CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY is blessed with beautiful unused rail corridors winding through picturesque countryside and villages and trucks, railroads were essential for transportation and for moving agricultural and manufactured goods and supplies through rural areas. In recent decades, railroads have abandoned most of their lines serving rural areas. In an era preceding paved roads and mechanically reliable cars, Chautauqua Rails-to-Trails is preserving these abandoned rail corridors for conversion into safe off-road trails for recreational use: walking, running, hiking, bicycling, cross country skiing, bird watching (over 170 species identified) and horseback riding. These trails provide public access through scenic woodlands, wetlands and flowering meadows, offering trail users opportunities to observe the plants, animals and birds found in areas otherwise remote from highways and roads. The trails are available for outdoor recreational activities and environmental study for the public at large and for group outings sponsored by schools, scouts, churches and service organizations.

Portage Trail