Cycling the Erie Canal I N N T O I N N A three-day, self-guided bicycle tour along the Erie Canalway Trail between Little Falls and Albany featuring descriptions of the route, attractions, and lodging I N T R O Overview Starting Point - Little Falls ................................... Page 1 Day 3 - Schenectady to Albany...........................Pages 6, 7 Day 1 - Little Falls to Canajoharie ....................... Pages 2, 3 Bike Shops & Visitor Centers .............................Page 8 Day 2 - Canajoharie to Schenectady.................. Pages 4, 5 Suggested Reading and Tips .............................Page 9 Outstanding bicycling and sightseeing await you along the Erie Canal. Outstanding Bicycling and Sightseeing Experience lively canal towns and scenic rural landscapes. The trail between Little Falls and Albany follows along sections of the active canal and ventures into canal-side communities and historic districts. You will see more locks during this three-day journey than along any other segment of the Erie Canalway Trail. Visible are modern locks 1-17, seven enlarged Erie Canal locks, a Clinton’s Ditch lock and a Champlain Canal side-cut lock in Waterford. Views of several aqueducts and the Big and Little Noses along the Mohawk River will provide ample photo opportunities. Military buffs can visit historic sites from the Revolutionary War and French and Indian War. Those interested in places honoring Native American culture and religious martyrdom will also be pleased with the rich and varied heritage found in this part of New York State. Rare geological formations and local Erie Canal history are plentiful throughout the ride. Forts, museums, shrines, art galleries, waterfalls, state parks and great shopping opportunities line the way for an outstanding three-day adventure. The Canalway Trail is, for the most part, flat, making bicycle touring an ideal way to enjoy this historic and scenic region. Each day brings miles of peaceful cycling and easy access to attractions and services. Each evening offers the hospitality of a fine B&B or inn, each with its own special ambiance. Set your own pace on this self-guided tour. Stop at an interesting historic site, visit an art gallery, At Your Own Pace linger over a cup of coffee, or simply relax on the banks of the Canal. This three-day itinerary is described from west to east, starting in Little Falls, but you may choose to do the trip from east to west, starting in Albany. Or, you may choose to cycle more or fewer miles each day. You’ll find accommodations in many of the canal towns between Little Falls and Albany and can shift your schedule according to your interests. You may even find there is so much to see in one town, you will choose to stay more than a day before moving on to the next location. The B&B’s and inns listed in this self-guided tour welcome cyclists and will go out of their way to Cyclists Welcome accommodate your needs. In the evenings, they will gladly secure your bike inside or in a locked storage area and assist you with your transportation needs. With advance notice, some may even be willing to transport luggage or vehicles for an additional fee. S T A R T I N G Starting Point - Little Falls Little Falls is the starting point of your journey. Once in Little Falls, you Starting Point may want to visit some special points of interest or even spend an extra day before heading east. After breakfast, begin your day at Historic Canal Place, a PARTICIPATING B&B’S refurbished industrial area with two 19th-century stone mill buildings, original canal-side structures, antique and art galleries, shops, restaurants, a performing arts center, and the Canal Side Inn Little Falls Historical Museum. 395 South Ann St., Little Falls, NY 13365 (315) 823-1170 Take a few pictures and listen to the falls - the original reason settlers were attracted to the [email protected] area. Compared to the “Big Falls” miles downstream in Cohoes, these were considered the www.canalsideinn.com “Little Falls.” To this day, they are both a source of water power and scenic beauty. Visit Cathedral Point on Moss Island and observe the turkey vultures and hawks soaring overhead, as you spend the day exploring a maze of deep chimney potholes, scoured in stone by the INn by the Mill swirling waters. The largest ones, some 20-feet high and more than 10-feet wide, were 1679 Mill Rd., St. Johnsville, NY 13452-3911 formed thousands of years ago when this area was the outlet of a huge inland sea, leaving (518) 568-2388 or 1(866) 568-2388 cathedral-like formations facing the river and geological features such as Profile Rock. [email protected] www.innbythemill.com If one searches carefully, "Little Falls Diamonds" can be located along various outcroppings. Excellent examples of these unique quartz crystals are on display at the Little Falls Historical Crystal Grove Mining Society Museum. If you have a bit more time to spend, you can even do some of your own Cabins & Campground “diamond” mining at Crystal Grove Mining. Here the owner will supply all the tools you need 161 County Hwy 114, St. Johnsville, NY 13452 to mine and has even been known to provide a dinner delivery to bicyclists staying at his (518) 568-2914 or 1(800) KRY-DIAM campground. [email protected] Canal enthusiasts should spend the time to watch Lock 17 fill, knowing that at 40.5-feet www.cyrstalgrove.com high, it is the largest lock on the enlarged Erie Canal, the highest lock in New York State, and only the first of many engineering wonders to be seen over the next three days. Getting Back to the Starting Point POINTS OF INTEREST At least two commercial transportation services are available to transport bicycles, luggage and bicyclists back to Little Falls Historical Museum Little Falls or St. Johnsville. Be sure to 319 South Ann St., Little Falls, NY 13365 make reservations in advance. Rates may (315) 823-0643 vary depending on the number of people [email protected] transported and the type of available www.lfhistoricalsociety.org vehicle. Historic Canal Place South Ann St., Little Falls, NY TRANSPORTATION SERVICES: (315) 823-1907 www.tourlittlefalls.com Premier Transportation Group www.littlefallsantiquecenter.com/ (Available for local and long distance charter) 518- 459-6123 or 1(800) 515-6123 Canal%20Place.html 456 North Pearl Street Albany, New York Moss Island and Rock Climbing www.premierelimo.com Call City Clerk for permits (315) 823-0643. From South Ann Street head through Canal Place to Benton’s Landing, a small park on Advantage Limo and Car Service the Erie Canal. Walk east across the hydro- (518) 433-0100 power dam, pass under Profile Rock until you 137 Lark Street see the trailhead sign. Albany, New York www.paulkeeslerbooks.com/LittleFalls.htm Moss Island and Rock Climbing Page 1 D A Y O N E 21 MILES Little Falls to Canajoharie After visiting Historic Canal Place, cross over the bridge to the south side of the canal and catch the paved bike path Little Falls heading east towards Lock 17. Continuing on this trail will bring you directly to the Herkimer Home Site, a Georgian- style mansion that was the home to a courageous Revolutionary War hero, General Nicholas Herkimer, who was wounded at the battle of Oriskany. In this battle, the British were defeated and the victory was considered a turning point in the war. After the battle, Herkimer was carried home and his leg unskillfully amputated. Hours later, when Herkimer died reading from his Bible, he was immediately regarded as a martyr to the cause of American freedom, and his home became a shrine. Visitors will marvel at the grandness of this Georgian-style mansion that once stood on the colonial frontier. The site is now a National Historic Landmark dedicated to interpreting life in the Mohawk Valley during the Revolutionary War. The trail will be stonedust from the Herkimer Home for approximately the next 13 miles. After about 5 miles, you will approach the Town of Minden, where you can see the newly restored Crouse Locks, a Minden set of double locks from the old Erie Canal. Continue on towards Fort Plain, stopping on the way in St. Fort Plain Johnsville if you wish to catch a bite to eat for lunch or see Fort Klock Historic Restoration, a restored 1750 fur trading post, on the north side of the Canal. Once you get to the Village of Fort Plain be sure to see the Fort Plain Museum, which commemorates the courage and resourcefulness of frontier women in the Mohawk Valley. On August 2, 1780, Fort Plain was attacked by British forces. A woman raised the alarm and the villagers fled to the fort. The men were away escorting supply boats and the fort was undefended. The women donned men's clothes and patrolled the walls of the fort in mass. The attackers were fooled into thinking the fort's garrison was present and they fled. The trail becomes paved again from Fort Plain until just past Canajoharie — approximately 4 miles. INn by the Mill Arial view of Little Falls Herkimer Home State Historic Site 200 State Route 169, Little Falls, NY 13365 (315) 823-0398 or (315) 823-0587 www.nysparks.state.ny.us/sites/info.asp?siteID=12 Historic Canal Place Page 2 O V E R N I G H T Canajoharie The name “Canajoharie” is a transliteration of a Mohawk Indian word PARTICIPATING B&B’S Canajoharie meaning “the pot that washes itself.” The name refers to a geologic pothole in the bed of the creek that empties into the Mohawk River in the village.