GPX file for NY Empire Trail?
03-10-21, 02:42 PM
#1
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GPX file for NY Empire Trail?
Hi all - wondered if anybody had a .fit or .gpx file for the recently-completed Empire Trail. There are great maps here and here, but I can't find a way to actually download them. I'm riding the trail from NYC to Erie this Spring with my wife, and as I plan the route it'd be nice to have the data on-hand so I could load it into my Garmin day-by-day and figure out where we'll stop along the way and so on.
Cheers,
Dave
Cheers,
Dave
03-10-21, 04:05 PM
#2
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I'd love to find real paper maps. With a paper map, it is easier to figure a detour if/when necessary. The Erie Towpath has a new guide. I have not seen it, but the old one could have been better. A lot of the B&Bs, etc. were out of business. How do you plan to return?
03-10-21, 04:24 PM
#3
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As for getting back, we haven't decided between rail or car rental. Probably car rental. The other less desirable option is to ride to Albany and back instead, but probably not that.
03-10-21, 04:24 PM
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03-10-21, 04:26 PM
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I am considering doung it at end of april
03-10-21, 04:26 PM
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03-10-21, 04:29 PM
#7
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Just as an example -- routing cross town in Manhattan and riding through the Bronx to get to Van Cortland Park is something nobody would do who knows cycling in NYC. Similarly in a few spots leading to the South and Nortu county Trailways.
03-10-21, 04:32 PM
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If you find a better one please share
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03-10-21, 04:33 PM
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03-10-21, 04:54 PM
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03-10-21, 05:10 PM
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Using the link/map above as a detailed guide, you can always create your own map/gpx file in RWGPS. The RWGPS map layer when you create a map has bike trails on it..even long routes can be created fairly fast.
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03-10-21, 05:25 PM
#12
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Have You also compared it to the official web site map? https://empiretrail.ny.gov/map
03-10-21, 05:26 PM
#13
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Thanks yeah, I guess that's what I'll end up needing to do. I was hoping someone had already done it so I didn't need to, but seems not. I'll post it back here once I've done it.
03-10-21, 05:33 PM
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From memory your good stops are probably Millwood, Yorktown Heights where the NCT goes through the edge of the village, the Putnam County line at Baldwin Place where there's a big grocery store just west of the trail if needed, then the gas station mart opposite the old end of the trail in Brewster (Brewster itself is most of a road mile out of the way). I suspect you'll find quite little along the Maybrook until you get halfway through the Duchess County trail where there may be the option to descend to the things you are passing over. You won't really go though Poughkeepsie unless you intentionally leave the rail line to descend into town. At the Walkway itself there are sometimes bathrooms and water, oddly enough with different seasons/hours between the two sides. There's a rest stop somewhere on the trail in Lloyd, there's a gas station or two along the new beside-highway section and ultimately on the outskirts of New Paltz the trail yields to on street lane yields to nothing at which point you likely have typical town businesses available.
Something that should be on your radar is the upcoming closure of the SCT between Barney Street and Elmsford in lower Westchester for desperately needed re-paving; a good detour for that may take some research.
Just to throw out an idea, crossing the GWB, riding up 9w and somehow making it back across the Tappan Zee might be another option to consider given the construction.
Last edited by UniChris; 03-10-21 at 05:46 PM.
03-10-21, 06:25 PM
#15
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There do indeed appear to be two rather odd but brief detours off the trail in Westchester, those however should be pretty obviously avoided. Then that route ditches the trailway and heads off to Hopewell rather than using the Maybrook that probably didn't exist when it was done. Honestly I wouldn't worry about having a route track until you get past New Paltz; there are quite a few threads on Westchester and Duchess county in the Northeast regional forum.
From memory your good stops are probably Millwood, Yorktown Heights where the NCT goes through the edge of the village, the Putnam County line at Baldwin Place where there's a big grocery store just west of the trail if needed, then the gas station mart opposite the old end of the trail in Brewster (Brewster itself is most of a road mile out of the way). I suspect you'll find quite little along the Maybrook until you get halfway through the Duchess County trail where there may be the option to descend to the things you are passing over. You won't really go though Poughkeepsie unless you intentionally leave the rail line to descend into town. At the Walkway itself there are sometimes bathrooms and water, oddly enough with different seasons/hours between the two sides. There's a rest stop somewhere on the trail in Lloyd, there's a gas station or two along the new beside-highway section and ultimately on the outskirts of New Paltz the trail yields to on street lane yields to nothing at which point you likely have typical town businesses available.
Something that should be on your radar is the upcoming closure of the SCT between Barney Street and Elmsford in lower Westchester for desperately needed re-paving; a good detour for that may take some research.
Just to throw out an idea, crossing the GWB, riding up 9w and somehow making it back across the Tappan Zee might be another option to consider given the construction.
From memory your good stops are probably Millwood, Yorktown Heights where the NCT goes through the edge of the village, the Putnam County line at Baldwin Place where there's a big grocery store just west of the trail if needed, then the gas station mart opposite the old end of the trail in Brewster (Brewster itself is most of a road mile out of the way). I suspect you'll find quite little along the Maybrook until you get halfway through the Duchess County trail where there may be the option to descend to the things you are passing over. You won't really go though Poughkeepsie unless you intentionally leave the rail line to descend into town. At the Walkway itself there are sometimes bathrooms and water, oddly enough with different seasons/hours between the two sides. There's a rest stop somewhere on the trail in Lloyd, there's a gas station or two along the new beside-highway section and ultimately on the outskirts of New Paltz the trail yields to on street lane yields to nothing at which point you likely have typical town businesses available.
Something that should be on your radar is the upcoming closure of the SCT between Barney Street and Elmsford in lower Westchester for desperately needed re-paving; a good detour for that may take some research.
Just to throw out an idea, crossing the GWB, riding up 9w and somehow making it back across the Tappan Zee might be another option to consider given the construction.
03-10-21, 06:51 PM
#16
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Google Maps can be very helpful. The signage when I did it (E to W) was often nonexistent, or easily overlooked.
I parked my truck at Albany Amtrak long term parking, rode to Buffalo, and did a one way Hertz back to Albany. If I did it again, I would start at the Albany airport and go from the Buffalo one since the car rental places have better hours. I arrived back in Albany about 1pm on a Saturday, they had closed at noon and tried to charge me until they opened up on Monday.
Seneca Falls is about a 40 mile detour, but is a kind of neat town and is historically important in women getting the vote.
I parked my truck at Albany Amtrak long term parking, rode to Buffalo, and did a one way Hertz back to Albany. If I did it again, I would start at the Albany airport and go from the Buffalo one since the car rental places have better hours. I arrived back in Albany about 1pm on a Saturday, they had closed at noon and tried to charge me until they opened up on Monday.
Seneca Falls is about a 40 mile detour, but is a kind of neat town and is historically important in women getting the vote.
03-10-21, 08:46 PM
#17
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Alright, so I wasn't able to find anything so instead created my own version by going basically street-by-street and replicating the source map in Ride With GPS. Here's the result -- feel free to grab for your own purposes!
03-10-21, 08:57 PM
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Thank You!
03-13-21, 03:08 PM
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I looked over your route for the Schenectady area (I volunteer as a Trail Ambassador for PTNY/Friends of the Mohawk Hudson Bike Hike Trail). Looks good, except near Pattersonville - there is a relatively new paved trail crossing Rynex Corners Road and passing through a new bike trail parking area on 5S. Otherwise, looks like you have the new sections using tunnels near Scrafford Lane and Leggerio Lane correct - I rode it New Year's Day and recorded my route at: (sorry, won't let me include the link since this is my first post - but you should be able to locate it by searching in RideWithGPS for "Rotterdam Kiwanis to Pattersonville thru tunnels!"). We still have snow and ice on sections of the bike path so haven't ridden lately, still some finishing touches remaining near the tunnel sites (paving, landscaping) but quite rideable as of the official opening at the end of 2020. John
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03-13-21, 11:15 PM
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I used the PTNY interactive map for the Erie Canal when I rode it last fall: https://www.ptny.org/bike-canal/map/
It works in a smartphone browser, and it can show your GPS location. Very useful for navigating the towns. It even showed detours for the trail segments which were closed for repaving.
It works in a smartphone browser, and it can show your GPS location. Very useful for navigating the towns. It even showed detours for the trail segments which were closed for repaving.
03-15-21, 03:00 PM
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I wonder what the odds will be to find stealth camping between Albany and Manhattan...probably predictably harder the closer we get to the big apple
05-05-21, 09:50 AM
#22
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Also depends on how stealth you want to be Some parts of the OCA trail might be possible if you set up late-ish and tear down early-ish. Probably also plenty of actual campgrounds in the Catskills and Hudson valley.
Some parts of the OCA trail might be possible if you set up late-ish and tear down early-ish. Probably also plenty of actual campgrounds in the Catskills and Hudson valley.
05-05-21, 12:47 PM
#23
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The Empire Tail website does have downloadable maps with cue sheets.
If I get it this Fall, I plan to take MetroNorth to Poughkeepsie (required bike passes available by mail). I used to live in Westchester and even stealth camping would be a chore. From there to Burlington looks pretty reasonable.
If I get it this Fall, I plan to take MetroNorth to Poughkeepsie (required bike passes available by mail). I used to live in Westchester and even stealth camping would be a chore. From there to Burlington looks pretty reasonable.
05-05-21, 01:21 PM
#24
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