Erie Canalway Trail 2026

Ride Along. Grab a Beer. Share the Adventure.

In 2016 I had the audacious plan to ride my wheelchair across the state of Washington that we called “Ian’s Ride”. Little did I know that that ride would lead to a nonprofit, countless hours of peer support, a Guinness World Record, and crossing over a half-dozen states in my wheelchair. Now here we are in 2026 getting ready for our sixth “Ian’s Ride” and this one should be One to remember.

Beginning in New York City and continuing from Albany to Buffalo, we'll travel more than 370 miles along the historic Erie Canalway Trail in my powerchair with with my ride or die besties, Doctor B and Jimmy (a.k.a. Quinoa and Meadowlark), riding their bikes alongside. Along the way we'll explore one of America's most historic transportation corridors, visit incredible canal towns, learn about the history of the Erie Canal, enjoy a few local breweries, and hopefully meet a lot of new friends.

This “trail” is actually a towpath. It was forged over a century ago by mules and horses that would pull heavy cargo barges from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and vice versa. It’s pretty cool I’ll be riding my powerchair on a path forged by beasts of burden centuries ago. Getting to do it with two really close friends and enjoying some good beer along the way is just icing on the cake.

But this trip isn't just about the miles. It's about celebrating accessible outdoor recreation, encouraging policymakers to continue to invest in accessible trails, connecting and riding with other like-minded disabled folks and showing that adventures like this should be possible for everyone

Whether you use a wheelchair, ride a handcycle, pedal a bike, or simply enjoy spending time on the trail, I'd love for you to join us.

Come ride a mile. Come ride twenty. Or just meet us afterward for dinner or a local brewery. One of the things I enjoy most about these adventures is meeting people along the way.

After we wrap up the 10 day ride, we are going to cross the Canada border and head up to Vaughn, Ontario to spend the day at Motion Concepts to chat with the folks that design the chair that allows me to confidently do all the fun adventures I pursue. Motion Concepts has also been a long time supporter of Ian’s Ride, and we are excited to connect with them and offer any insights we’ve learned along the way.

Contact us here

Follow Along

Throughout the trip We’ll be posting:

Daily blog updates
Photos and videos from the trail
Trail conditions and accessibility notes
Interesting history and stories from the Erie Canal
The people we meet along the way
Daily social media updates

If you can't join us in person, We hope you'll follow our travels on our blog and Facebook.

Join Us on the Trail

If you live nearby, we'd love to have you join us. You don't have to ride the entire day. Join us for whatever distance feels right. Even if you just want to meet us afterward for food or drinks, we'd love to get to know you.

We'll especially be looking forward to meeting other wheelchair users, handcyclists, adaptive cyclists, trail advocates, and anyone passionate about making the outdoors more accessible.

Below is our current itinerary. The start time of each day will be dependent on how far our lodging is from the start of the day and we will try to give a good estimate of our start time for the following day in the previous nights blog.