Journey Back Home: Toronto to New York City Along the Erie Canal Trail (Video)

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PUBLISHED Apr 4, 2024

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Words, photos, and video by Jordan Ross (they/them)

At the end of last summer, I set out on a bicycle trip that would take me home, both physically and emotionally, back to the city where I grew up but had not visited in over a decade. This is my journey from Toronto to New York City.

This trip back home begins in Toronto, where I had flown from Vancouver a few days earlier to visit some family and explore more of the city. They call Toronto the New York City of Canada, and while it’s probably more similar to Chicago, it’s also the closest Canadian city to NYC in terms of diversity, energy, and urban landscape—all qualities I learned to value and appreciate growing up.

The first day of the trip involved departing the city, starting off pleasantly along the primary bike path, a scenic route along the coast of Lake Ontario. However, as the kilometers stretched out, the surroundings gradually lost their charm, with infrastructure and neighborhoods becoming less appealing as the sun slowly descended toward the horizon. One neighborhood was full of McMansions that all had a fountain in the middle of their wrap-around driveway. What housing and climate crisis?

In total, I cycled about 120 kilometers from Toronto to St. Catherines, where I had booked a nice inn, knowing I’d likely be exhausted and demoralized from all of the time spent riding next to the highway. The following morning, I made my way to Niagara, or more notably, Niagara Falls. If you’re like me, you probably won’t be in the mood to spend too much time in these overly touristy towns themselves, but be sure to get some views of these impressive thundering waters before continuing upriver to the American town of Buffalo, New York.

I decided to cross the border bridge at Niagara Falls itself and had no issues, being able to cut ahead of cars and make my way through immigration without a hitch. Though, in retrospect, you might want to continue upriver in Canada, crossing instead at Buffalo. I updated the route with this (seemingly) better option.

Following Buffalo, you will reach Tonawanda, the terminus of The Erie Canal and once a bustling hub of marine activity, commerce, and industry. Be sure to check out the Guud and Evul restaurant as well as The Vegan Grocery Store (yes, that’s its name). Additionally, consider visiting the Erie Canal Museum for insights into the canal’s rich history and its transition into the larger New York State Canal System.

Now, your journey along The Erie Canal Trail and Empire State Trail officially begins. You’ll find yourself whisked along well-maintained, fine gravel trails, marveling at the level of upkeep along the canal. You’ll begin to appreciate how valued the Erie Canal Trail is to New York State and the communities it passes through. As far as I know, the trails directly next to the canal system are all the responsibility of the New York State Canal Corporation, a public-benefit corporation that operates and maintains the Canalway as well as the 845 kilometers of canal and 57 locks, which act as giant water elevators for boats, allowing them to traverse the different canal elevations.

In terms of camping and lodging, after leaving Buffalo, I opted for a motel in Utica for one night and one hotel southeast of Albany for another. For the remaining nights, I camped in parks along the canal, often named something like “Canal Park” or “Towpath Park,” historically places where barge workers or tourists could tie up overnight or for a quick stop. Now, these parks are great resources for people on boats or the increasingly more common bike tourists like us. For example, the town of Clyde has a super expansive park that welcomes bike campers, complete with overnight-accessible washrooms, water fountains, a covered table area with electric outlets, and even free wifi.

However, not all towns will have Canal Parks as inviting or comfortable. Do further research to see what your best options are. If all else fails, setting up camp next to the Canal Trail seems totally reasonable, especially if you’re on a stretch with farmland in either direction, set up toward the evening, and, of course, leave no trace. I did this several times and felt totally safe, though feelings of safety can be subjective and often dependent on gender or race. Additionally, most of the locks permit camping, though the amenities tend to be limited with often not much more than a porta-potty. It’s important to note that locating rural trails becomes increasingly challenging as you approach larger towns or cities like Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany, primarily due to heightened population density nearer to the New York City metropolitan area.

A section of the trail that stands out to me as a highlight is the first western canal segment, especially leaving Lockport and going east up until Rochester. This section of cycling along the canal is super gorgeous in a simple, rural farmland kind of way. The stretches of farmland and fields were a welcome reprieve from the type of urban, car-dominated environment many of us are used to. I still think about one serendipitously placed apple tree, its juicy and delicious apples literally spilling out across the canal path.

As you pedal along, you’ll pass through dozens of towns along the canal, each with their own unique history and heritage but all connected by this centuries old megaproject. The Erie Canal involved millions of labor hours and tragically claimed the lives of roughly 1,000 people, the majority of whom were immigrants new to America.

Many of these towns uncreatively but appropriately incorporate “Port” into their names, with many of them having cute family-owned businesses like coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and even breweries. Keep your eyes peeled, follow your cravings, and you may find the perfect spot. Or, if you are like me, constantly be searching for “vegan food near me” every 20 kilometers on Google Maps.

One town that is certainly memorable, partly because it takes a slightly different naming approach, is Little Falls, a charming community nestled between gentle sloping mountainsides and along a river featuring what seemed more appropriately described as rapids rather than falls. The area of town that is specifically noteworthy is near the historic Stone Mill, now transformed into a hotel, coffee shop, and pizzeria with a woodfired oven, vegan options, and a great selection of local craft beer. There are also other businesses nearby like an art store, antique store, another inn, and a brewery. Little Falls also has a section of town popular with climbers, and I could see pairs of them roped up, clambering up the limestone cliff sides next to the canal’s banks.

As you leave Little Falls you can leave (or lock) your bike at the top of a short set of stairs and go down to see Erie Canal Lock E17. This is the biggest lock in the system in terms of the elevation difference of the two canal segments it connects, with a total of 40.5 feet. It’s also the only lock in the network that uses a guillotine-style locking mechanism. Imagine my face as we cruised underneath on the sailboat I was invited to board.

Leaving Albany marks the beginning of your home stretch, with just 300 kilometers left to traverse as you work your way down South along the Hudson River Valley, crossing the river twice. The second crossing takes you from east to west along the Walkway Over the Hudson, a historical rail bridge that has been restored and converted for pedestrian and cycling use.

As I approach New York City, the landscape gradually shifts to a more urban setting, and the sounds of trucks and vehicles become more pronounced. I found myself on bikeways alongside parkways (essentially highways with a greenwashed label). The final parts of the journey involved passing through smaller and medium-sized parks until finally arriving in The Bronx’s Van Cortlandt Park. It was at this moment, amid the sunny concrete warmth of October, the echoes of handballers and basketballers, and the rhythmic rumble of the elevated subway, that I knew I was truly back home.

Toronto to New York City Route