Adirondacks/Lake Champlain

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Riding around Lake Champlain is a cyclist’s delight. Bounded by upstate New York’s Adirondacks, the spine of Vermont’s Green Mountains, and Quebec’s Richelieu River, the 363-mile Lake Champlain Bikeway around the United States’ sixth largest lake is a prime touring destination. The route leads through a postcard land of rolling countryside, small town charm, and village greens, with fresh farm-stand produce, cheese, maple syrup creations, and Vermont-based Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. The Bikeway is part of a 1,400-mile network which affords map lovers many bike touring options.
Named after the French explorer Samuel de Champlain who sailed there in 1609, modern two-wheeling travelers circumnavigating the nearly 400-foot deep lake can enjoy stopping in classic general stores where local customers are greeted by name. Or they can linger by regional staples like white-steepled churches, red barns with horses grazing, small museums, and wooden covered bridges. Fishing (with license) and bird watching (with binoculars) are undemanding diversions. In Quebec, a simple bonjour goes a long way.
Keep an eye out for Champ, the legendary monster Champlain reputedly saw and described as “a 20-foot serpent, with a horse-shaped head and body as thick as a keg.” Bicyclists definitely will see cows. And in fall, hills ablaze with color. Inn-to-inn cycling is popular, while campgrounds are plentiful.
It’s not all rural, with two compact cities: Plattsburgh, New York, and Burlington, Vermont. Burlington was recently named the healthiest city in America and is loaded with bikeways, including a 13-mile rail-trail that goes along the lake, abruptly stopping at a boater’s cut with seasonal ferry service allowing riders to continue through to the gently rolling roads and bridges of the Lake Champlain Islands. Stateside ferries and bridges crossing sections of the lake are wonderful resources to shave off some miles if time, or a sore saddle, become an issue.

Resources: Lake Champlain Bikeways is a nonprofit organization that produces a series of maps and guides to cycling the lake and larger region, www.champlainbikeways.org, (802) 652-2453.
-Marty Basch
As featured in Adventure Cycling Magazine’s Top Ten Tours. www.adventurecycling.org

Ride Mi. Details
Champlain Bikeways 124 Village/rural mix, rolling hills, lots of great views
of town and country.

Other Local Rides, Maps, and Cue Sheets

Adirondacks Region Highway Map (courtesy of ILOVENY)

Guided & Supported Tours in the Adirondacks Region:

The Great Big FANY Ride: A bicycle tour across upstate New York (inc. the Adirondacks)

Overnight Lodging

New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association: A lodging search for this region.

Restaurants:

Adirondacks Tourism Restaurant Guide

Area Partners: Regional Tourism Resources

I LOVE NY: Official NY Tourism Website
Regional Tourism Promotion Agency
Adirondack Coast
Lake Champlain Region
Washington County
2010 New York’s Adirondacks Travel Guide: Request a Guide