Introduction to the Genesee Valley Greenway (GVG) Trail Bicycle Ride August 9 (Comments: 2)

2 comments to “Introduction to the Genesee Valley Greenway (GVG) Trail Bicycle Ride August 9”

Allen Kerkeslager, August 3rd, 2008 at 11:34 am:

• A massive interstate rail-trail system is being planned that would reach all the way from Rochester, NY, to Williamsport, PA, by linking existing trails. The Genesee Valley Greenway is one of them. This turns westward away from the Genesee River in Belfast, NY. Another relatively undeveloped trail known as the WAG Trail follows along the Genesee River from Wellsville, NY, southward to the NY/PA line. Current plans are to link the Greenway Trail to the WAG Trail, which will require creating about 20 miles of new trail along the Genesee River between Belfast and Wellsville. This will be difficult because most of it will not be able to build on existing railroad beds, but this 20-mile section is all that is needed to finish the NY side of the interstate trail all the way from Rochester to the NY/PA line. On the PA side, a link that is currently in the planning stage would then proceed southward along the Genesee River from the NY/PA line to the river’s source and from there further south to somewhere near PA’s Lyman Run State Park. From there it would turn eastward to meet PA’s famous Pine Creek Trail near its northern end. The Pine Creek Trail’s southern end at Jersey Shore, PA, will eventually be linked directly to the Williamsport park system. The total length from Rochester to Williamsport will be ca. 240 miles. Since the trail would link two urban areas, anyone interested in just a one-way bike trip could fly or take a bus for the other direction. Any support for acquiring lands and in other ways helping to finish the missing 20 miles on the NY side is much appreciated. Contact akerkesl@sju.edu.

Allen Kerkeslager, August 3rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm:

• P.S. On the interstate rail-trail from Rochester to Williamsport:

  The benefits this trail extend beyond cycling or even the creation of the new canoe-kayak access points that are planned in conjunction with the southern parts of the trail in Allegany County, NY. One of the more fundamental goals of this trail system is to create a protective conservation corridor along the upper Genesee River. People who care about Lake Ontario, the lower Genesee River, and Letchworth State Park should devote greater attention to what is going on further upstream where the river is less protected. Developments in the neglected areas of the upper Genesee River could even undermine their noble conservation efforts in the more populated areas downstream. More than just a fun bike ride is at stake in completing the missing parts of the trail system.

  AK