Northeast - Route from Providence, RI to Rocherster, NY?

Im new to the forum and to touring, but im hoping to make my first trip from Providence to Chicago Il.
The first leg of the trip im trying to get to Rochester and Niagra Falls and I was hoping for some advice on any routes i should take or look in to. Ive been recommended to go through Adirondack State Park but it seems a little out of the way. Are there some nice routes there i could go to and then cut back west towards Rochester?
Any advice about how to get there would be much appreciated.

There looks like a paved trail from the Albany area heading west that roughly follows the Thruway and river.
I don't know the specifics.

There is a 30mi dirt path along the Erie canal between Rome and Syracuse.

More info here:

http://www.nyscanals.gov/exvac/trail/index.html

https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/operating/opdm/local-programs-bureau/biking

Note that there is a lot of state land and many state parks for camping.

The Adirondacks are great as a destination but not as a detour along the way. As one might expect, the inclines can be very long although the scenery is fantastic.

I live in Rochester, and use the canal trail frequently. Although I haven't ridden the whole route from Albany to Niagara Falls, I have read some online postings from folks who have, and haven't seen any negatives worth noting.

The significant advantages to the canalway are that it is mostly level along its entirety (except for when you have to pass around the locks) and..... it is great that don't have to ride in the car/truck traffic.
There are but a few road detours through small towns in the central NY area where the traffic is light.
The trail is mostly packed stone dust, so you would benefit from wider tires (32-42mm) if you are riding heavy for a long distance.

Even the small towns offer passably decent lodging and eateries, and many have bike shops.
If you use this route, please feel free to drop me a line and I can offer suggestions on where to stay and/or eat in this area.

There are plenty of ways to go in New York State. What to do depends upon what is important to you. I've ridden the Erie Canal and it's both interesting and historic, yet it is not always the most direct way. If you enjoy hills and more extensive views there are many additional possibilities. Anywhere south of the New York State Thruway is hilly. Years ago the most common route taken across the State was NY Rt. 20. Wide shoulders and not tons of traffic, yet it is very hill. Beautiful and historic, yet very hill. If you enjoy hills then you can cross the Hudson just south of Hudson, NY or in Albany and make your way across towards Rochester via Rt. 20. A less hilly route would be via the Canal trail, but some find it too flat. Plus only a few sections of it are paved. Another less hilly route would be to take NYS Bike Rt. 5 west from Albany. It more or less follows NY route 5 and 5s across the state through the Mohawk Valley. There are some hills, but not like Rt. 20. There would be a bit more traffic overall on 5 verses 20. 5 and 20 actually merge in the Finger Lakes area.

Another route, also extremely hilly, but beautiful would be to cut through the Catskills and head towards Ithaca. From there you could bike up one of the Finger Lakes heading north more or less to Rochester. Let me emphize that going to Ithaca would be HILLY.

Let me know what type of riding you are looking for and I can offer more specific ideas.
Wells
Sherburne, NY

Thanks for the replies everyone, all advice is much appreciated as i try to piece together my route.

the canal trail sounds like a solid idea. points of clarification though, how difficult will the ride be on the packed stone dust paths as my bicycle tires are thin tires (20-25 mm) and ill have a decent amount of gear for the long haul. any thoughts?

overall, im looking for more scenic routes. however, because im not that experienced of a tourer, ill have all my gear, and this is the beginning stages of my tour, i dont know if i could handle a route that was extremely hilly, not to say that i want a completely flat surface either
so i guess im trying to find a route to balance difficulty and scenery.

also im looking to campout during the trip so a route that would allow me to do that would be nice as well.

thanks again everyone

With narrow tires I believe you will have problems riding the canal trail. The surface varies and in many places after a rain it is a bit soft.
Wells

Ditto on your tires being too narrow for a loaded trip on the canal trail.
I use 38-42mm tires and they are just about right, and I rarely carry more than 20lbs with me.

As for scenery, there isn't much in the way of hills in this part of NY.
The scenery - despite the lack of hills - isn't bad on the trail, as it passes through a lot of farm country.
You can choose to travel along routes 5&20 (a few miles south) and the scenery would be better, although you'll be riding in traffic.

Considering that you're riding heavy for a long distance, have you considered using wider tires?
You might be happier with them even if you do all your riding on the road.

what's your route out of Providence?

Oddly enough you'll have some challenges as you go west from Providence and up across Massachusetts. It's a slow climb out of Providence to Connecticut and/or MA. Then you'll descend into the Connecticut River Valley and then have to climb back out. It's not like riding the Rockies or even the mountains of more northern New England but they can be short stiff climbs that wear you down a bit on the back roads.

Do you have a preference of cutting across CT or MA? Any particular landmarks or places along the way you'd like to see?

coming out of providence, i havent decided what i want to do. i have some family in connecticut that i was gonna stop by at but i know that ride is pretty hilly. they live in north eastern connecticut, and then i was probably gonna go up through mass. to NY. now that you say that though im not sure that it would be my best option.
id prefer to see my family and then go from there which ever way is easier. im not familiar with any sights worth driving through in western mass. or conn so any suggestions for that would be appreciated as well.

Check out the Rubels bike maps to get you through MA. I rode from Springfield MA to Narraganset via back roads and outbound it was rather hilly. If I find my old cues, do you want them? advise off list.

ed

yeah, that would be awesome

+1 on the Rubel's bike maps, though good luck getting a copy of a central Mass Rubel's- they seem to be out of print.

You'd probably find MA and CT are equally hilly on the east/west trips.

I did a ride out of Providence last summer up to Lee MA, which is pretty close to the NY line. I'll see if I can resurrect that route for you. It was "okay" not a great route but "okay" but I could let you know what sections need tweaking. Getting across the CT river can be tough because many of the bridges are narrow, high speed, no shoulders, lots of traffic and no sidewalk. Basically your route becomes about aiming for the best bridge.

None of this is meant by way of discouragement, by the way. The hills (and the prevailing winds) can be a little disconcerting as you ride out of Providence and it's just subtle enough to make you feel like you're really out of shape when, in fact, you are just very slowly gaining elevation while riding into what is usually at least a mild head wind. If you just accept that it's going to be a little slow going for a while it's fine- I don't know about you but I always find some comfort in the fact that others have suffered along a route in the same way I have.;)

The ride you are planning can be a delightful ramble through New England's back roads, farms, small towns and villages.

I'm thinking of riding the canal trail this summer too. I have a road bike. Not extra-thin tires, just normal road bike size. Would this really be a problem?

Also, I'm traveling on a budget. I saw a video of four guys who appeared to camp wherever. Is it possible to camp for free along the trail?

By the way, I'm traveling from Boston to Pittsburgh, but have chickened out of the idea of riding across Mass., and will probably get a ride to Pittsfield, Mass., find some roads to Albany, and take the canal trail to Buffalo, then ride Lake route along to Erie Pa., and then the "Pittsburgh Spur" down to Pgh.

I did the Erie Canal last year. It's an easy ride and there is always Bike rt 5 as an alternate. There were a couple of pretty good hills but nothing too difficult. My son rode the canal on his Felt road bike with 700x25 tires and had no problem.

We wrote is up HERE (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=3302&v=BN#69591)

Thanks John,

Read the whole story. No audio on the video unfortunately, though. Hmm, every story I read about the canal involves lots of rain. Doesn't look like this year will any better, judging by the past few days, or the past month for that matter.

But I have a question about the camping. There are legal, good (flat) sites near the towns, and otherwise they aren't flat, or not legal? Are there any charge for the campsites?

Well, your story gives new meaning for me to the line "you'll always know your neighbor, you'll always know your pal..."

The original poster already is out of Rochester. He stayed overnight at my house and headed west the next day.. By now he is in his final destination of Iowa