CANALWAY TRAIL EAST LETTERBOX:

AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK

-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-

Planted:                August 14, 2007

Length:                Amsterdam to Canajoharie; about 24 miles

                       Amsterdam to  Schoharie Crossing State Park ; 7 ½ miles

                              Amsterdam to Letterbox; 3 ¼ miles.               

Bridge Street to Letterbox; 1.1 miles.

                              Canajoharie to Fort Plain (Lock 15); 4.7 miles.

                              Fort Plain (Lock 15) to Little Falls; 16 ¾ miles.             

Difficulty:            Amsterdam to Schoharie Crossing State Park ; Easy. Flat, paved trail. 

                          Schoharie Crossing State Park to Canajoharie; Easy. Flat, stone-dust trail.  

                         Canajoharie to Fort Plain (Lock 15); Easy. Flat, paved trail.   

                               Fort Plain (Lock 15) to Little Falls; Easy. Flat, stone-dust and paved (in Little Falls) trail.                    

Directions:

To start from Amsterdam ; From I-90 take exit 27 to Route 30 north. Take your first right onto Route 5S eastbound. Travel about 2 miles and you'll see where the trail starts on your left. There is parking for only a few cars. For an alternative location to park for a shorter trip to the Letterbox; Instead of turning off Route 30 north, continue underneath Route 5S and take your next right onto Erie Street . This will bring you alongside the bike trail. Park along Bridge Street and head west on the trail. To return to Route 30, follow Bridge Street right and then take a right onto Gilliland Street for the Route 30 southbound ramp.

To start from Schoharie Crossing State Park ; From I-90 take exit 27 to Route 30 north. Take a left onto Route 5S westbound. Travel for at least 5 miles? Until you come to a sharp downhill curve. Route 5S bears left, you bear right on Main Street (there will be signs for Schoharie Crossing State Park ). If you cross over the river you went too far. Just after the trail crosses the road, turn left down Railroad Street . This will bring you to the park.

To start from Canajoharie; From I-90 take exit 29 to Route 5S. Turn left (east) and look for Cunningham Road on the right. A small pull-off is available for parking. It will be directly across from a NY DOT center. The paved section of the trail starts here and heads west.   

To start from Fort Plain (Lock 15); From I-90 take exit 29 to Route 5S. Turn right (west) and travel 3 ½ miles to Fort Plain. When you come to Route 80 turn right and follow Route 80 ( Main Street-Willett Street-River Street ) underneath I-90. Turn left immediately onto Otsquago Club Road and a parking lot is located just past Lock 15.

To start from Little Falls; From I-90 take exit 29A to Route 169. To start from Lock 17; Take a left down an access road just before you cross over the river. To begin from the start of the Canalway Trail; Continue along Route 169 to Route 167 and head left (west). Stay on Route 167 until it takes you back over the river. Take a left onto West Casler Street , another left along Flint Street and then a right down West Shore Street where the trail starts.

These sections of the Canalway Trail are mostly located in Montgomery County , which currently has a total of approximately 12 miles of paved trail and 28 miles of stone-dust. Starting from Amsterdam , you have an uninterrupted run all the way to Little Falls. The Canalway Trail runs along the former West Shore Railroad which was chartered December 5, 1885 , as successor to the New York , West Shore & Buffalo Railway. Called in its day "the eighth wonder of the world," the Erie Canal remains one of America 's best known and enduring icons. A marvel of nineteenth-century engineering, the canal, begun in 1817, followed a path already popular to westward-moving Americans, following the Mohawk River through the Appalachian Mountains and then on to Lake Erie. Building the canal was a tremendous feat. Workers had to dig a 363-mile ditch that was 40 feet wide and four feet deep, through rocky hills and swamps and across rivers. What's more, this ditch had to slowly rise 565 feet on its way from the Hudson River to Lake Erie , which it did through a series of locks. Derided as " Clinton 's Ditch," after New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, within months of the canal's opening in 1825 the doubters were proven wrong by the canal's overwhelming success. The canal gave rise to additional connecting canals, including the Oswego , Cayuga-Seneca, and Champlain, the last of which actually opened before the Erie Canal . For more information visit; CANALWAY TRAIL . For some historical pictures of the Canalway visit; ERIE CANAL . East of Amsterdam the Canalway Trail is called the Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway. For three more Letterboxes located along that trail See; Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway Letterboxes and Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway South Letterbox .

Starting from Amsterdam ; This paved trail parallels Route 5S and the Mohawk River for the first mile and then pulls away from the road. Mileage markers occur along the trail indicating the miles of the trail that pass through Montgomery County . Keep an eye out on your right side at 1.8 miles for an old cement Whistle Stop marker. You then travel below Route 30 and pass by another relic of the railroad (some type of rail sign). After briefly passing through a section of town and across Bridge Street, the trail crosses over an old trestle and heads into the woods at 2.3 miles. You'll need to keep a sharp eye to your right after 3 ¼ miles for a small fisherman's path that leads you down to the Mohawk River and the dam for Lock 11. A second path is just past the first one. You can clearly see the dam from the trail. The path takes you to a cement spillway leading to the dam which looks like an old bridge. Across the river is the Lock and there's a good chance you'll see a train going by. From the top of the cement spillway, look for a yellow gas pole to your left. It’s next to the second path. Put your back to this pole and see a grove of small trees to the left of the spillway. Take 5 paces (2 steps = 1 pace) into the grove to a Beech tree. Just past this tree will be a pile of rocks with a single rock on top of a flat rock. Lift these two rocks up to reveal the Canalway Trail East Letterbox. Please replace the rocks as you found them to protect the box and help the next seeker. Continuing along the trail, you come to a road crossing at 4.8 miles and a great side detour.

Note; Turn right down this road for the Schoharie Crossing State Park; Yankee Hill Lock-Canal Store site. You'll discover the remains of Lock 28, from the old Enlarged Erie Canal as well as the old Putnam Lock Grocery. Restrooms are located inside this building. Interpretive signs tell the areas history and picnic tables are located alongside the Mohawk River next to a dock. Not to be missed and it’s just off the trail.

Continuing along the trail you come to Main Street at 7.1 miles.

Note; You have two choices from here; turn right to get to the  Schoharie Crossing State Park, 0.4 miles distance or continue straight along the trail (paved trail ends after 0.6 miles). Turning right, then left down Railroad Ave brings you to Schoharie Crossing State Park. Here, you'll find a museum, the remains of the original Erie Canal , picnic tables, interpretive signs, the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct (1841) and views of Schoharie Creek.

Continuing straight on the trail, you cross an old iron bridge over Schoharie Creek. The Route 5S Bridge is to your left and the I-90 Bridge upriver. The pavement ends at 7 ¾ miles next to the boat launch road. The trail continues as stone-dust for approximately 16 miles until you reach Canajoharie.

Starting from Canajoharie; This paved trail parallels Route 5S as it heads into Canajoharie. Mile markers are painted along the trail. Looking right you'll see the large white buildings of the Beech Nut Company. After just a ½ mile the trail jogs left over an old black iron bridge over Canajoharie Creek. You come to a signboard describing the areas history and then a tiny park with benches, information booth and an old railroad mileage marker reading NY192 or 192 miles to New York City . This is downtown Canajoharie and if you look up on the West Hill, you'll see where the Canajoharie Academy was built in 1824, followed by a stone building in 1849. Both of these burned and were demolished to make way for the present stone West Hill School , constructed in 1892. It was in a classroom of this earlier academy that Susan B. Anthony began her career as a school teacher. She later left teaching and Canajoharie to lead the early campaign for Women’s rights. After crossing the street the trail briefly utilizes the sidewalk. Just follow the Canalway signs. Your back on the paved trail at ¾ miles. After 1.3 miles you come to a parking lot and sign board and leave the town behind. The trail parallels Route 5S and I-90 off to your right, but is not loud. Cross another old iron railroad bridge at 3.5 miles and travel along a berm. After crossing another iron bridge over Otsquago Creek you come to River Street and Fort Plain at 4 miles. A parking lot is located on the left after crossing the street. A sign board is here as well. The trail then takes you underneath I-90, past some nice murals and ends at Otsquago Club Road after 4.7 miles. Lock 15 is located directly across the road. Worth checking out. To reach the next section, there is a short 1 mile on-road detour.

Starting from Fort Plain (Lock 15); From the end of the last section (coming from Canajoharie) when you reached  Otsquago Club Road, turn left and follow this low traffic road past Lock 15 and the parking lot. There is a sign board located near the parking lot. After a mile you'll return to the trail which consists of stone-dust. This section is isolated with occasional views of the river and lots of bunnies. After 5.4 miles you come to Bridge Street . A sign board, benches and picnic table are located here.

Note; You can take a short detour and check out a remnant of the old Enlarged Erie Canal (Lock 33) by heading right on Bridge Street and then right at the sign. About ¾ miles. Also, heading right over the bridge will take you to St. Johnsville.

Continuing along the trail you'll come to the entrance for Lock 16 just past a gate at 7 miles. Traveling along the river, after 8 miles the trail veers left and parallels River Road for less then a mile before heading back along the river. At around 10 miles you cross over Nowadaga Creek in Danube . There is a signboard and picnic table located here. A great spot to go wading. You come to the Herkimer Home State Historic Site at 13.5 miles. A bike rack is located here so that you may visit the site. For more information visit; HERKIMER HOME .

Note; After checking out the site you'll spot a stone-dust trail leading off the main trail. This takes you through the fields to a dock along the river.

Continuing along the trail you come to Route 169. USE CAUTION crossing. Travel past a marsh and at 14.5 miles the trail becomes paved as you head down to Fink Basin Road . Take a right and then a left to rejoin the paved trail. This brings you up along a ridge with views of the Mohawk River down to your right. After 15.5 miles you'll come to a sign for Lock 17.

Note; A great side detour here! Turning right, a switchback trail takes you down to a signboard. If you head right along the Lock 17 access road you'll find a remnant of the old Erie Canal (Lock 36) and a parking lot. Access to this lot is off of Route 169. Heading left up the access road brings you to Lock 17. You must climb (or carry your bike) up a steep set of stairs to the top of the Lock. Lock 17, at 40.5 feet is the highest lock in NY. Worth the climb. You may continue your detour by crossing over the Lock to Moss Island. A paved trail takes you past the Lock along the Riverfront Trail to a small pavilion at the end of Ann Street . Only a mile from the Canalway Trail. There is a map board here and you can visit the nearby Historic Canal Place in Little Falls. For more information visit; LITTLE FALLS .

Back on the Canalway Trail and heading west, you'll travel through a tunnel after a ½ mile and emerge in a steep rock cut carved out by the railroad. You come to West Shore Street and parking at 16.2 miles. Follow the road straight and another trail picks up again on your right. It takes you underneath Route 167, past a playground and out onto Southern Ave. Travel down this road to reach the Little Falls Canal harbor after 16 ¾ miles. There are benches and a picnic area overlooking the river. 

HH

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LETTERBOX LAST VERIFIED ON

AUGUST 14, 2007

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