The crown jewel for bicycling in the capital district is the 40-mile Mohawk Hudson Bike Trail. The ride begins (or ends) in downtown Albany across from the pedestrian ramp for the Dunn Memorial Bridge (US 9 and US 20). The trail meanders north through the Corning Preserve and follows I-787 into Watervliet where it empties onto local roads. The "Bicycle Route" signs are clearly marked but you will be cycling on the roads for the next five miles. If you get lost, just follow route 32 north, turn left at Lincoln Street and then turn left at Alexander Street. At the end of Alexander Street there is a parking lot and the entrance to the main part of the trail. For the remaining 30 miles of the trail, about 26 of them are off-road and all but about 2 miles is paved, the non-paved portion being crushed stone.
In Schenctady the trail empties onto N. Jay Street. Follow the Bike Route signs by turning left at N. Jay, right on Union Street and left at North Church Street. When you get to State Street (route 5), there are no "Bike Route" signs. Turn right on State Street (route 5 west) and turn right into Schenectady County Community College right before you go over the bridge to Scotia. You will pass underneath route 5 and the bike trail rebegins on the right shortly after the underpass.
The trail follows I-890 into Rotterdam Junction and crosses route 5s. The trail then empties onto Scrafford Lane, BUT . . . the train company has ripped up the right-of-way road portion to Scrafford Lane. Sometimes that right-of-way is guarded. Cross at your own risk. To be safe, follow route 5s until you pick up the "Bike Route" signs again.
Below is a quick-and-easy mileage calculator and below that a mileage chart of the entire trail. Keep in mind that the trail is a linear park. That means that if you park your car at point A and the calculator or chart says it's 5 miles to point B, then you'll have to ride another 5 miles to return to your car at point A.
To use the chart, cross reference a spot on the left with a spot on top to determine how many miles the distance is. For example, the distance from Alexander Street in Cohoes to Lions Park in Niskayuna is 9.8 miles. Locations in italics mean that on-road cycling is required to get from the first place to the second. Parking can be found at most locations, but the best lots are at Alexander Street, Colonie Town Park, Lions Park, Lock 7 Road, Blatnick Park, East Street, SCCC, Lock 8 and Route 5s in Rotterdam Junction. Following the table is an Excel spreadsheet icon. Right click on the icon, select "Save Target as" and type a filename to save it on your hard drive. Make sure the extension is .XLS so that Excel can open it easily.
City/Town |
Albany |
Cohoes |
Colonie |
Niskayuna |
Schenectady |
Rotterdam |
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Location |
Down-town Albany |
Alex-ander St |
Trull St (to route 470) |
Man-or Ave |
Fonda Rd to Rte 9 |
Colonie Town Park |
Duns-bach Ferry Rd |
Forts Ferry Road |
Buhr-master Road |
Lions Park |
Lock 7 Road |
Blat-nick Park |
GE |
Aque-duct Rd to Rte 146 |
Max-on Road |
Nott St |
S |
Rte 337 Mall |
Lock 8 |
Bridge to Rte 5 |
Rte 5s Rott. Jct |
Scraf-ford Lane |
Rte 5s Pat-ter-son-ville |
|
Albany |
Downtown Albany |
0.0 |
10.3 |
11.1 |
12.4 |
13.4 |
14.2 |
14.8 |
17.8 |
19.1 |
20.1 |
22.0 |
23.7 |
24.8 |
27.1 |
29.0 |
30.0 |
31.7 |
33.4 |
34.6 |
36.2 |
36.5 |
38.0 |
40.0 |
|
Watervliet |
Passonno Paint store |
5.5 |
4.8 |
5.6 |
6.9 |
7.9 |
8.7 |
9.3 |
12.3 |
13.6 |
14.6 |
16.5 |
18.2 |
19.3 |
21.6 |
23.5 |
24.5 |
26.2 |
27.9 |
29.1 |
30.7 |
31.0 |
32.5 |
34.5 |
|
Cohoes |
Alexander Street |
10.3 |
0.0 |
0.8 |
2.1 |
3.1 |
3.9 |
4.5 |
7.5 |
8.8 |
9.8 |
11.7 |
13.4 |
14.5 |
16.8 |
18.7 |
19.7 |
21.4 |
23.1 |
24.3 |
25.9 |
26.2 |
27.7 |
29.7 |
|
Trull St (to route 470) |
11.1 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
1.3 |
2.3 |
3.1 |
3.7 |
6.7 |
8.0 |
9.0 |
10.9 |
12.6 |
13.7 |
16.0 |
17.9 |
18.9 |
20.6 |
22.3 |
23.5 |
25.1 |
25.4 |
26.9 |
28.9 |
|
|
Vliet Street |
11.8 |
1.5 |
0.7 |
0.6 |
1.6 |
2.4 |
3.0 |
6.0 |
7.3 |
8.3 |
10.2 |
11.9 |
13.0 |
15.3 |
17.2 |
18.2 |
19.9 |
21.6 |
22.8 |
24.4 |
24.7 |
26.2 |
28.2 |
|
|
Lansing La. & Reservoir St |
12.1 |
1.8 |
1.0 |
0.3 |
1.3 |
2.1 |
2.7 |
5.7 |
7.0 |
8.0 |
9.9 |
11.6 |
12.7 |
15.0 |
16.9 |
17.9 |
19.6 |
21.3 |
22.5 |
24.1 |
24.4 |
25.9 |
27.9 |
|
|
Manor Avenue |
12.4 |
2.1 |
1.3 |
0.0 |
1.0 |
1.8 |
2.4 |
5.4 |
6.7 |
7.7 |
9.6 |
11.3 |
12.4 |
14.7 |
16.6 |
17.6 |
19.3 |
21.0 |
22.2 |
23.8 |
24.1 |
25.6 |
27.6 |
|
|
Colonie |
Fonda Road (to route 9) |
13.4 |
3.1 |
2.3 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
0.8 |
1.4 |
4.4 |
5.7 |
6.7 |
8.6 |
10.3 |
11.4 |
13.7 |
15.6 |
16.6 |
18.3 |
20.0 |
21.2 |
22.8 |
23.1 |
24.6 |
26.6 |
|
Colonie Town Park |
14.2 |
3.9 |
3.1 |
1.8 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
0.6 |
3.6 |
4.9 |
5.9 |
7.8 |
9.5 |
10.6 |
12.9 |
14.8 |
15.8 |
17.5 |
19.2 |
20.4 |
22.0 |
22.3 |
23.8 |
25.8 |
|
|
Dunsbach Ferry Rd |
14.8 |
4.5 |
3.7 |
2.4 |
1.4 |
0.6 |
0.0 |
3.0 |
4.3 |
5.3 |
7.2 |
8.9 |
10.0 |
12.3 |
14.2 |
15.2 |
16.9 |
18.6 |
19.8 |
21.4 |
21.7 |
23.2 |
25.2 |
|
|
I-87 Twin Bridges overpass |
15.6 |
5.3 |
4.5 |
3.2 |
2.2 |
1.4 |
0.8 |
2.2 |
3.5 |
4.5 |
6.4 |
8.1 |
9.2 |
11.5 |
13.4 |
14.4 |
16.1 |
17.8 |
19.0 |
20.6 |
20.9 |
22.4 |
24.4 |
|
|
Island View Road trail re-entry |
15.9 |
5.6 |
4.8 |
3.5 |
2.5 |
1.7 |
1.1 |
1.9 |
3.2 |
4.2 |
6.1 |
7.8 |
8.9 |
11.2 |
13.1 |
14.1 |
15.8 |
17.5 |
18.7 |
20.3 |
20.6 |
22.1 |
24.1 |
|
|
Forts Ferry Road |
17.8 |
7.5 |
6.7 |
5.4 |
4.4 |
3.6 |
3.0 |
0.0 |
1.3 |
2.3 |
4.2 |
5.9 |
7.0 |
9.3 |
11.2 |
12.2 |
13.9 |
15.6 |
16.8 |
18.4 |
18.7 |
20.2 |
22.2 |
|
|
Buhrmaster Road |
19.1 |
8.8 |
8.0 |
6.7 |
5.7 |
4.9 |
4.3 |
1.3 |
0.0 |
1.0 |
2.9 |
4.6 |
5.7 |
8.0 |
9.9 |
10.9 |
12.6 |
14.3 |
15.5 |
17.1 |
17.4 |
18.9 |
20.9 |
|
|
Niskayuna |
Lions Park |
20.1 |
9.8 |
9.0 |
7.7 |
6.7 |
5.9 |
5.3 |
2.3 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
1.9 |
3.6 |
4.7 |
7.0 |
8.9 |
9.9 |
11.6 |
13.3 |
14.5 |
16.1 |
16.4 |
17.9 |
19.9 |
|
Ferry Road overpass |
21.1 |
10.8 |
10.0 |
8.7 |
7.7 |
6.9 |
6.3 |
3.3 |
2.0 |
1.0 |
0.9 |
2.6 |
3.7 |
6.0 |
7.9 |
8.9 |
10.6 |
12.3 |
13.5 |
15.1 |
15.4 |
16.9 |
18.9 |
|
|
Lock 7 Road |
22.0 |
11.7 |
10.9 |
9.6 |
8.6 |
7.8 |
7.2 |
4.2 |
2.9 |
1.9 |
0.0 |
1.7 |
2.8 |
5.1 |
7.0 |
8.0 |
9.7 |
11.4 |
12.6 |
14.2 |
14.5 |
16.0 |
18.0 |
|
|
Blatnick Park |
23.7 |
13.4 |
12.6 |
11.3 |
10.3 |
9.5 |
8.9 |
5.9 |
4.6 |
3.6 |
1.7 |
0.0 |
1.1 |
3.4 |
5.3 |
6.3 |
8.0 |
9.7 |
10.9 |
12.5 |
12.8 |
14.3 |
16.3 |
|
|
General Electric |
24.8 |
14.5 |
13.7 |
12.4 |
11.4 |
10.6 |
10.0 |
7.0 |
5.7 |
4.7 |
2.8 |
1.1 |
0.0 |
2.3 |
4.2 |
5.2 |
6.9 |
8.6 |
9.8 |
11.4 |
11.7 |
13.2 |
15.2 |
|
|
East St. lot (to route 146 E) |
26.9 |
16.6 |
15.8 |
14.5 |
13.5 |
12.7 |
12.1 |
9.1 |
7.8 |
6.8 |
4.9 |
3.2 |
2.1 |
0.2 |
2.1 |
3.1 |
4.8 |
6.5 |
7.7 |
9.3 |
9.6 |
11.1 |
13.1 |
|
|
Aqueduct Rd. (to route 146 W) |
27.1 |
16.8 |
16.0 |
14.7 |
13.7 |
12.9 |
12.3 |
9.3 |
8.0 |
7.0 |
5.1 |
3.4 |
2.3 |
0.0 |
1.9 |
2.9 |
4.6 |
6.3 |
7.5 |
9.1 |
9.4 |
10.9 |
12.9 |
|
|
Schenectady |
Anthony Road |
28.5 |
18.2 |
17.4 |
16.1 |
15.1 |
14.3 |
13.7 |
10.7 |
9.4 |
8.4 |
6.5 |
4.8 |
3.7 |
1.4 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
3.2 |
4.9 |
6.1 |
7.7 |
8.0 |
9.5 |
11.5 |
|
Maxon Road |
29.0 |
18.7 |
17.9 |
16.6 |
15.6 |
14.8 |
14.2 |
11.2 |
9.9 |
8.9 |
7.0 |
5.3 |
4.2 |
1.9 |
0.0 |
1.0 |
2.7 |
4.4 |
5.6 |
7.2 |
7.5 |
9.0 |
11.0 |
|
|
Seneca Road |
29.5 |
19.2 |
18.4 |
17.1 |
16.1 |
15.3 |
14.7 |
11.7 |
10.4 |
9.4 |
7.5 |
5.8 |
4.7 |
2.4 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
2.2 |
3.9 |
5.1 |
6.7 |
7.0 |
8.5 |
10.5 |
|
|
Nott Street |
30.0 |
19.7 |
18.9 |
17.6 |
16.6 |
15.8 |
15.2 |
12.2 |
10.9 |
9.9 |
8.0 |
6.3 |
5.2 |
2.9 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
1.7 |
3.4 |
4.6 |
6.2 |
6.5 |
8.0 |
10.0 |
|
|
N. Jay Street |
30.5 |
20.2 |
19.4 |
18.1 |
17.1 |
16.3 |
15.7 |
12.7 |
11.4 |
10.4 |
8.5 |
6.8 |
5.7 |
3.4 |
1.5 |
0.5 |
1.2 |
2.9 |
4.1 |
5.7 |
6.0 |
7.5 |
9.5 |
|
|
Schenectady CCC |
31.7 |
21.4 |
20.6 |
19.3 |
18.3 |
17.5 |
16.9 |
13.9 |
12.6 |
11.6 |
9.7 |
8.0 |
6.9 |
4.6 |
2.7 |
1.7 |
0.0 |
1.7 |
2.9 |
4.5 |
4.8 |
6.3 |
8.3 |
|
|
Rotterdam |
Route 337 (Rotterdam Mall) |
33.4 |
23.1 |
22.3 |
21.0 |
20.0 |
19.2 |
18.6 |
15.6 |
14.3 |
13.3 |
11.4 |
9.7 |
8.6 |
6.3 |
4.4 |
3.4 |
1.7 |
0.0 |
1.2 |
2.8 |
3.1 |
4.6 |
6.6 |
|
Lock 8 |
34.6 |
24.3 |
23.5 |
22.2 |
21.2 |
20.4 |
19.8 |
16.8 |
15.5 |
14.5 |
12.6 |
10.9 |
9.8 |
7.5 |
5.6 |
4.6 |
2.9 |
1.2 |
0.0 |
1.6 |
1.9 |
3.4 |
5.4 |
|
|
Bridge to route 5 |
36.2 |
25.9 |
25.1 |
23.8 |
22.8 |
22.0 |
21.4 |
18.4 |
17.1 |
16.1 |
14.2 |
12.5 |
11.4 |
9.1 |
7.2 |
6.2 |
4.5 |
2.8 |
1.6 |
0.0 |
0.3 |
1.8 |
3.8 |
|
|
Route 5s (Rotterdam Jct) |
36.5 |
26.2 |
25.4 |
24.1 |
23.1 |
22.3 |
21.7 |
18.7 |
17.4 |
16.4 |
14.5 |
12.8 |
11.7 |
9.4 |
7.5 |
6.5 |
4.8 |
3.1 |
1.9 |
0.3 |
0.0 |
1.5 |
3.5 |
|
|
Scrafford Lane |
38.0 |
27.7 |
26.9 |
25.6 |
24.6 |
23.8 |
23.2 |
20.2 |
18.9 |
17.9 |
16.0 |
14.3 |
13.2 |
10.9 |
9.0 |
8.0 |
6.3 |
4.6 |
3.4 |
1.8 |
1.5 |
0.0 |
2.0 |
|
|
Iroquois Street |
38.5 |
28.2 |
27.4 |
26.1 |
25.1 |
24.3 |
23.7 |
20.7 |
19.4 |
18.4 |
16.5 |
14.8 |
13.7 |
11.4 |
9.5 |
8.5 |
6.8 |
5.1 |
3.9 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
|
|
Route 5s (Pattersonville) |
40.0 |
29.7 |
28.9 |
27.6 |
26.6 |
25.8 |
25.2 |
22.2 |
20.9 |
19.9 |
18.0 |
16.3 |
15.2 |
12.9 |
11.0 |
10.0 |
8.3 |
6.6 |
5.4 |
3.8 |
3.5 |
2.0 |
0.0 |
|
To get a map of the trail, contact the Albany County Planning Department at (518) 447-5660 or the Schenectady County Planning Department at (518) 386-2225. If you're in downtown Albany, the planning department is at 112 State Street room 1006.