Niagra falls te NY

[Shane]

Hi guys,

As my cross country(non ACA route) trip draws to a close I'm thinking of stopping off at Niagra on my way to New York, Does anyone have any thoughts about a nice route from Niagra to NY city and once near the city is there an easy (bike friendly) wat to get downtown, I thought a nice photo with Mrs Liberty would be a nice closer for my trip.

Thanks and looking forward to your responces

Shane

www.coast2coast.tk

[JimF]

Hi, Shane:
One option, at least to the eastern border of NY, is the Erie Canal path. My wife and I did the Buffalo to Albany route this summer. An enjoyable tour. Either the bike trail or NY Bike Route 31 is available. You can get more info at http://www.ptny.org/canalway/index.shtml .From Albany, I can't help with a route to the city, but I'd guess others will reply. Good journey.

[indyfabz]

You may know this, but there is only one way you can actually cycle into Manhattan from NJ:  The George Washington Bridge.

Another option is to take one of the sevral ferries from NJ:

http://www.nywaterway.com/

If you take the ferry to Midtown you can use this to head towards downtown:  http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/explore/bicycling.html

You can also get into the city by taking the PATH train from Jersey City, NJ or Hoboken, NJ.  (Bikes off peak during weekdays, all day on weekends)

Don't know if they have ferry service from Manhattan to the Statue of Liberty.  There is from Jersey City.

[Shane]

Thanks guys that'll do me just nicely.

I may even be able to get the photo I want from Liberty park, I'm flying out of Newark so thats actually quite handy, the ferry is a good option too, thanks for the help.

I see theres also a campground near Liberty park, that'll save alot of cash not having to get a  motel.

[litespeed]

I would suggest taking the Erie Canalway Trail to Albany then US9W down to the George Washington Bridge then across to Manhattan. 9W parallels I-87 so the traffic isn't bad and it's fairly scenic. I used to ride 9W every weekend to get out of town when I lived in Hoboken for a few months.

[bubbatoby]

I also recommend the Erie Canal to Albany. From Albany, you may want to cross the Hudson to Rensaleer and proceed south on Rt 9J to Cold Spring. At Cold Spring, I would highly recommend going East on 301 to Carmel. At Carmel, you can get on the North Couty Trailway and ride all the way to NYC traffic free except for a couple of detours totaling 3.5 miles.
 
North County Trailway web address: http://www.westchestergov.com/PARKS/brochures/Trailways/NorthCountyTrailway.htm

[Turk]

Couldn't you take a train to NYC from Albany? That might be a good way to go.