Welcome to Columbia Friends of the Electric Trail

The Electric Trail, part of the Empire State Trail, runs for 36 miles from the city of Rensselaer to the City of Hudson in Rensselaer and Columbia counties. The majority of the $45 million trail is off-road and follows the historic route of an electric trolley, which operated from 1900 to 1929. The corridor is owned by National Grid, which authorized New York State to build a trail on the route (see below for maps and a link to the Empire State Trail website).