Motorcycle tour of Finger Lakes in New York
As I started to plan this, I thought that it would be no fun to just drive up and back. Rather, it would be nice take our time to visit some of the more scenic parts of Finger Lakes. I settled on driving around Cayuga lake, and visiting a few upper regions of Seneca lake, the two biggest lakes in Finger Lakes region. Below is the plan. If you are interested in joining this trip, email me at Pavansut(AT)gmail.com And be sure to follow me on this blog for dates and other details.
I figured we would ride from Pennington, New Jersey, my home town, to Ithaca, at the base of Lake Cayuga and camp out there for a night. The route to Ithaca, NY is about 5 hours long, but we would do it in stages in a enjoyable manner. The entire trip, around Lake Cayuga and back, with minimal stops, would only take us around 8 hours. But what's the fun in that!! We ride to enjoy, and that means periodically stopping and taking in the scenery and nature that this region has to offer.
Stage 1: We would ride to Bushkill Falls in Delaware Water Gap (78 miles, ~2-2.5 hrs)
Photo: Bushkill Falls, PA Photo Courtesy Jim Cheney
This ride would take us on Rt 31 to US 81W. We will take Exit 309 to Bushkill Falls covering the distance of 78 miles in ~2-2.5 hrs. At Bushkill Falls we would spend about an hour or hour and half, to take the mile long Bushkill Falls Trail to the falls, and enjoy the scenery before leaving for Binghamton. We eat packed lunch & rest before getting back on bikes.
Stage 2: Bushkill Falls, PA to Binghamton, NY: (94 miles, ~2.5 to 3 hrs)
Stage 3: Binghamton, NY to Ithaca, NY (~50 miles, 1 hour)
Day 2: Ithaca to Seneca Falls:
Stage 1: Ithaca Attractions (3-4 hrs)
On day two, we would visit some tourist attractions in the city, including Cornell University, the Herbert Johnson Museum etc, and have our lunch before setting off to Ludlowville Park. We plan to spend 3-4 hours in Ithaca.
Stage 2: To Ludlowville Park (12 miles, 20 mins):
Photo: Ludlowville Falls, New York Photo Courtesy CNYHiking.com
Ludlowville Park is famous for it’s beautiful water fall and it’s only about 20 mins ride from Ithaca. Enroute we would stop at East Short Park and at the Ludlowville Park we will hike about a mile to enjoy the waterfall. We expect to spend about 30-40 mins at the park.
Stage 3: To Seneca Falls (~40 miles, 3 hrs with stops)
On the route to Seneca Falls, there are numerous wineries on east side of Cayuga Lake, and we will stop at a couple of them to buy some wines (we don’t plan to drink wine at the wineries to save time and avoid the risk of accident) before stopping at Montezuma National Wild Life Refuge, which is famous for bald Eagles. The route to Seneca Falls is about 40 miles long, but with the stops I expect it will take us about 3 hours to cover the distance. We will do a night halt at Seneca Falls, and grab dinner at one of the local restaurants, and enjoy the wines we purchased during the day.
Day 3: Seneca Falls, to Ithaca
Stage 1: To Ventosa and Three Brothers Wineries (~12 miles, 1 hour with stops)
Our Day 3 will start with a leisurely brunch in Seneca Falls, followed by a trip to two wineries, the Ventosa Winery, and Three brothers Winery, both of which are on east side of Seneca Lake. Both the wineries are only about 10-12 miles away, but expect that you will spend about an hour altogether, enjoying the scenery.
Photo: Taughannock Falls, New York. Photo courtesy Talains Photography
Stage 2: To Taughannock Falls (45 miles, 3 hrs with stops)
Stage 2 will take us back towards Cayuga Lake, and multiple wineries on the way. First we will stop at Varick Winery, and then at Sheldrake Point Winery before heading to Taughannock Falls. After visiting the falls, we will start for Ithaca Falls Natural area. The entire distance is about 45 miles, but with breaks it will take us 2.5 to 3 hrs. If we have time, we could do Buttermilk and Lucifer Falls on Day 3, but if we are tired, my plan is to do these falls on day 4 on the way back home. We stay the night again in Ithaca.
Day 4: Return to Pennington.
Stage 1: To Buttermilk Falls vis Lucifer Falls (10 miles, 1 hour with stops)
If we haven’t already visited Buttermilk and Lucifer Falls, we do this today. both falls are only about 10 miles south west of Ithaca, and we should spend no more than an hour.
Photo: Buttermilk Falls, NY. Courtesy Tony Ingraham,
Stage 2: To Binghamton (55 miles, ~1.5 hrs)
Once we are done with the two falls, we head over to Binghamton, riding 96B South to 17 East, all the way to Binghamton, a distance of about 55 miles in 1.5 hrs. We stop briefly for coffee, before starting for Pennington.
Stage 3: To Pennington, NJ (~175 miles, ~3.5 hrs)
This time we ride straight to Pennington covering a distance of ~175 miles in 3.5 hrs. First we take I-81 South to 380 South and follow it to 33 South. We then take 78 East to 31 South, all the way to Pennington. So, altogether we take four days and three nights to cover the two lakes.
Could we do it quicker? Yes of course, but what’s the fun in that! The idea is to enjoy the journey and make it a trip worth remembering.
So, if you are interested in joining Sai and I on this trip, let me know. Email me at PAVANSUT(AT)GMAIL.COM. We are limiting the trip to only 10 experienced riders. We will let you know the hotel where we plan to stay and you can make your own arrangements.
Comments