuomo’s administration, the New York State Canal Corporation, along with other New York State agencies, has proactively moved forward to plan, begin and complete projects for more than 30 miles of new and rehabilitated Erie Canalway Trail across New York,” said Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton. “The new guidebook not only showcases these new improvements, but also highlights the Erie Canalway Trail and the communities that welcome cyclists from around the world.”
The Cycling the Erie Canal guidebook makes it easy to discover the best of what the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor offers,” said Bob Radliff, Executive Director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. “Whether you’re planning an afternoon outing or an end-to-end trip, this is the definitive guide for cycling the Erie Canal.”
Cycling the Erie Canal retails for $24.95. Parks & Trails New York members enjoy a special discount price. It is available by visiting www.ptny.org or calling 518-434-1583. The guide is also available at bookstores, bike shops, museums, and gift shops.
The 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail route runs east-west between Buffalo and Albany in upstate New York. It follows both active and historic sections of the Erie Canal, the renowned inland waterway that opened the frontier of the fledgling United States to settlement and commerce, transforming the nation in the process.
