Ellicott Trail, Batavia, NY

Ellicott Trail is a superbly marked 4.9 mile rail and sidewalk trail through the town and city of Batavia, NY.

It’s western terminus is at the intersection of Pearl St (SR 33) and Industrial Blvd. From there to Jackson St, it follows the former railbed of the New York City “Peanut Line” to Tonawanda. From Jackson St, the trail follows the sidewalk on Ellicott St (SR 63) to Harvester Ave. Route 63 has lots of traffic, so use care at street crossings. Because you are in town, it will not be as quiet as a walk in the woods. But on the plus side, there are several restaurants along the way. I recommend the Pok-A-Dot at the corner of Ellicott and Liberty.

The trail proceeds through Elmwood Cemetery and on sidewalks to the Dewitt Recreation Area. Beyond the recreation area, you join up with the former railbed of the Erie Railroad Avon Branch. The railbed takes you on to the eastern terminus of the trail at Seven Springs Rd.

The elevation gain is 85 feet.

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce promotes the trail and provides a nice map in this PDF brochure.

Leave No Trace, Ten Essentials

While you’re enjoying the outdoors, please leave no trace to minimize your impact and preserve these special places for others to use as well. If you’re walking or hiking, please pack the REI ten essentials for your own safety. When cycling, consider using this REI checklist. For other activities, review the hiking and biking essentials and use your judgment.

Trail Surface

The trail surface along streets is concrete sidewalks. On the railbed, it is finely crushed stone. The crushed stone is well-drained: I hiked on a rainy day and found no puddles or standing water. In Elmwood Cemetery, the trail is asphalt.

Restrooms

There is a portable toilet at Dewitt Recreation Area. Otherwise, there are no public restrooms along the trail.

There are several restaurants on, or close to, the trail which you may wish to patronize for snacks, drinks, food, and restrooms. Lacking a law to the contrary (e.g. Ally’s Law), stores are generally not required to accommodate non-customers.

Parking

There are no parking lots at the trailheads. You can park in Williams Park (69 Pearl Street) and Dewitt Recreation Area (115 Cedar Street). On-street parking can also be found along Ellicott St (SR 63).

Points of Interest

Restaurants along the trail include Pok-A-Dot and Angry Charlies Smokehouse & BBQ. Parks include Williams Park, Lions Park, and Dewitt Recreation Area. The beautiful bridge in the photo above crosses Tonawanda Creek. Elmwood Cemetery is a very pleasant walk and is 100% asphalt.

History

Based on maps on Todd’s Railfan Guide to Batavia, NY, the eastern railbed appears to be the Erie Railroad Avon Branch, while the western railbed appears to be the New York City “Peanut Line” to Tonawanda.

On May 15, 2021, Mallory Diefenbach reports, Happy trail: Ellicott Trail proves to be a community asset 1 year after opening:

The trail cost $1.6 million to build. Funding for the project was provided by the Town and City of Batavia, Genesee County, New York State Department of Transportation and State of New York.

The Ellicott Trail project won awards last month from the regional and state American Public Words Association.

Hiking Solo (and Running, etc.)

Solo hikers who find themselves able to do the whole point-to-point trail distance but not the out and back may consider using Uber or Lyft to get a ride from where they parked to the other trailhead. Then you can walk to your car from there. Since this trail is in a populated area, you won’t have long to wait for a ride. I’ve done this several times (on other trails) because I usually hike solo.

Trail Summary

Distance	4.9 miles point to point	9.8 miles out and back
Elevation gain	85 feet
Trail surface	Concrete sidewalks, crushed stone and asphalt
Difficulty	Easy for point to point	Moderate for out and back
Pearl St and Industrial Blvd trailhead	42.99617, -78.20526	No parking
Seven Springs Rd trailhead	42.99151, -78.13375	No parking
Williams Park parking	42.99674, -78.19725	Paved, not striped
Dewitt Recreation Area parking	42.99038, -78.16259	Plenty of parking, paved, not striped
Dewitt Recreation Area south entrance parking	42.98871, -78.16268	Plenty of parking, paved, not striped

Maps

All Trails

Both free and premium All Trails accounts provide the capability to load and navigate this map. Tap/click the trail name on the map to enlarge. Scan the QR code to load the map into All Trails app on your smartphone.

Why have we chosen All Trails for maps for this site?

This route is out and back starting and ending at Seven Springs Road trailhead.