Lake Champlain Bikeways

Principle Route Northbound – Whitehall, NY to Rouses Point, NY

Length: 124 Miles
Direction: North (one-way)
Elevation Gain: 5991 ft
Highest Point: 725 ft

Cyclists who ride in the Champlain Valley know it has all the right ingredients for a premier bicycle touring destination: peaceful country roads, picturesque villages, breathtaking scenery, charming B&B’s and inns, country stores and farmstands, bicycle tour outfitters, impressive historic sites and museums, lovely shoreline parks and campgrounds, convenient connections to passenger rail lines and ferry crossings, and access to numerous lakes and rivers.

The Lake Champlain Bikeway is an interconnected, international network of bicycle routes around Lake Champlain in New York, Vermont, and Quebec. New York features 124 miles of the 363 mile principal route. This ride is can be done in sections or as part of a multi-day bicycle tour.

From the southern end of the Lake, Whitehall to Crown Point, the Champlain Bikeway is characterized as hilly with moderate traffic and decent shoulders. From Crown Point to Westport use caution on Route 22 which has narrow shoulders. The landscape is generally farmland and offers nice views of the Lake and mountains. From Westport to Ausable Chasm, the Bikeway is rolling and affords beautiful near and distant Lake views. Traffic is minimal on quiet backroads including Lake Shore Drive and Highlands Road.

After leaving Plattsburgh, the Bikeway follows Lake Shore Drive from Point Au Roche State Park to Coopersville. Hugging the shoreline, this section is quiet, flat, and scenic–a prime area for beginning cyclists and families. Arrival in Rouses Point signals the end of the New York section of the Lake Champlain Bikeway, or a beginning to further cycling adventures in Quebec and Vermont.

See full ride directions (aka Cue Sheet)
View map and ride data at GPSies.com