Below is an amalgam of my "before you go" notes for anyone interested in riding the Empire State Trail from Buffalo to NYC. To read my detailed 12 day trip diary click here:
Trail Condition is Gravelly in Many Areas - The Empire State Trail in many spots is like riding on gravel. Some areas in rural Central New York are no more than an ATV path. Other spots have lots of stones. You don't need a mountain bike but you should have sufficiently wide tires. I had 38x700 tires and that was a good idea. You might be able to get away with 28s but probably to be safe go with something 32 or wider. There were guys I saw who were riding on 25s said they were in hell on some of the rougher terrain.
One of the enduring issues of my trip were that my hands were sore due to riding on so much uneven terrain. Perhaps gloves or shocks could have helped with this.
Buffalo is a much more interesting city than I expected - I only did one night in Buffalo, but there are a lot of neat bike trails and neighborhoods. If I did it again I would try to spend 2-3 nights in Buffalo and bike around and see cool stuff like the Frank Lloyd Wright house.
Food is generally atrocious - The vast majority of food options in Upstate NY are bordering on inedible. Along the route, it's mostly gas stations and diners. I found success going into supermarkets and buying power bars and fruit. You will end up eating lots of bad fast food.
Near Rochester there are some good options, especially in Pittsford and Fairport. Otto's Market in Germantown is good too.
Western New York Feels like the Midwest - Buffalo eastward is extremely flat, people with midwestern accents, and miles and miles of cornfields.
Canal towns have seen better days - Many towns along the Erie Canal started going downhill about 100 years ago and have not looked back. Towns like Gasport, Clyde, Weedsport are not memorable. Virtually all options is fast food in these towns. Also there is virtually no integration between the Empire State Trail and these depressed areas. You would think they would want to encourage visitors...
A couple exceptions: Brockport, home to SUNY-Brockport was cool, and has a nice downtown. I stopped there for lunch and it was fun to walk around. Little Falls, an old mill town near Utica is picturesque and I enjoyed taking lunch there as well.
There is no Empire State Trail Signage in Genesee Valley Park in Rochester - When you enter Genesee Valley Park there is no signage for the Empire State Trail and you will get lost unless you are glued to your phone. There are many similar looking trails everywhere. I got lost for at least an hour in this area.
REI along trail in Rochester can be a life saver - This is the best bike shop on the trail and can be very helpful for picking up gear, clothes or bike equipment if needed.
Biking on the Empire State Trail in Syracuse is AWESOME - Syracuse had zero trails going through it before construction. The state spent over 50M on connecting Syracuse to the Empire State Trail. It is now a really fun ride including going through the former Camillus Landfill and then biking alongside lake Onondaga.
Onondaga Creekwalk in downtown Syracuse had some neat redeveloped old factories.
Amazon Lockers can be very useful - I mailed a new saddle to an Amazon Locker in Syracuse. It's easy to have 2 day delivery send hard to find items to an Amazon Locker location.
Dominick St in Rome did not feel safe - I did not have any issues, but most of Rome felt very seedy. That being said, I did have an excellent meal at a friendly Dominican restaurant in the area.
BUGS CAN BE INSANE - Make sure to bring bug spray and also wear eye protection. I had many gnats fly into my eyes. In some areas I pedaled very fast just so I wouldn't stop and get gnawned on by mosquitos. The Erie Canal in many areas is just a fetid swamp which makes the bug sitch worse. You will notice the worst days for bugs are the day after a rain.
Be Careful of Wildlife - I encountered tons of geese who hissed and were mean to me. I also accidentally ran over not one, but two chipmunks. Oopsies. There wer also many turtles crossing the canal path and I was careful not to run over these majestic creatures.
Albany to NYC is more Fun than Buffalo to Albany - That was a general feeling I had because the terrain is more varied. The Hudson Valley is beautiful and the towns have more going on that west of Albany IMO.
New Paltz to NYC is all paved, which was a nice feature towards the end of a multi day ride.
Pack Lighter than you think - Don't be a dumbass like me and pack your 16 inch Macbook Pro laptop. I was so tired at the end of the day that I barely opened it and it was insanely heavy in my panniers. DUMB. Also, all you need are a bunch of bike shorts and shirts, socks, and maybe a couple sweaters/rain jackets. I packed way too much and I was able to wash a lot of clothes in hotel sinks. I had two full rear panniers, but if I had packed better I could have just used one.
If you do the camping thing you would need both panniers for sure.
Hotel Prices are Way Up - The days of staying at a Red Roof Inn for $60/night are way over. Budget at least $120/night for a hotel (in 2024) to stay in something respectable. I stayed at a flop house in Albion for 90/night and that was the cheapest I found.
Try to Stay in Hotels with Free Breakfast - Free breakfast is a great way to tank up before a long days ride, and also helps you get through lunch if you can take some fruit and energy bars with you.
Try to Stay at Hotels with Pools - I only stayed at one hotel with a pool, but after a 70 mile day swimming in a pool felt incredible.
Kingston NY does not have any well priced hotels in the downtown area - I stayed outside Kingston in a suburban shopping mall area and it still was $150 a night. Kingston hotels in the historic stockade area are $350 or more. Bummer, because there is so much cool stuff in the Stockade District!
There is a Lack of good hotel options in Dutchess/Putnam Counties - If you do your Albany to NYC leg into 3 nights, you will end up somewhere near Brewster, NY on your 3rd night. There are very few hotels in this area. I stayed with a friend that lived nearby. Some people I know have had success staying at a Comfort Inn, Brewster but said biking to it was sort of hairy.
Wear Bike Shorts! - I didn't wear bike shorts on my first day and immediately got saddle sores...:-(
ENJOY YOUR TRIP!
