# Road ride from Poconos PA to Niagra NY...advice needed



## kps88 (Dec 3, 2013)

Hi All,
Visiting PA and 6 of us are planning a ride from NorthEast PA near the Poconos to the Niagra area. We are planning to head towards Binghamton, towards Watkins Glen, to Finger lakes and up North to top of Lakes (like Seneca, Waterloo or Auburn...whatever is up that way. Towards Rochester via Erie Canal way and to Niagra. Looking for advice and or anyone have a route? I found some information on the site below. Is this good information? Thanks in advance.

https://www.dot.ny.gov/display/programs/bicycle/planning


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

Perhaps I am missing the question but, my suggestion is to use ridewithgps to plan your route. What I do is use Google street view to look at the street and make note of traffic, lane width and shoulders. If OK, and I am satisfied with the gradient and elevation change (if any) I'll include it in my route. It's a painstaking process, but I pretty much know what the ride will look like after I'm done plotting. Next, I save the ride and upload it to my GPS for turn by turn directions.

BTW, this sounds like a fun ride! I've toyed with the idea of riding form the water gap to the george washington bridge.


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## kps88 (Dec 3, 2013)

I was hoping someone would have knowledge of what roads to take (maybe they took some of this trip themselves). Like if someone where to ask where to ride if the come to North East PA. I took your advice and did chart the ride to Niagra (309 miles). Only issue is are these roads good to ride on...I did use the maps on mapmyride.com and most roads I picked seem good (I did use the satellite). I do travel to the Finger Lakes often and we have often traveled off highway and more scenic route. That experience seemed good for road bikes. Of course once you are at the Finger Lakes roads are fine. 

The ride does seem like it will be fun. We will have a sag wagon (will have a 6 man rotation). We will try for roughly 100 miles a day (with 75 of actual riding and taking turns driving). We will also camp for one or two nights and stay at a hotel the other nights. we would like to ride 500 miles total, so we would ride partially the way back. then drive home after we hit our number.


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

The only way I can get an idea if roads are good or not is by going one step past satellite and into street view. This gives me an indication of surface, potholes, shoulder widths, lane widths and relative traffic (well, sort of). 

The only other crutch - using ridewithgps - would be to search for rides already mapped in towns you're riding through if a few rides use the same road, chances are it's the preferred one by cyclists.

Funny you say that, we were in the Finger Lakes last year (amazing time but that goes without saying) and saw three guys and a support vehicle puttering behind them through the fields and rollers.


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## kps88 (Dec 3, 2013)

sorry, meant street view. I did use that to check the roads as you mention.

the Sag should really help with safety for much of the trip. I will look into that site you mention. thank you.


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