Monday October 27th, 2025 - Pittsford Rail Loop - Pittsford (suburban Rochester) NY - 6 miles about 120 feet elevation gain

 Sometimes hikes that start out seemingly like sad compromises end up being great.  Since we came all the way home (albeit very late) Sunday night, we both had Monday off. Though I was not full of energy after the late night drive home, my first inclination was to find a 'normal' nature trail sort of hike.  Brian wanted something with a good distance but didn't want to need to weak hiking boots.  After some Alltrails scouring I found this trail loop but thought it was largely a repeat hike of the Trolley Trail we had hiked in the past which runs behind NY-31 in the rail bed of a former interurban train.  This turned out to be mostly NOT that same trail and it was a lot more interesting than I expected.

 

This loop starts at a parking lot near a popular restaurant rich piece of the Erie canal.  As you head west along the canal it quickly gets quieter.  It then heads North through a long and narrow easement used for some small power lines.  It turns out at least part of that space was a former routing of one of the earlier versions of the Erie Canal including an abandoned lock.  To people who aren't familiar with the canal, we speak of it as though it is a singular thing that has existed continuously since it was initially built.  In reality, the Erie canal has, in many sections, had 3 versions over the years.  The fist was a very small ditch built in the 1810's, 4 four feet deep and 40 feet wide.  The 'enlarged' canal was in use from the 1830's to the 1860's.  It was straightened and widened compared to the original.  The current 'Erie Canal' is really called the New York State Barge Canal and wasn't completed until 1918, about 100 years after the first.

Not photographed but also very interesting were surprising views from the backside of a large shopping center that we've been to many times and had no idea it had a little trail running along one side of it.

After the current and former canal stretches, the route makes an unfortunate brief walk along 6 lane wide NY-31 and then crosses to the north side of that road before using part of the old Trolley Trail. After the Trolley trail section which goes between buildings on NY-31 and a country club at one point, the trail heads southeast, passing through the Erie Canal Nature Preserve and finally back along the canal itself for a short walk back to the car.

 This turned out to be a perfect Monday walk with pleasant cool fall weather.