Explore the best rated trails in Albany, NY, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Spring Run Trail and Albany-Hudson Electric Trail . With more than 37 trails covering 593 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Beautiful smooth ride. Recommend for anyone seeking a pleasurable experience.
Lots of wildlife along this pristine trail with plenty for bathroom facilities and benches to take a break. Trail is maybe 70% shaded which kept the temperatures down but still glad we had our suntan lotion. The trail passes a large lake and goes through plenty of wetlands giving lots of interesting views. Road crossings were well marked and safe. Our stay at the Williams Inn in Williamstown was definitely a cut above the norm and from there was maybe a 15 minute drive to the trailhead.
This mostly flat, well maintained trail goes though woods and across dykes. The scenery makes this a near perfect trail.
Wassaic to Orphan farm and back will take you through farmlands, marshes a bird sanctuary and a long bridge over the marsh that you must just stop and absorb the place.
A great place to train because you draw strength from the scenery and there is lots of shade and lots of benches along the way.
Have respect for others that are smaller (tricycles or training wheels) and older folk sharing the trail and you will have an outstanding ride / walk / run.
Wassaic to Orphan farm and back will take you through farmlands, marshes a bird sanctuary and a long bridge over the marsh that you must just stop and absorb the place.
A great place to train because you draw strength from the scenery and there is lots of shade and lots of benches along the way.
Have respect for others that are smaller (tricycles or training wheels) and older folk sharing the trail and you will have an outstanding ride / walk / run.
Started in Roxbury and fell a couple of miles short of finishing trail but headed back. A lot of mud towards Bloomfield section.Can't say enough about the views. Totally fine for any gravel bike or hybrid .
My experience did not match the glowing description and reviews for this trail. While I agree it can be ridden with a road bike as I did it makes for a very rough ride. The surface is clearly not crushed stone as advertised but rather gravel with 1/4 to 1/2” pebbles. Furthermore with the exception of a few hundred feet at the beginning (West Hurley) you don’t see the lake, the rest of the way you are in the forest, which on a hot day is nice but also almost completely blocks the view of the water. I ended up riding back via route 28A, which makes for a loop of a little over 30 miles and was not too busy with cars. If you do go this route make sure to take the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade, which parallels route 28A along the shore of the lake for about three miles. The only difficulty is crossing busy route 28 at the end to get back to the parking lot in West Hurley.
I've been riding many of the trails that make up the Empire State Trail system though out the years and the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail is one of the best in my experience.
I parked at the Stuyvesant Falls Trailhead and headed towards the Miller Road trailhead right outside of East Greenbush making for a 42 mile round trip. There are a fair amount of road crossings on this trail but all of the busier ones have crossing lights and I found that motorists were very courteous to me at every one. There is also a few short on road sections on quiet streets that are all very well marked. I was able to keep on the trail without too much confusion.
The trail is a mix of asphalt and tightly packed gravel and is in very good condition. My only complaints are a lack of benches and bathrooms directly on the trail. The trail is also not the most shaded so be mindful of that on a hot summer day. The towns along the trail all offered places to eat and resupply so that's always and option.
The trail is well marked it's a bit tough going on roads through parts of Lockport. Once back on the trail, is well maintained.
While short at 11 miles one way, this trail has a lot to offer. The view of the reservoir with the green Catskill Mountains in the distance is quite enchanting. Much of the ride is through the woods with plenty of shade. The surface is packed cinders and the ride is generally flat. There are plenty of port-a-potties at the trail heads. This is our second time on the trail, so we did view it as worth returning too. Our first trip, during a summer weekend, was quite busy. This time we were there on a rainy weekday in June, and there were minimal people.
We extended the ride by travelling an additional 20 miles on the rode to ride around the reservoir. Starting at the Woodstock Dike Trailhead, we headed east on a very busy Route 28, but only for less than a quarter mile. The rest of the trip had minimal traffic, although I should note it was a rainy weekday. I ‘m unsure how different it would be on a sunny weekend.
We then followed Basin Road to Dike Road where we enjoyed amazing views. Dike Road is on what I believe is the dam at the east end of the Reservoir, offering unobstructed views of the water. From there, we continued on Route 28A. We were a short distance from the Promenade when we encountered a rain storm approaching in from the west. We turned back, managing to get to the car right before the rain began. In total the trip covered 40 miles on hybrid bikes.
While we did not reach the Promenade on this trip, I would highly recommend visiting it. During a previous visit, we took a short drive from the Rail Trail to the Promenade. It was well worth the hassle of loading and unloading the bikes on the car. You will find gorgeous views of the revisor with the mountains in the distance. We even spotted a bald eagle soaring over the water.
It takes us 2.5 hours to drive from our home to the western trailhead. The journey is well worth it. We definitely will be visiting again.
We biked the entire northern half of the D&H Rail Trail to the NY state line. Was pleasantly surprised to find no ruts. Trail was mostly made up of crushed stone. It's mostly a scenic ride, I would recommend this Rail Trail.
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