Seaway Trail: Buffalo to Oswego

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Buffalo

   Buffalo sits at the east end of Lake Erie, where the lake narrows into the Niagara River, and its position has shaped everything about it. The Erie Canal ended here when it opened in 1825, linking the Great Lakes to the Hudson and New York, and the city became a great grain port, its waterfront crowded with huge concrete elevators, many of which still stand. At one point in the early twentieth century it was among the richest cities in America, and the legacy is still visible in its architecture, from the art deco city hall to the Frank Lloyd Wright houses.

   Read the complete Buffalo write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Buffalo is where the day begins. Next is Rochester New York.

2. 2. Rochester New York

   Rochester rose on water power. The Genesee River drops ninety feet over High Falls in the middle of the city, and in the early nineteenth century the mills along the gorge ground so much wheat that it was called the Flour City, before the nickname changed to the Flower City, for its nurseries and lilacs. The Erie Canal crossed the river here on a stone aqueduct, and the city grew on the canal trade. Today, High Falls still tumbles through the downtown, lit at night, and the old mill buildings are being turned into apartments and cafes.

   Read the complete Rochester New York write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Rochester New York comes up about 274 km into the recorded legs. Next is Oswego.

3. 3. Oswego

   On a clear evening, Oswego claims the best sunsets on the Great Lakes, and nobody who has seen the sun sink into Lake Ontario from the breakwater is inclined to argue. The city sits where the Oswego River meets the lake, a working port of about eighteen thousand people with grain silos, a harbour and an old stone lighthouse, and the water stretches to a horizon as flat and wide as the sea. The lake is so big that waves can reach a couple of metres in a storm, and it never quite warms up.

   Read the complete Oswego write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 516 km.