On October 3, 2009, the spectacular Walkway Over The Hudson will open.  Through the work of many over the last decade, the former Poughkeepsie Highland Railroad Bridge has been converted to a delightful venue for walkers, cyclist, and bladers.  It’s opening just in time for the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding by Dutch explorer, Henry Hudson.  The walkway, about 1.25 miles long, connects with twenty-seven miles of miles of rail trails and riverfront parks already built or planned in Ulster and Dutchess Counties.

The bridge currently is owned by a not-for-profit organization, Walkway Over the Hudson. The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (New York State Parks) is "Lead Agency" under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. The Dyson Foundation funded a significant portion of the design and inspection. Consulting services are being provided by the Bergmann Associates team.
From the book Bridging The Hudson: "The Poughkeepsie railroad bridge was the first bridge to be built over the Hudson River from the ocean all the way up to Albany. It was a technological wonder. Opened in 1889 soon after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, it is not only higher above the water than the Brooklyn Bridge, and founded deeper in the water, but also longer. When it opened, its promoters claimed it was the longest bridge in the world."

The Walkway Over The Hudson is an exciting place to visit.  Louis Rossi, author of Cycling Along The Canals of New York State, recently toured the facility.  His email back to the bridge contact person said: “WOW!!!  The bridge is Awesome! Staggering! Incredible!   My COMPLIMENTS to you-all!  Incredible job!!”

 

 

This is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. The top of the bridge deck is 212 feet above the water and the width expands from 24 feet over land, to 35 feet over the Hudson River.  Come visit this great facility -- bring your bike or your walking shoes, and your camera.

 bridge image from Walkway website   photos by Louis Rossi

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Pick a fall day, pack a lunch, check the bike and take a nice 25 mile ride along the Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway, part of the Canalway Trail,  a great paved, off-road pathway that extends from Cohoes to Schenectady. This article is adapted from Louis Rossi's Cycling Along The Canals of New York State.

However, it does follow the south shore of the Mohawk River and misses some important historic Erie Canal sites on the north shore. I’ll outline this option in this post and then later, describe a similar ride if you are comfortable riding on-road, that follows the newly designated Mohawk Towpath Byway, a new scenic byway that closely follows the original Erie Canal.  This can also be a nice fifty-mile round-trip which we’ll also describe in later posts.

So you’ll have to figure out car drops for this one way trip.  Probably the Visitor’s Center in Waterford is one option and somewhere within the Stockade Historic District for the other.

Start   Waterford's Canal Harbor Welcome Center

This new visitor’s center overlooks the harbor and the grand entrance to the present day NY State Barge Canal system. An additional short hike along the waterfront will bring you along side Lock 2 where, during the busy warm months of the year, you can see, up close, how a lock works.

Stop 1: Cohoes Harmony Mills District

Cycle west on Broad Street and then south on State Route 32. After crossing the bridge over the Mohawk take a right on Cortland Street which becomes North Mohawk Street.  It’s about two miles to the Harmony Mill District.

The first mill was erected in 1837 between the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River. Construction of other mill buildings followed. When completed in 1872, Harmony Mill #3 was the largest individual cotton factory in the world. Locals know the mill as "Mastodon Mill" because of the complete skeleton of a prehistoric mastodon discovered during construction of the building. A brochure containing a "Self Guided Tour: Harmony Mills Historic District" is available from the Spindle City Historical Society by phoning 518-237-7999.

Lock 18, a National Register of Historic Places site, is the best-preserved lock. It is easy to find being near the Cohoes Falls, just off Mohawk Street, before the turn up Manor Street to the Mohawk-Hudson Bikepath. Lock 18 brought the Erie Canal to an elevation of 188 feet above sea level. This was high enough to enable the canal to be carried over the Mohawk River on a stone aqueduct up ahead at Crescent

Stop 2: Cohoes Falls

Continue west on North Mohawk Street, turn right on Front Street, left on Cataract Street. Be sure not to miss the fall overlook-- it is at the intersection of Cataract and School Streets.  These falls were a sacred place to the Mohawk Indians.  Indian lore explains that the Mohawk Indian Hiawatha conceived of the Iroquois Confederation while meditating at this spot.  Since the Mohawk is the source of water for today’s canal locks, the falls can only be seen in full splendor during the spring.  In the autumn after a dry summer, all the water is diverted for canal usage, leaving the falls dry.

 

With a vertical drop of more than 70 feet, the Falls extends approximately 1000 feet across the Mohawk River between the City of Cohoes and the Town of Waterford. Water power provided by the falls was significant in the development of several large knitting mills that became leading manufacturers of cotton textiles, thus earning the name 'Spindle City' for the municipality.

Heading away from the falls, look for Manor Street. Make the left. After another short climb, you will come to the Bikeway. Turn right.  You will follow this excellent trail all the way to Schenectady.  

The Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway offers a beautiful ride along the Mohawk River and the Erie Barge Canal. Town parks in Colonie and Niskayuna are open to bicyclists. Also, there is a small park at the old Niskayuna rail depot and one at Canal Lock 7. Most of these spots offer water and restrooms but no food is available between Cohoes and Schenectady on this route.

This segment of Canalway Trail is built atop the roadbed of the Troy & Schenectady Railroad (opened in 1842). This railroad was built to connect the first railroad bridge across the Hudson River, at Troy, with the predecessors of the New York Central Railroad at Schenectady.  The plan was to place Troy astride this famous railroad route.  However, shortly afterward, the first railroad bridge at Albany was built — the railroad main line remained through Albany, and this little railroad to Troy became a branch line.  As you travel westward, you will see the close intertwining of canal history and railroad history.

Stop 3: Aqueduct/Rexford

Up ahead, along the Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway, you’ll find another small canal park just before Schenectady at Aqueduct/Rexford. Here, you can see portions of the Rexford Aqueduct which once carried the original Erie Canal across the Mohawk River to the south shore again.  This was one of the longest aqueducts ever built in New York (610 feet long with 14 arches) and it’s definitely worth a stop. This site is a popular spot for canoeists and scullers. There are a number of sculling boathouses and a commercial store, “The Boat House,” which rents canoes and offers sculling lessons. You may spot a local boat race as you cycle past.

The aqueduct was built of cut limestone in 1842  Remnants of the aqueduct foundation are visible alongside the State Route 146 Rexford Bridge over the Mohawk.

This view shows the two remaining towpath arches and the prism supports which are on the south side of the Mohawk River (the Niskayuna side ). Originally there were 14 arches and the aqueduct was 610 feet long. It remained in use until 1916 when the modern Barge Canal was opened. To accomodate the barge traffic on the Barge Canal the center arches were removed. Later in 1964 all but three ( these two and one on the Rexford side) of the remaining arches were dismantled . These stones were numbered and stored on the south side of the Mohawk River at Aqueduct Park. The piles of stone are along the old towpath, in the prism of the canal. The single remaining arch on the north side of the Mohawk River is near the Schenectady Yacht Club. Just beyond the aqueduct you can see a portion of the Route 146 Bridge which crosses over the Erie Canal / Mohawk River.

Stop 4: Historic Schenectady Stockade District

Proceed west on Schenectady County Route 10 (Aqueduct Road) which gradually turns southerly. Upon entering City of Schenectady limits the road bears right and becomes Maxon Road. At Erie Boulevard intersection, watching for traffic, take a left and follow the path of the original Erie Canal. Take a right after passing under the railroad bridge onto Union Street. You are in the Stockade. Cruise around and stop here and there to explore the community and its architecture.

A 17th century Dutch settlement, founded by Arendt Van Curler in 1661, located at the junction of the Binnekill and Mohawk River. Burned in 1690 by the French and allied Native Americans, the area was rebuilt with help from Albany settlers and Mohawks. The Erie Canal made this area an island between the canal (now Erie Blvd.) and the Mohawk River. The Stockade became New York State's first National Register Historic District in 1965 and retains the ambiance of an early colonial village.

Aqueduct by dennieorson       Stockade by jeeptick 

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"Enjoy great scenery, fascinating history, and unparalleled cycling along the 365-mile Erie Canalway Trail. The paved and stone dust trail follows both active and historic sections of the Erie Canal..."  So says the web site for The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission.

The group lists resources available for cyclists.  They say:

We also recommend CYCLING ALONG THE CANALS OF NEW YORK STATE (2nd edition) by Louis Rossi, which includes over 1,000 miles of rides along New York’s canals; 208 pages; fifty photos, 25 maps; extensive resource section.

 The demand for Louis Rossi's book has been strong this spring and summer.  Copies can be ordered online or found at numerous venues along the Erie Canal.

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photo  from sailorbill

 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recently designated 22 trails in 13 states as newly recognized National Recreation Trails, adding more than 525 miles of trails to the National Trails System. Three of these trails are in New York State,  all three are related to canals, and all three are in Cycling Along The Canals of New York State.

The newly designated trails in New York are:

Feeder Canal Towpath Trail - This nine mile linear park adjoins one of the last surviving in-use portions of the original New York Canal System, the Glens Falls Feeder Canal, joining Queensbury (Warren County) and Kingsbury (Washington County).

Champlain Canalway Trail - An approximately 1.75-mile segment of the projected 58-mile long Champlain Canalway Trail corridor, this trail in the Town of Halfmoon (Saratoga County) appeals to bird watchers, history buffs, and walkers.

Chenango Canal Towpath Trail - This 6-mile trail is ideal for walking, jogging, horseback riding, bicycling, and cross-country skiing along the the historic Chenango Canal in Madison County.

As noted above, all three of these trails, and dozens more, are outlined in Louis Rossi's Cycling Along The Canals of New York State.

This is a flat ride of twenty-five miles from Waterford, New York to Schuylerville along a historic canal.  There are some traffic situations with good bike lanes. (taken from Cycling Along The Canals of New York State)

How To Get There

Waterford is about 11 miles north of Albany. If you take I-787, go NY 32/Saratoga Street to downtown. Look for signs to the Canal Park, at Canal Lock 2. There is good parking here.

Background

The Champlain Canal was built to connect the Hudson River, which flows south to the Atlantic, with Lake Champlain which flows north into the Saint Lawrence River. The history of the Champlain Canal is closely linked with that of the Erie Canal. Both were begun in 1817, soon after peace came to a territory that had known brutal warfare for over a century. Both followed unsuccessful attempts by private companies to construct navigational improvements. At just 60 miles in length, the Champlain Canal opened in 1823, two years earlier than the Erie. Somehow, the Champlain never seemed to "get respect." Perhaps that was because a canal linking the northern end of Lake Champlain and the Saint Lawrence River, all in Canada, was not completed until 1858. Perhaps it was because of America's fascination with the opening and settlement of the West. In any case, the Champlain, like the Erie, was a vast commercial success. Also like the Erie, and important to us here, is the role the route plays in linking together much of early American history.

Back in the early 1800s, the first Champlain Canal was built parallel to but entirely separate from the Hudson River. The original Champlain Canal followed the west shore of the Hudson northward from Waterford in Saratoga County and crossed to the east shore in Washington County just north of Schuylerville. It followed the east shore northward to Fort Edward. Efforts are being made to open the old towpath for recreational use. It is largely intact, waiting to be redeveloped. You will see many signs of the old Champlain Canal alignment as you pedal north.

The Ride

A great start is to look over some of the exhibits at the Canal Park. Once you're ready to ride, go back to the center of Waterford and take 3rd Street which is Bike Route 9." Bike "9," a continuous route from New York City to the Canadian border near Montreal, is your best guide between Waterford and Whitehall. The segment between Waterford and Whitehall is being developed into a "scenic byway"by Saratoga and Washington counties. Open segments of the old Champlain Canal towpaths can be found in Waterford, Schuylerville and Fort Edward. The Champlain "Barge Canal" which is open for use the entire distance serves the entire route.