Rail Explorers: Cooperstown Division
Rail Explorers: Cooperstown Division
Rail Explorers: Cooperstown Division
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About
Take a tour with Rail Explorers and experience the magic of the railroad like never before! Ride the rails on our pedal-powered 'Rail Explorers' - a unique activity suitable for everyone, now with electric motor assist!
Rail Explorers offers tours in 4 spectacular locations across the USA.
Cooperstown, New York
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Rail Explorers: Cooperstown Division
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
723 reviews
Excellent
646
Very good
52
Average
19
Poor
2
Terrible
4
Elizabeth Hannah
7 contributions
Jun 2021
If you're searching for something fun to do "rain or shine" I would highly recommend taking a road trip to Milford, New York to ride the rails on the Rail Explorers! My husband and I enjoyed the scenic views along the Susquehanna River. The tandem rail explorer we rode had an electric motor to help guide us along the way. The sitting areas were absolutely beautiful. Well placed with plenty of space. Every crew member there was smiling (which I found to be infectious) they all seemed truly happy to be there, completely refreshing! The owners Mary Joy and Alex had amazing energy and even more passion. It was nice that they took the time to ask how the ride was for us (we enjoyed every-minute and didn't want it to end). Their passion for the rails made me feel even more elated that we chose that track to ride. 2 1/2 hours of fun! Cannot wait to explore more tracks with the Rail Explorers.
Written June 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
derfsdv
Wooster, OH94 contributions
Aug 2021
A totally fun experience to cruise down the rails by pedaling/battery assisted rail cars! We are in our mid 60's and thought this looked like a fun thing to do while in Cooperstown N.Y.. We did the 6 mile one way, 20 minute break and 6 mile return trip in just shy of 2 1/2 hours. The pedaling is not too hard but we were tired at the end. We enjoyed the trip passing over streams and going across a couple railroad trestles. Loved the clickity-clack of the car rolling over the rail spacings. On the return trip we were moving along at a good clip like 20 or so MPH! This felt like a roller-coaster in the curves. Our cost for a two person rail car was $ 95.00, a price well worth the experience.
Written August 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tracie O
5 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
The Rail Explorer adventure was excellent! We highly recommend it! The staff were very friendly and personable! Overall it took 2 hours. The staff said that the 8:30 time slot is usually much less crowded- that’s when we went and it was us and one other rail car. We weren’t sure of the rigor to petal the car but really only the back right passenger is hooked to the motor for the car. The other 3 passengers didn’t need to petal at all in reality. It was a great experience and we are so glad we did it!!
Written July 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Am C
Middletown, NY2 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
Cooperstown RailExplorers was an amazing experience for our family. The kids, aged 8-12, had the time of their lives! And every member of the staff really focused on the kids and made sure they were having a good time. From the moment we checked in with the young man at the counter at the gift shop to the energetic team manning the rails at the check points, they all took time to pay attention to the kids and get them excited. We got high fives from the staffers as we passed the road crossings and the kids got a chance to experience something so thrilling but safe. We were sad when we got to the end because we could have kept going!
Written June 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CRABBERGAL
San Clemente, CA154 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
We loved our experience and are so glad we chose to spend our afternoon with Rail Explorers! Corrine and Ezra were our guides for the afternoon and did a great job keeping spirits and energy levels high. The scenery along the railroad was beautiful and it felt good to be in the shade to beat the heat. Make sure you back bug spray!
Our only complaint is that my husband & I are both 5’11 and 6’2 and we didn’t find the seats very comfortable at all. Granted, you do have an electric motor assisting you so you don’t have to do a bunch of work to keep the car moving, but I don’t think I could’ve lasted any longer than the 12 mile route.
Also, the last car in the line of cars is the best car. The reason is because at the turnaround, they flip the direction of the cars around and everyone who was is the back is now in the front and everyone that is in the front is now in the back. You can reach speeds up to 18mph if you’re the first car on the downhill back! Otherwise, you may have to take your time getting down the hill if there are slower cars in front of you.
Crew does a great job paying attention to the weather too, so we felt safe and looked after the entire time. Definitely would do this again next time we’re in the area!
Our only complaint is that my husband & I are both 5’11 and 6’2 and we didn’t find the seats very comfortable at all. Granted, you do have an electric motor assisting you so you don’t have to do a bunch of work to keep the car moving, but I don’t think I could’ve lasted any longer than the 12 mile route.
Also, the last car in the line of cars is the best car. The reason is because at the turnaround, they flip the direction of the cars around and everyone who was is the back is now in the front and everyone that is in the front is now in the back. You can reach speeds up to 18mph if you’re the first car on the downhill back! Otherwise, you may have to take your time getting down the hill if there are slower cars in front of you.
Crew does a great job paying attention to the weather too, so we felt safe and looked after the entire time. Definitely would do this again next time we’re in the area!
Written August 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shelly C
1 contribution
Jun 2021
I had an exceptional experience from the reservation to the event itself. Our family and extended family (13 total) were able to ride the rails and had a blast. Our youngest member was 7 and the oldest was 73, and everyone had fun - even though our day was record high heat, the rails were shaded enough and the breeze of the ride made the event comfortable rather than over-whelming. The electric peddling was a huge asset for those in the party with bad knees & backs. One of our group needed a seatbelt extender and the rail assistants provided it and went out of their way to make this request "normal". The staff also were engaging, informative and brought a sense of joy and fun to the whole experience.
Written June 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SandC4July
Syracuse, NY130 contributions
May 2021
Much fun experience, equipment easy to use and scenery was great. Safety was pretty much insured with attentive, friendly staff doing crossing guard duty at road intersections and guiding us to the turn around. The old railroad right of way goes by the Susquehanna river, open fields and through woods otherwise unreachable any other way. Would like it if trips were longer or in both directions from the station to warrant a return trip for different scenery. Still, would do it again soon.
Written June 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vaughn H
Gilbert, SC10 contributions
Sep 2021
This was a great experience for the whole family from age 6 to 64. The bikes were in excellent condition and pedaled far easier than I would have expected. The electric assist mad it a lot of fun. The scenery was beautiful and the staff was knowledgeable and super helpful. I would recommend this for all ages and anyone wanting a pleasant outdoor experience for a few hours time. We would like to do this again at some of the other sites.
Written September 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Missy L
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Couples
Took my husband for our anniversary to rail explorers in Cooperstown. We had a lot of fun even though it was a hot day. Would definitely recommend having a meal like an hour before riding in the carts and just bring light snacks / water with you. Also recommend switching with your party for the power / brake seat - it was a lot of fun pedaling for that seat but was nice to get some photos on the way back on the non- power / brake seat.
The people that ran the rail trip were very helpful, had easy to understand explanations and were overall very kind. Overall had a great experience here and can’t wait to come back again or even try the other rail explorer trips.
The people that ran the rail trip were very helpful, had easy to understand explanations and were overall very kind. Overall had a great experience here and can’t wait to come back again or even try the other rail explorer trips.
Written July 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John D
Williamsburg, VA13 contributions
Aug 2022
Oh boy! Was this fun or what? The staff was fun, professional with a laid back feel to their manner. The concept of rail biking is pure genius. The bike-carts are powered by an electric motor. The only work you have to do is keep the spin-free peddles moving a little and you have to work very hard at not smiling they entire time. At the end of the line they have a cleaver turn around spindle that is fun to watch. They flip those babies around as you sit on chairs at the foot of an abandon bridge that spans a beautiful fast moving river. We were spaced well over a 100 feet between carts so all was safe and you felt as if you were all alone in the wilderness with the country side passing by and with bridges to cross the entire time. This was an adventure without the work, concern or anxiety of other adventures you might encounter, like biking or rock climbing or kayaking, etc. This is a must do adventure.
Written September 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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