9-6-2026 Buffalo to Tonawanda by Bike

We did a loop ride from the heart of Buffalo up to Tonawanda and back, and it ended up being one of those days where the scenery kept changing just enough to make the miles feel interesting. We wound through parks, came across a Japanese garden, picked up the Tonawanda rail-trail, and then spent a good stretch around the Erie Canal and the riverfront.

The ride had a little bit of everything: pretty trail sections, a short road connector, boats along the water, canal history, a bike-only bridge, art along the trail, and a final stop for dinner. It felt like a very Buffalo-and-Tonawanda kind of ride — part park ride, part canal-town ride, and part Niagara River waterfront ride.

Ride facts

Date: Sunday, September 6, 2026

Location: Buffalo and Tonawanda, New York

Ride distance: 24.22 miles

Time window: 4:09 pm to 8:24 pm

Route: a Buffalo-to-Tonawanda loop using connected parks, the Tonawanda rail-trail corridor, Erie Canal/Empire State Trail pieces, and Niagara River waterfront trail riding.

A little history and trail context

The Erie Canal connection

The Erie Canal is the reason this part of western New York has so much transportation history packed into it. Buffalo became the western gateway of the canal system, and Tonawanda grew around the canal and river traffic that moved people, freight, grain, lumber, and manufactured goods across New York. Riding through this area, the canal does not feel like a museum piece — it still shapes the towns, the waterfront paths, and the way the old industrial and village centers line up along the water.

Tonawanda and the riverfront

Tonawanda sits where canal, creek, and river geography all come together, so the waterfront has always been more than just scenery. It was a practical working edge: boats, bridges, docks, warehouses, and rail connections all mattered. That is why little details along the ride — old bridge remains, canal streets, boat traffic, and riverfront paths — make the area feel layered instead of like a generic suburban trail.

The Niagara River trail feel

The Niagara River section gave the ride its open-water character. After the canal and rail-trail pieces, the route stretched along the river, with long views, boats, and a much more relaxed waterfront feeling. That contrast is what made the loop work so well: it was not just one trail surface or one type of scenery all day.

What trails we used

From the GPS track and the photo notes, this ride appears to have stitched together several connected pieces rather than one single named trail. The core pattern was Buffalo parks and connectors, the Tonawanda Rails-to-Trails corridor, Erie Canal/Empire State Trail-style canal segments around Tonawanda, and Niagara River waterfront trail riding for the return/river portion. The result was a practical 24.22-mile loop instead of a simple out-and-back.

Photo log

It was a lot of different scenery as we wound through some parks.

This was the Japanese garden that we encountered.

This is the start of the Tonawanda rail-trail, and it was very pretty.

Once we left the trail, there was a really short road section.

The Empire State Trail goes all the way to Albany and is a couple of hundred miles long.

Lots of boats on the riverfront.

This was part of the Erie Canal

This is a bike only bridge.

The entrance to Canal Street in Tonawanda along the Erie Canal.

On the right is what remains of a bridge that would pivot to allow boats to pass.

The trail is this nice all throughout Tonawanda.

It was a beautiful day.

A good stretch of the route where the trail kept feeling easy and connected.

More riverfront riding as the loop carried us back toward Buffalo.

This part of the trail was along the Niagara River the whole way.

Lots of little art pieces along the trail.

We ate a yummy dinner at Taqueria Ranchos La Delicias, located on the Shoreline Trail.

After the ride

It was a good loop because it never stayed the same for too long. We started with parks and neighborhood riding, worked our way into canal and rail-trail scenery, followed the Niagara River, and ended the day with dinner — exactly the kind of bike day that makes a place easier to remember.