From Orchard Park northward into Buffalo you will experience urban riding conditions so ride defensively. A nicely paved but poorly signed bike path extends from the Buffalo Naval Park to the Peace Bridge, which takes you into Canada. The Peace Bridge is an easy crossing, and the route continues on a bike path along the Niagara River. You'll pass Niagara Falls, then cross back into the U.S. At Lockport, the route follows 86.5 miles of the Erie Canalway Trail before heading toward Lake Ontario. The route then heads east through Adirondack Park. The terrain is hilly and passes many lakes and recreation spots. The endpoint is Ticonderoga which is located close to Lake Champlain.
On our cross country tour, this was one of our absolute favorite sections. Just so much to experience here! We weren't fans of the Erie Canal, because it was hot and dry and dusty, the trees had been cut down on the section from Lockport to Rochester, and many of the bathrooms were locked. However, from Rochester to Fairhaven was rolling hills delight. We detoured from Fairhaven up through Oswego and over to New Haven, which we enjoyed for the beautiful rolling roads with light traffic. The Sleeping Bear campground outside of Port Ontario offers free hiker/biker camping! The route through the Adirondacks is perfection, with lakes and campgrounds galore. Really just an excellent piece of the Northern Tier.
Thank goodness we have ebikes!
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Reviewed By:
Janet Anspach-Rickey on 7/3/19
Beautiful riding through the Adirondacks and New York! From Fort Erie we shifted to the Lake Erie Connector!
Northern Tier Sections 10 & 11
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Reviewed By:
Hewes Agnew on 10/2/09
Too much Highway 1!
Great choice of roads
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Reviewed By:
Anonymous on 9/3/09
This is a well laid out route and uses a good choice of road.
