Utica was named an Empire State Trail Town by the nonprofit Parks & Trails New York.
The city, the largest Trail Town, and the Town of Lyons in Wayne County will join 11 other canal towns in the program, which helps communities make better use of the trail for recreation, for tourism and as a source of local economic development.
The cities of Rome and Little Falls are already part of the Trail Town program.
Rome invited the more than 500 cyclists and volunteers who passed through as part of the Cycle the Erie Canal Tour to a block party on July 17, 2025 as seen in this O-D file photo. Utica is taking part in an Empire State Canal Town program that will help it to make better use of the Erie Canalway and encourage trail visitors to explore Utica as well.
“Being named a PTNY Trail Town is a huge win for Utica,” said Mayor Mike Galime in a statement. “Our goal now is to bridge the gap between the trail and Downtown Utica —ensuring our residents are engaged and our local businesses are ready to welcome visitors.
“We want every cyclist and hiker to experience the incredible dining and culture Utica has to offer, turning trail traffic into a real economic engine for our community. “
About the Empire State Trail
The Empire State Trail, launched in 2017 and completed in 2020, is a 750-mile walking and biking trail that includes three sections:
Erie Canalway Trail along the path of the Erie Canal, including both sections with an active canal and areas where the canal has disappeared, from Albany to Buffalo.
Champlain Valley Trail from Albany to the Canadian border.
Hudson Valley Greenway Trail from Albany to New York City.
Parks & Trails estimates that nearly 4 million people use the Erie Canalway and Champlain Valley Trail every year, based on 2024 visitor counts. And preliminary data for a new Parks & Trails report shows an estimated 9 million visitors using the entire Empire State Trail annually.
The year-long Trail Town program, which is funded by the New York State Canal Corporation, offers participants guidance from experts, the development of actionable plans, community workshops and, at the end of the year, recommendations to serve as a road map guiding future efforts.
The goal is to draw more visitors to the nearby trail and to draw more hikers and cyclists to local attractions, shops, restaurants and lodging.
With so many of those businesses an easy walk from the canal, Utica could serve as a “key hub” along the trail, offering visitors the “full trail experience,” according to Parks & Trails. The announcement of Utica’s selection talks about the city’s cultural diversity, as ween in its “outstanding restaurants and vibrant neighborhoods.”
And with the program’s help, Utica will be able to strengthen the connections between the Empire State Trail, Harbor Point and the Mohawk River corridor, building on investments the city has already made, the announcement said.
“What excites me about Utica and Lyons is how the trail is becoming part of the story of each town,” said Paul Steely White, executive director of Parks & Trails New York. “Utica, with its size and energy, is a hub where people can explore the city as they travel the trail. Lyons, with its historic streets and canal heritage, gives people a reason to slow down.
“Both towns are making the trail a gateway to adventure, heritage and discovery.”
Empire Trail in Utica
An estimated 33,663 people visit the Empire Trail in Utica each year, based on visitor counts taken in late 2023 and 2024, and included in a Parks & Trails report published last year. In summer, the busiest season, an estimated 129 visitors use the trail every day.
The actual average number of daily visitors ranged during the time of the study from 158 in September, 2023 to 26 in January, 2024.
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All along the trail, use remains high in spring, summer and fall, but tapers off in winter.
Trail use data
Here are estimated visitor numbers for other local communities based on 2023-2024 data from the Parks & Trails report released last year:
The western portion of the trail through Rome draws an estimated 12,610 visitors a year with 63 visitors on average on summer days.
Rome gets an estimated 16,540 visitors a year on the eastern portion of its trail with an estimated 63 visitors on an average day in summer.
The trail through Ilion gets an estimated 28,009 visitors a year. In summer, it gets 138 visitors a day on average.
In Little Falls, an estimated 31,090 people visit the trail annually with 126 visitors on the average summer day.
“I am delighted to welcome Utica and Lyons, two iconic canal-side communities along the Erie Canalway Trail, to the Trail Towns program this year,” said Ben Walsh, director of the New York State Canal Corporation in a statement. “I look forward to seeing how these communities elevate their connection to the trail as they work with Parks & Trails New York to maximize the benefits of this incredible recreational resource.”
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Empire Trail Town program to offer Utica help developing Erie Canalway