Pedal Along on the Lakes to Locks Passage

Pump up your tires, strap on a helmet, and pedal away to Lakes to Locks Passage. This New York State All-American Road presents dozens of adventurous road biking opportunities along the way from Rouses Point on the US-Canada border down the eastern edge of New York to Waterford.

Views of the Adirondack Peaks (NY) [1]

Drive this byway and chances are you’ll share the road with cyclists from spring through fall. Lakes to Locks Passage lends itself to biking in part because it includes segments of the extensive and popular Lake Champlain Bikeways. Stick to the primary route, or take one of the Champlain Bikeways’ interpretive loops of the Adirondack Coast Bikeways, to enhance your cycling adventure with a sampling of the region’s natural, cultural, historic, and agricultural features.

Although the 350 miles of Lake Champlain Bikeways circle Lake Champlain through New York, Vermont, and Canada, you’ll find plenty of biking opportunities just within the Lakes to Locks Passage region. Enjoy rolling hills, lake views, and farmlands where the byway begins at New York’s northeastern corner. Farther south along the route, you can look up to the heights of the impressive Adirondack Mountains while following any of the 21 loops comprising the Adirondack Coast Bikeways and Northern Adirondack Coast Bikeways.

Lake Champlain Bikeways (NY) [2]

One such Adirondack Coast loop, beginning in Willsboro, New York, on the byway, takes you 13.7 miles around Willsboro Point, which juts into Lake Champlain. Expect stunning lake views, one steep hill, and some commercial traffic along this flat, mostly paved route. Food, lodging, and parking are available at Willsboro, making it an excellent start and end point for a ride.

A few miles south of Willsboro, another intermediate skill-level option, the Coon Mountain Circuit, takes you 18.5 miles from Essex, New York, through the largest undeveloped area along Lake Champlain. Look for Osprey, herons, porcupines, and beaver as you bike past Split Rock Mountain, Royce Swamp, and Coon Mountain on paved and unpaved portions of this route, which follow the byway for eight miles before looping back up toward Essex. At the halfway point, step off your bike and hike the one-mile Coon Mountain Trail to reach stunning views of Lake Champlain.

Fort Ticonderoga Fife and Drum Corps (NY) [3]

In addition to natural wonders, the byway’s biking routes offer a glimpse into the history of eastern New York State. On the Adirondack Coast Bikeways’ 17-mile Fort-to-Fort route, you can journey from the visitor center at the Crown Point State Historic Site, through scenic farmlands to Fort Ticonderoga. Pay the admission fees at each site to explore forts, remnants of the French and Indian War, and military history exhibits. Traveler services are available at both Crown Point and Ticonderoga.

Beginning at Lake George Battlefield Park, ride the Warren County Bikepath to the Glen’s Fall Feeder Canal, a simple, paved, ten-mile route through gently sloping foothills and peaceful forests. Keep an eye out for pedestrians, with whom you’ll share this bikepath.

Whether you stick to Lakes to Locks Passage or take one of the alternate bikeway routes branching off the byway, you’ll be glad you did. Discover why many cyclists consider New York’s Adirondack and Lake Champlain Bikeways some of the best road biking in the country.