9.7 Mile Ride on the Auburn & Trolley Trails
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Auburn & Lehigh Valley trail map (PDF)
I first rode the Auburn trail several years ago, after getting my ATB. At that point it was definitely for the rough-and-ready, being primarily singletrack on the raised railbed. I remember having a great time riding both the Auburn trail and the Lehigh Valley trail that day, splashing through water and mud and bouncing over rocky sections.
Since then Victor Hiking Trails has spearheaded the resurfacing of both trails, resulting in a wide, level stone dust path that no dount draws many more walkers, runners, and riders than the old trail, but isn't quite the same blast to ride along. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't have convinced Ann to come out and ride the old trail, and this is still a fun spot to visit, bringing back memories of riding these trails in the rain at the first Black Diamond Offroad Duathlon in October, 2005.
We parked at the entrance to the Lehigh Crossing Park and headed up the Auburn Trail toward Fishers. The trail follows the bed of the old Auburn & Rochester railroad, which opened in 1840 and helped put Fishers on the map when Charles Fisher donated land for the railroad right-of-way in return for trains stopping at Fishers twice a day and a contract to supply lumber to the railroad. (Take Your Bike - Family Rides in New York's Finger Lakes Region, by Rich & Sue Freeman, http://www.footprintpress.com/) Along the way we passed a swampy area and briefly had a good view of a heron perched on a dead tree, before he flew off. At the Lehigh Valley trail railroad bridge, we headed up the conector trail, and I was disappointed to discover that the loop outlined in the Freeman's book had not yet been completed - the bridge is still closed, and the trail on the other side of the bridge is pretty rough. (I've learned since then that the bridge and trail resurfacing are scheduled for this summer.) So we took some pictures at the bridge and headed back the way we'd come, detouring through the woods and through a very wet section beyond the "Beaver Bridge" and then down the bumpy gravel path through the Lehigh Crossing Park.
From there we followed the Trolley Trail, a narrow singletrack that bumps and curves through the woods parallel to the Auburn Trail. I had a pretty good time riding that; Ann wasn't as happy with it, so before we reached the end, we cut back over to the Auburn Trail and rode all the way down to the end of the resurfaced path. Faced with a stretch on local roads (and dimming light, since it was getting later in the evening) we decided to head back up the path and rode all the way up to Fishers, then turned around and went back to the car.
We drove the scenic route home, down through Mendon and Rush and then up into Henrietta along the river. Along the way we passed a new trail that apparently comes off the Lehigh Valley Trail and heads north - at some point this summer I'm hoping to take the bike over that way and check it out.
JMH
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Auburn & Lehigh Valley trail map (PDF)
I first rode the Auburn trail several years ago, after getting my ATB. At that point it was definitely for the rough-and-ready, being primarily singletrack on the raised railbed. I remember having a great time riding both the Auburn trail and the Lehigh Valley trail that day, splashing through water and mud and bouncing over rocky sections.
Since then Victor Hiking Trails has spearheaded the resurfacing of both trails, resulting in a wide, level stone dust path that no dount draws many more walkers, runners, and riders than the old trail, but isn't quite the same blast to ride along. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't have convinced Ann to come out and ride the old trail, and this is still a fun spot to visit, bringing back memories of riding these trails in the rain at the first Black Diamond Offroad Duathlon in October, 2005.
We parked at the entrance to the Lehigh Crossing Park and headed up the Auburn Trail toward Fishers. The trail follows the bed of the old Auburn & Rochester railroad, which opened in 1840 and helped put Fishers on the map when Charles Fisher donated land for the railroad right-of-way in return for trains stopping at Fishers twice a day and a contract to supply lumber to the railroad. (Take Your Bike - Family Rides in New York's Finger Lakes Region, by Rich & Sue Freeman, http://www.footprintpress.com/) Along the way we passed a swampy area and briefly had a good view of a heron perched on a dead tree, before he flew off. At the Lehigh Valley trail railroad bridge, we headed up the conector trail, and I was disappointed to discover that the loop outlined in the Freeman's book had not yet been completed - the bridge is still closed, and the trail on the other side of the bridge is pretty rough. (I've learned since then that the bridge and trail resurfacing are scheduled for this summer.) So we took some pictures at the bridge and headed back the way we'd come, detouring through the woods and through a very wet section beyond the "Beaver Bridge" and then down the bumpy gravel path through the Lehigh Crossing Park.
From there we followed the Trolley Trail, a narrow singletrack that bumps and curves through the woods parallel to the Auburn Trail. I had a pretty good time riding that; Ann wasn't as happy with it, so before we reached the end, we cut back over to the Auburn Trail and rode all the way down to the end of the resurfaced path. Faced with a stretch on local roads (and dimming light, since it was getting later in the evening) we decided to head back up the path and rode all the way up to Fishers, then turned around and went back to the car.
We drove the scenic route home, down through Mendon and Rush and then up into Henrietta along the river. Along the way we passed a new trail that apparently comes off the Lehigh Valley Trail and heads north - at some point this summer I'm hoping to take the bike over that way and check it out.
JMH
