Trail Connecting NYC To Canada Nears Completion

NEW YORK CITY — The Empire State Trail, a 750-mile bike trail connecting New York City to Canada, will be completed by the end of the year.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said The Empire State Trail, which has been in the works since 2017, will be complete before 2020 comes to a close next month. As it stands, the trail will be the longest multi-use state trail in the nation.

A map of the trail recently made available on the state's website shows the the path cyclists and cross-country hikers will take from Battery Park through the Hudson Valley to Albany. From there, the trail splits.

Cyclists in Albany can continue either west to Buffalo or north to Rouses Point at the Canadian border, some 45 miles south of Montreal.

In a news release last month, Cuomo said the state is launching a virtual passport program designed to direct visitors to some 200 craft beer breweries located within 10 miles of the Empire State Trail.

The passport is available through the New York Craft Beer App.

Paul Leone, executive director of the New York State Brewers Association, said almost half the state's breweries are located near the trail, "making this the perfect initiative to shine a light on the Trail and the State's craft beer industry."

Cuomo said the Empire State Trail Brewery Passport will promote tourism and support the economy statewide while allowing cyclists a socially distant way to get exercise and explore nature on two wheels.

"Tourism and recreation are at the foundation of our local economies, and as we near the completion of the Empire State Trail by the end of this year, this program will both benefit local residents and spur economic activity in communities across the state," Cuomo said.