The Erie Canalway and the Champlain Canalway Trails continue to receive high levels of use year after year, according to the newly released Who’s on the Trail 2024: Canalway Trail report from Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) and the New York State Canal Corporation (NYSCC). The report estimates that the Canalway Trail System receives roughly 3.98 million visits per year, based on data from electronic counters installed at 39 locations over the past five years.
Who’s on the Trail 2024: Canalway Trail estimates that the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail – running between Albany and Buffalo – receives approximately 3.84 million visits per year. The 60-mile Champlain Canalway Trail – Waterford to Whitehall – welcomes around 139,000 visits annually.
In 2020, the Canalway Trail was incorporated into New York’s flagship Empire State Trail, part of a 750-mile trail network stretching from New York City north to the Canadian border, and from Albany west to Buffalo. As part of the Empire State Trail Project, millions of dollars were invested in closing major gaps in the trail. Since the opening of the Empire State Trail, the state, local governments, and private entities have continued to invest in improving the quality of the trail, including resurfacing projects and installing additional trailside amenities. These investments are shown to boost visitation, as evidenced by nearly four million visits to the trail each year. Trail users encompass everyone from local residents out for a walk to visitors traveling from around the world to cycle the entirety of the Erie Canal, now entering in its 200th year…