Oswego Recreational Trail
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The Oswego County Recreation Trail[1] is a multi-use rail trail in New York.
The Oswego Recreational Trail actually comprises two trails which are separated by an on-road section. It follows the route of the former New York, Ontario and Western Railway, abandoned in 1957.
The east portion runs ten miles from the city of Fulton's Maple Avenue to the village of Central Square, just short of Interstate 81. I-81 was built following the NYO&W abandonment and no provision was made to preserve the railroad right-of-way by creating a grade separation.
To get around I81, you must travel on roads through Central Square. North on New York State Route 11, east on New York State Route 49 across I81, and south on County Route 37 takes you back to the trail. The trail is actually ridable to the west, but it dead-ends in a removed railroad bridge over a creek. Once back on the trail, it is sixteen miles to Cleveland and the Oneida County line. The right-of-way continues as a privately owned trail open for some uses.
The trail has not been resurfaced except in a few eroded spots. The railroad used crushed rock ballast, and so that remains as the surface of the trail. The trail crosses many steams using the original railroad bridges. They have been decked over with steel decking. Any road which crosses the the trail may be used to gain access to the trail. Convenient parking is available at County Route 6, south of Fulton; on Toad Harbor Road, off Route 49, near Three Mile Bay; and in the village of Cleveland on North Street.
