Utica and Lyons Join Erie Canal Trail Town Program as $208K in Tourism Grants Flow to Canal Communities
Two more New York communities are staking their futures on the Erie Canal. The City of Utica and the Town of Lyons have been officially designated as 2026 Empire State Trail Towns, joining eleven other canal-side communities in a program that is quietly reshaping how upstate New York thinks about economic development along its most storied waterway.
Two Communities, One Shared Vision
Parks & Trails New York announced the designations on March 16, marking a significant expansion of the Trail Town initiative funded by the NYS Canal Corporation. Utica becomes the largest city to enter the program, bringing its diverse dining scene, arts institutions, and lodging options within immediate reach of the Empire State and Erie Canalway trails. City leaders see the designation as a chance to forge stronger links between the trail network, Harbor Point, and the Mohawk River corridor.
“Both towns are making the trail a gateway to adventure, heritage, and discovery,” said Parks & Trails New York’s Paul Steely White. Utica Mayor Mike Galime echoed that optimism, emphasizing the city’s goal of connecting “the trail and Downtown Utica” to drive lasting economic benefits for residents and businesses alike.
Meanwhile, the Town of Lyons brings a different kind of appeal. Its National Register-listed Historic Downtown District is dotted with canal-era landmarks, and local programs like Active People Healthy Wayne and the Lyons Main Street Program have already laid the groundwork with bike-friendly infrastructure and pedestrian improvements. The year-long Trail Town initiative will provide both communities with expert guidance, community workshops, and strategic recommendations to boost trail-related tourism.
$207,953 in Grants Reach 41 Canal Communities
The Trail Town news arrives alongside a broader wave of investment. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the NYS Canal Corporation have awarded 41 grants totaling $207,953 through the 2026 Canal System Tourism Infrastructure and Event Grants program. The funding supports 11 infrastructure and amenity projects and 31 community events designed to draw visitors to the canal corridor.
Several existing Trail Towns are putting the money to immediate use. In Lockport, the Locks Heritage District Corporation will create a tactile map and accessibility assessment of the historic locks district—an investment that opens the canal’s engineering marvels to visitors with visual impairments. The Village of Clyde is upgrading its Welcome Center with new seating, signage, Adirondack chairs, and an accessible picnic table. And the Town of Montezuma will enhance its High Street Trailhead with drinking fountains, bottle-filling stations, bike racks, and accessible picnic facilities.
In Canajoharie, the Library and Art Gallery received support for restroom upgrades and accessibility improvements at the library and the Arkell Museum—ensuring that cultural stops along the trail are welcoming to all visitors.
A Canal Corridor on the Rise
The numbers behind these programs tell a compelling story. The Canalway Trail system now attracts nearly four million visits annually, while the broader Empire State Trail generates more than nine million visits per year. With the Erie Canal’s bicentennial navigation season set to open May 15 and a $50 million state allocation backing infrastructure rehabilitation across the canal system, 2026 is shaping up as a landmark year.
For communities like Utica and Lyons, the Trail Town designation is more than a title. It is a structured pathway toward becoming destinations where the canal’s heritage and its economic future converge—one trailhead, one welcome center, and one accessible picnic table at a time.