Finger Lakes, Niagara Falls & PA Grand Canyon

With an excellent forecast for beautiful weather over the next several days, we left on a four-day trip to the Finger Lakes, Niagara Falls and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.

Day 1 - Ride to the Finger Lakes

For the route to Auburn, New York, I could have taken mostly Interstate highways but, with a 200+ mile trip, I chose instead to ride state highways and other back roads. I headed up through the Pocono and Endless Mountains using PA 423, PA 196, PA 296, and PA 171.

SR 196 and SR 296 are two of the best roads in Northeast Pennsylvania in my opinion. The road conditions are good with excellent scenery and light traffic. Along the way we stopped at Shelley's Family Restaurant in Hamlin for breakfast. They are biker friendly and the food is always good.The restaurant is located on SR 590 1/2 mile east of SR 196.

This was my first time on PA 171 and it didn't disappoint. The scenery was framed by small towns, farms and forests.The road is in good condition by PA standards. As we traveled north the traffic continually thinned out. Along with NY 79, PA 171 is an excellent alternative to I-81.

When we arrived at Lanesboro, we took some photos of a viaduct.



While there, a mechanic from a garage across the street told us about the famous Starracca Viaduct which was just down the road. We went under the viaduct but couldn't stop for photos as there was no place to park. We then picked up Damascus Road which became CR 225 in New York. This is a nice road which follows along the Susquehanna River.

After a quick jaunt on NY 17 we got on NY 79 to continue north. 79 is an excellent motorcycle road for cruising and touring. It has great tarmac that is smooth as glass in some areas. Going through rural areas, it has nice scenery and traffic is light.

At Richford we picked up NY 38 for the final leg to Auburn. 38 had some nice scenery and, as you get closer to Auburn, there are some great views of Owasco Lake. In Auburn we checked into the Holiday Inn. The folks there were very accommodating. They even let me park my motorcycle right outside the front door under cover.

With mostly rural settings, small towns, farms, and light traffic, the trip to Auburn provided some very nice, relaxed riding.


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Day 2 - On to Niagara Falls

My route to Niagara Falls was very simple. I took US 20 to Darien and NY 77 north to pick up the 'superslab' for the ride through Buffalo to the falls. US 20 from Auburn to Canandaigua was somewhat disappointing. With numerous lights, many shopping centers, and heavy traffic, the ride did not start out very well. Once we got west of Canandaigua US 20 provided a nice cruise through scenic farmland.

From Darien it was a quick trip on NY 77 and the Interstates to get to Niagara Falls. Late August turned out to be a good time to visit the falls. The crowds were small and there were no lines at any of the venues.
Of course we took a cruise on the Maid of the Mist. A thrilling experience, we thoroughly enjoyed the scenic views of the falls and surrounding area. After the cruise we took in the movie which documents some of the history of the falls.



Following Niagara Falls we had to backtrack through Buffalo on Interstates to get to our accommodations for the night. With the time being 4pm I was concerned about rush-hour traffic and congestion but, as it turned out, we cruised through the city without any problems.

We then proceeded to East Aurora and the Roycroft Inn for the night. The Roycroft Inn is a wonderful old, but well maintained, inn. Our small suite proved to be an excellent experience of days gone by.

We also had dinner at the Roycroft. We ate outside on their huge porch and the food was outstanding. The service was excellent and I would say it was in the European style. There was no rush which gave us an opportunity to savor each course of the meal. Taking two hours, it was a pure delight and a refreshing change from eating at your typical American restaurant.



Day 2 was a remarkable experience and one we'll never forget.


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Day 3 - US 6 & the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon

After having breakfast at the Roycroft Inn, we walked across the street to the Roycroft Campus to shop at the Copper Shop Gallery and Antiques shop.

With nothing in our hands from shopping, we departed the Inn and headed south on NY 16. 16 provided some traffic which was steady and moderate down to Machias, but the traffic moved right along. From there traffic thinned out and the scenery got better.

In Olean, NY we stopped for gas and picked-up NY 417 east for a short distance. From there it was onto PA 44 south. The stretch of 44 from Ceres, NY to Cloudersport, PA is a real gem. Everything you can expect from a great motorcycle road: nice curves and twists, excellent scenery, good road surface, and light traffic.
I made a mental note to ride SR 44 south of Cloudersport in the future. I suspect it won't dissapoint.

At Cloudersport we got on US 6 east which is an excellent cruising road and very popular with motorcyclists. Along the way we stopped for a break at Larry's Sport Center. As we pulled up, we realized that they were closed (Wednesday). However, some service employees were in to catch up on their work. They opened up so that we could get a cold drink from a vending machine. We sat outside with our drinks and chatted with another motorcyclist who happened to stop by.

Not far from Larry's, we turned south on PA 362 to head for the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. 362 was a little rough and in need of repair or re-surfacing but, fortunately, we were on it for just a few miles before picking up PA 660 to the Canyon.

The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon may not compare with it's namesake out west, but, never the less, it is a spectacular example of God's work. At it's small visitor center, we viewed a film about the canyon then walked down to the observation deck to view the canyon and marvel at nature's beauty.



From the canyon, SR 660 takes you directly to Wellsboro. It is a wonderful road which has some nice twists and turns and a good road surface. At Wellsboro we checked-in to the Sherwood Motel, which is a biker friendly establishment.
After having dinner at The Steak House, we settled in for the night.


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Day 4 - More of US 6 and a great find.

We were ready to go before first light in the morning so we walked across the street and had coffee at Dunkin' Donuts. At first light we were on the road with US 6 for some more good cruising.

In Towanda we stopped for breakfast at Cookies Canteen. The food was excellent and recommended. At Wyalusing, we headed south on PA 187. It proved to be a very nice road with good views of the Susquehanna River, light traffic, and smooth road surface.

Near Stowell PA 187 comes to a 'T' and continues to the right. I didn't see a direction sign at the intersection, made a left hand turn and ended up on SR 4002. Rather then turn around and backtrack, I decided to stay on 4002 and find out what surprises it had in store for us. This back road more then made up for my mistake. It provided some nice scenery and proved to be a shortcut to North Mehoopany and PA 87.

PA 87 got us back to US 6 for a short trip to Tunkhannock. From there we took PA 29 and PA 309 to get to Wilkes Barre and continue home.


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With 4 days of good weather, some very nice roads, and visits to some great tourist spots, this trip will be one we'll remember for a long time.