Empire Trail In 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo lauded the Empire State Trail, a 750-mile bike route from Manhattan to Albany and thence to either Buffalo or the Champlain Valley, depending on your objective.
Most of the Empire State Trail deserves praise, but the Adirondack section is a farce. For 123 miles, it follows Route 22, a state highway with a 55-mph speed limit and, all too often, narrow, crumbling shoulders.
My other complaint is that the trail ends at Rouses Point. Nothing against this picturesque village on Lake Champlain, but wouldn’t the majestic High Peaks be a more rewarding destination?
I suggest we create a bike route worthy of the Empire State imprimatur: a mostly off-road route from the tip of Manhattan to the edge of the High Peaks Wilderness. It would require a substantial public investment, but much of the physical infrastructure exists already.
Manhattan to Albany
The Empire State Trail begins at Battery Park in Manhattan and heads north along the Hudson River Greenway to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and then leaves the city for the suburbs, small villages, woods and farmlands of the Hudson Valley. On the way to Albany, it crosses the mighty river three times. From the Big Apple to the state capital, the trail covers 200 miles. Three-quarters of it is off road.
Albany to Saratoga Springs I recently got on the Empire State Trail in downtown Albany and biked north along the Hudson River. For the first 17 miles, I traveled largely off […]
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