Cycling New York's Capital Region: Cohoes Falls, the Niagara Falls of Eastern New York

The title isn't hyperbole. Cohoes Falls, the much, much, much lesser known huge waterfall of New York State is the second largest waterfall in the United States. Second largest, is that a typo? No.

So why don't people travel from all over the world to visit it? And why haven't you heard of it?  Unfortunately due to diversions for power plant and the canal, the falls doesn't run all year at the consisten volume that Niagara tends to. When it's flowing the 1000ft wide by 90ft high waterfall dumps a ridiculous amount of water volume over the precipous (at peak it comes within a mere 10% of Niagara Falls peak), but there are times throughout the year it's just a trickle. 

Unfortunately (actually, quite fortunately for those of us who live here), the Capital Region is terrible at marketing itself. It's also somewhat apathetic. With a location that puts it within 4 hours (a mere half day drive) of 90% of anything worth visiting in the Northeast US and some of Canada, it's a great place to live and I think perhaps some of that convenience makes the folks in the area not care too much.

Bikepacking to the Source of the Erie Canal in New York's Adirondack Mountains

North Lake Reservoir, source of the Black River Feeder Canal for the Erie Canal

I bikepacked the hard way to the source of New York's Erie Canal, the source of mid-west America's growth and prosperity, the source of economic prosperity for Northern, Central and Western NY and home of NY's 750mi bikepacking route, the Empire State Trail. 

The Little Collie monkey on my back

It was heinous, miserable, mostly hike-a-bike in mud that was effectively bottomless, but no less than hub deep if you were to claim there was a bottom. It was so bad I chose to bike on 22 miles of pavement with my 40lb dog, Marshall, on my back for the return trip rather than the out and back (lollipop) route I had planned. The total distance of the trip in either case was effectively the same, but one had virtually no pavement and no monkey (Marshall) on my back and one was the opposite of everything I enjoy. 

Sometimes these exploratory trips suck, but they build resilience for future times. If I was injured or had a serious mechanical I'd accept help, but I'm out there to ride, often hike, and always seek to be challenged. The worst case scenario is it sucks, I'm miserable and I raise the bar for future adventures by looking back on the experience. 

The views

The interlude between the suck

The means of suffering

The respite

Heaven

Gateway to hell

The route

Cycling to the top of Cohoes Falls: The Waterford Flight of Locks

At the top of the Waterford Flight of Locks

Those in the Capital Region of New York might not pay much attention to the Erie or Champlain Canals; afterall, that which surrounds us is often least visible.

From the gatehouse of the first lock on the Waterford Flight of Locks

Waterford, New York is the crossroads of the Champlain and Erie Canals. It is also home to the worlds highest elevation gaining series of successive locks. There are single locks both on the Erie Canal and around the world that gain more elevation in a single lock than any of the Waterford Flight of Locks, but none gain the 169ft the Waterford Flight gains in about 1.5 miles to bring boats above Cohoes Falls, which is the Capital Regions version of Niagara Falls. A true engineering feat.

I've lived at the cross roads of the Erie and Champlain Canal for a good chunk of my adult life and like most people didn't pay much attention to it. When the Empire State Trail, which follows greenways and bike paths up the Hudson River from NYC to Albany, and then to Buffalo (west on the Erie Canal) and Canada (north on the Champlain Canal) was unveiled I also dismissed that. The main reason was I hate multi-use paths. Kids, pets, roller bladers, joggers and walkers all share these paths and as a cyclist you are non protected and most at risk for getting injured. A walker can step out of the way at the last second, but if I cyclist makes a last second, last ditch move, it could end with them planting face on the pavement.

The Empire State Trail which is formed by the Hudson River Greeway, the Erie Canal and the Champlain Canal

Over the last 6 years I've gotten deeper and deeper back into recreational cycling and along the way, I've become more and more road averse. Drivers are just very distracted today, even those who aren't on their phones, and cars are bigger, cycling infrastructure on road ways is still largely just a 3ft shoulder in most places, and less in plenty. As a result I've gravitated to gravel, trails, and bike paths.

The rebirth of the Erie Canal as a mostly protected bike path for a good chunk of it's 500 (NYC to Buffalo) miles and it's proximity to Amtrak service out of the Capital Region (there are 3 stations within 20 miles of the Erie and Champlain Canal intersecton) made it very appealing to me over time. I've both ridden the Empire State Trail \locally in the Capital Region and in sections via Amtrak.

Smelling the flowers on the Erie Canal Trail outside of Weedsport, NY

While not a wilderness experience by any means, there are plenty of spots on the EST that you will find yourself surrounded by nature.