West Shore Trail, Churchville, NY

The West Shore Trail proceeds from its trailhead on West Buffalo Street, Churchville, NY, westward for 15.4 miles to its terminus in Elba, NY. The total out and back mileage is 30.8 miles.

The trailhead has a small parking lot, restrooms, and a caboose repainted in its original Chessie System colors. Trailhead signs describe the history of the caboose in America and some great pictures of this one in service and being installed at the trailhead.

It’s not a trail for quiet contemplation. Most of the trail has large bushes and trees on each side so it’s hard to see the wetlands, bogs, and swamps. But plenty of songbirds give evidence to the (mostly) unseen landscape. Meanwhile, there is an almost constant sound of the singing of the rails, rattling cars, and train horns.

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 is mostly ballast from the trailhead west to the intersection with Route 19. Beyond route 19, it becomes easier with small gravel. It is also wider than most trails, as much as 20 feet. There are several road intersections, all of which are the same level as the trail.

Please consider carefully whether this trail surface is suitable for your activity.

Restrooms

There are public restrooms in the small depot at the West Church Street parking lot.

Points of Interest

Some unusual sights you will see on the trail include

• snowmobile trail signs,
• large concrete pads in the middle of the trail,
• US Department of the Interior Registered National Landmark for Bergen Swamp,
• “Access by written Permission only” in addition to the usual “Posted No Trespassing” signs,
• “Warning Live Feed Surveillance Cameras in use, No Trespassing” sign,
• snowmobile moguls,
• tree stand or tree house, and
• a geocache called “Leap onto the West Shore.”

Did you know snowmobile trails have moguls? Sometimes they are an undesired byproduct of driving snowmobiles in the snow, but these look intentional.

History

The West Shore Railroad was opened in the 1880’s as competition to the New York Central (NYC) Railroad and ran parallel to the NYC. There’s much more history of the railway on the trailhead signs.

In A New Path to our Past, Ron Belczak, Village Historian, wrote:

Hoping to create competition, the West Shore ran for about four short years before it was forced into bankruptcy and then acquired by William Vanderbilt, owner of the New York Central Railroad.

Trains continued along these tracks until 1959 when the line was officially discontinued and the rails in the area were removed sometime in the early 1960’s.

Another rail trail built on the West Shore Line is the Westshore Trail Extension in Clarence, NY.

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. Warning: this trail is in a less populated area. You may have to wait 15 minutes or more for a ride or you may not get a ride at all. I got stranded at a trailhead once and could not get back to my car at the other trailhead. Thankfully, it was close enough home that my wife picked me up. But I have done this successfully in more populated areas.

Trail Summary

Distance	15.4 miles point to point	30.8 miles out and back
Elevation gain	325 feet
Trail surface	Ballast and gravel
Difficulty	Easy
Point of Interest	43.091617, -77.964378	Snowmobile moguls
West Church St parking and trailhead	43.10278, -77.89285	5 spaces, paved, 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?