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.
Who’s on the Trail 2024: Canalway Trail highlights trail use at 19 locations along the Erie and Champlain Canalway Trails. For each site, an estimate of annual trail use is calculated using available data. Of those sites, the three receiving the most visitation in 2024 were Dewitt (144,000 visitors/year), Albany (139,000 visitors/year), and Camillus (100,000 visitors/year). The Canalway Trail is primarily a warm weather resource, with average daily summer use more than doubling use during other seasons at most counter locations. Weekends saw higher use than weekdays, consistent with recreational use commonly seen on the trail.
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor provided supporting data collected from 2024’s Canalway Challenge to provide additional context in the analysis of numerical count data and economic impact of the trail. In 2024, over five hundred Canalway Challenge finishers completed mileage goals ranging from 1 mile to the full 360-mile trail. Data from the Canalway Challenge finisher survey shows the trail attracted users from across the country, with participants from at least 36 different states and one Canadian province. On average, Canalway Challenge finishers spent two nights in Canalway communities and spent an average of $359 across the corridor while working toward their mileage goals. End-to-end 360-mile finishers had the biggest economic impact, spending an average of five nights on the trail and spending nearly $1,000 during their adventure.
Investments to the trail including gap closures and resurfacing projects directly drive the 3.9 million annual visits the Canalway Trail system sees. Used heavily by both walkers and cyclists, enjoyed by locals and visitors, the trail system is a major recreational asset for communities across the canal corridor. Trail improvements result in increased economic value for trailside communities, underscoring the need and opportunity for continued promotion, investment, and maintenance.
In addition to the report, the data and annual trail use estimates are displayed and available for download on an interactive map at ptny.org/trailcounts. The 2024 Who’s on the Trail report is the 20th edition of this report.
Parks & Trails New York Executive Director Paul Steely White said, “Who’s on the trail? Let me tell you: Millions of visitors from across the country, admiring the beauty and history of New York State and supporting the communities and economies along the way. These visitation numbers have real impact on trail towns from Buffalo to Albany and beyond. With continued investment, we’ll see better trails, healthier communities, and more visitors.”
New York State Canal Corporation Brian U. Stratton said, “As we commemorate this Bicentennial year and look back on 200 years of the Erie Canal, we are contemplating its future with a focus on supporting the Canalway Trail. The data shared in the Who’s on the Trail 2024: Canalway Trail report reaffirms Governor Kathy Hochul’s commitment to maintaining the trailway to not only ensure that it is safe and in a state of good repair, but to also ensure it remains a place welcoming for all who want to use it, with a strong connection to the communities it passes through.”
To read the full report visit ptny.org/trailcounts.
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