The Chenango Canal (from Cycling Along The Canals of New York State.)
The Chenango Canal left the Erie Canal in Utica in the vicinity of Genesee Street. In the city, it now lies under a major arterial highway (NY 5, NY 8, NY 12) and little remains to be found. From Utica, head south on Genesee Street, which is safe for cycling outside commuter hours, and you’ll pass the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute (310 Genesee Street) and Oneida County Historical Society (1608 Genesee Street). Follow Genesee Street past NY 12 and turn onto NY 12B heading toward Clinton. NY 12B parallels the old canal route through Clinton, Franklin Springs, Deansboro and Oriskany Falls. It was along this twenty-mile stretch that seventy-six locks were built to raise the canal about 706 feet. There is not much to be found — a historic marker here or there, but the riding is pretty.
From Oriskany Falls to Hamilton (twelve miles), through Solsville and Bouckville, lies the summit of the canal. This is one of the most scenic, rural, and genuinely attractive canal segments in all of New York. Leave NY 12B in Oriskany Falls and follow Valley Road to Solsville. The wetlands alongside the road and the beautiful ponds you see today are the old canal bed. At Solsville, turn onto Canal Road and follow it to Bouckville. Look carefully for canal sites along the way; there is a small stone aqueduct recently restored.
Volunteers have restored a stretch of trail from NY 46 to Bouckville, going towards Solsville. This five-mile section was called the "summit" because it was the highest point of the canal 165 years ago. As you can see from the photo, the trail is dirt and grass so the quiet, rural farm roads that lie alongside the canal will offer even better cycling for road bikes.
The five-mile Summit Trail is great for hiking or mountain biking.
Within five miles of Bouckville you can visit more than thirty antiques shops. In August, the annual Madison-Bouckville Antiques Show, the largest outdoor antiques exhibit in the state, attracts over 1,000 dealers.
On the corner of Canal Road and Route 20 you’ll come to the Chenango Canal Cottage, a restored small cottage and walkway along the Chenango Canal in Bouckville open to the public. The Cottage features pictures of the canal as well as a brief history and insight into the days of its use in transporting goods from Pennsylvania to the Erie Canal. As you stop, you might picture the sixty stagecoaches a day that once rumbled through this intersection along the old Cherry Valley route, with many travelers staying in the nearby canal hotels, including what is now the Bouckville Antique Corner. Across the street is an 1847 cobblestone landmark.
The Chenango Canal Cottage in Bouckville is packed with information on the canal.
Continue straight across US 20 onto Canal Road and you’ll soon come to NY 46. Turn right onto Pecks Road. You’ll cross another grassy stretch of canal towpath just ahead. Then, after Pecks Road ends at NY 26, turn left, then left again onto CR 85. Follow CR 85 (Smith Road) into Hamilton, where it rejoins NY 12. Hamilton, the home of Colgate University, is a beautiful village with many historic buildings and several options for food and drink.