Running in Central New York

Just a short 20-minute drive from Syracuse, Beaver Lake Park has plenty of trails for long and short distance runners. Trail sizes vary from 1/2 mile up to 3 miles. With about half a dozen to choose from, you can combine the trails to create one long run. The trails are not hilly, although the terrain varies from flat, dirt and wood-chip trails to wooden boardwalks. In the winter, the trails are not plowed, so running on them is impossible. However, any other time is just fine. The park sits next to Mud Lake, although there are plenty of beavers around, hence the name of the park. Besides beavers, there are many deer to be seen.

It costs $1 to park there (required). Canoe rentals are available (or bring your own). Also, no bikes are allowed on the trails.

If you're looking for a park near Syracuse to run in, then a short 10-minute drive from downtown should end your search. Onondaga Lake Park is probably the most popular place for runners of all levels to go for a run in the area, which also makes it quite busy on nice days (a rarity in Syracuse). Stretching for 2+ miles on the northeast side of the lake, the park boasts a wide, paved road for anything wheeled...bikes, rollerbladers, strollers, skateboards, and the tram (a free shuttle for those who can't walk the distance of the park).

Next to the wide trail, closer to the lake, is a recently constructed footpath...for walkers and runners. Although it can be busy at times, since it is narrow, it provides an excellent place to run without worrying about a bike buzzing past you. A "round trip" run from the Salt Museum at the southern end, to the northern end near Mud Locks, a runner can tally about 5-6 miles.

Two miles north of the Salt Museum you have two options on how to extend your run...continue north to Mud Locks, or cross over the Onondaga Lake outlet bridge and enter Longbranch Park. See my review of Longbranch Park for more info on that place. The worst thing about the park is that it is next to Onondaga Lake...which is one of the WORLD'S most polluted lakes, and has a bunch of weird smells coming from it. Also, there are no loops...the running paths are simply out-and-back runs.

Longbranch Park has two sections...one sitting next to Onondaga Lake, and then a picnic area north of the lake. The picnic area is not really a place to run, although it is home to Liverpool High School's cross-country teams. The pathways are all gravel or wood-chipped, and unmarked. But, if you know the cross-country course, then you'll be able to mark a 5k route easily. In the back of the picnic area are some rolling hills, though nothing hard whatsoever. Since it is not widely known, you can often go there and not find a single person there with you, making it a very peaceful place.

To reach the "other" part of the park, cross Longbranch Road near the bridge crossing the lake outlet, and travel under the Thruway bridge overpass. This brings you to the West Shore Trails. These trails used to be a GREAT place to run. But, thanks to people with rollerbladers and strollers, it is now not as great of a place to run. The trails used to be entirely dirt/gravel, which prevented any rollerbladers or strollers there. But, in the past few years, they decided to pave the trails, which brought over strollers and rollerbladers from Onondaga Lake Park, making the trails more congested. They did leave one section of trails unpaved, but they are not along the lake and less enjoyable.

The West Shore trails extend for 2+ miles, and actually consist of two parallel trails...one next to the lake, one not. Aside from the rollerbladers congesting the paths, it is a nice place to run especially if you want to extend a run to/from Onondaga Lake Park (accessible via the lake outlet bridge/Longbranch Road bridge).

To extend your run to places beyond Onondaga Lake and Longbranch Park, two pedestrian bridges link the West Shore Trails to suburban streets in Solvay. Once over either bridge, it is a steep incline uphill for 1/4 to 1/2 mile to reach State Fair Blvd. Once on State Fair Blvd., heading south will bring you to the New York State Fairgrounds in less than 2 miles.

Like Onondaga Lake Park, these trails are basically out-and-back, although you can create a pseudo-loop by taking one trail out and then the parallel trail back.

A short drive east of Syracuse, in the town of DeWitt, lies a piece of history and a good place to go for a run. Long forgotten by many, the Erie Canal was a monumental achievement in engineering in the 19th century. It was basically a 40-foot-wide canal hand-dug from Albany to Buffalo to expand trading and transportation in New York and the country. In Dewitt remains part of the original canal, now converted into a park. What used to be the tow paths used by mules are now long, flat, dirt trails used for running, biking, and walking.

In all, the trail stretches for nearly 36 miles from Dewitt to Rome, NY. Running the entire length would be pretty insane, although biking it is not too uncommon. It is extremely flat, so don't try doing a hill workout on it. On hot days, be prepared and take water with you. The sun can beat down on you since some parts have no tree cover.

Although it is long, flat, and straight for long distances, it also has some unique sights to behold. There are old canal locks, and quite a few rustic buildings that dot the trail.

Parking at the trailhead is free. There are also a bunch of other places along the trail to start your run, but I'm not sure about the parking and/or cost.

If you like hills, or want to do a hill workout, then Van Buren Park is the place to be. Five minutes off route 690, near Baldwinsville, this park is located in the middle of nowhere near some large homes. The most popular place at the park is the pool and picnic area. But, it also has a pond and huge hill.

For runners, you'll find that the park does not contain many trails. There is a small patch of woods south of the pond with a few trails. I've done loops around the trail and in the woods as a warm-up run. Other than that, there are some footpaths surrounding the hill that are used when ascending the hill, which is the main attraction. If you want to do some quick hill repeats, or extended runs up and down the hill, then the hill should be plenty. I've done 45-minute runs up and down the hill. Most angles up the hill are steep. So, your legs will get a good workout no matter how you approach the hill.

Parking at the park is free, although there is a fee to enter the pool area.