Seaway Trail: Niagara Falls to Rochester New York

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Niagara Falls

   Few places announce themselves as loudly as Niagara. Before you see the falls, you hear them, and then a column of mist rises over the trees, and then the river drops away in front of you, a mass of green water plunging fifty metres into a boiling gorge. The Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side take the bulk of the flow, while the American Falls and the narrow Bridal Veil are on the New York side, and the whole thing is the product of one of the biggest drainage systems on earth, the Great Lakes, emptying through a single river.

   Read the complete Niagara Falls write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Niagara Falls is where the day begins. Next is Buffalo.

2. 2. 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 comes up about 63 km into the recorded legs. Next is Rochester New York.

3. 3. 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

   The route ends here after 319 km.