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#1
03-06-2023, 08:17 AM
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Erie Canal Trail questions… Novice level!!
I have the opportunity to ride from Albany, NY to Buffalo, NY in mid May using the Erie Canal Trail. Ideally, I would like to continue to Muskegon, MI in order to catch the ferry to Milwaukee, then meeting my wife who will be visiting friends in Kenosha, WI.
I have NO experience with touring on a bike. I would like to enter Canada at Buffalo, ride west, and enter the US in Detroit. Is this possible? I have a valid US passport. If the 2 border crossings prove to be too big of a problem, I am not opposed to riding along the south shore of Lake Erie (staying in the US). I only have ~18 days or so, so if I cant make it I would either catch and Amtrak to Kenosha or rent a one way car. I need to be in Kenosha by June 2nd. Any advice on any of this? I’ve just begun research yesterday, so I still know less than nothing. Thanks! 
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#2
03-06-2023, 08:28 AM
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In Michigan so far as I know you’ll be doing mostly road riding. Once out of detroit metro area there probably lots of options for lightly traveled roads.
Going north and crossing at Port Huron would be a preferable option in my opinion. It’s a more rural area except for flint which you would want to go north or south of to avoid the area. Not sure that they would allow bikes on any of the bridges. There is a fairy that crosses in between port Huron and detroit which might be a good option not sure exactly which town though.
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#3
03-06-2023, 09:17 AM
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On my cross country bike tour in 2015, I did the same route you're referring to from the Erie Canal, border crossing at Niagara Falls, then pedaled as close as possible along the north shore of Lake Erie. Plenty of campgrounds along the way.
The Niagara Falls border crossing was easy. Just pedaled through, with brief interaction with border patrol. IIRC, they asked how long I'd be in the country for, where I was headed, and if I had any weapons. Easy peasy. Detroit was the real hassle. You enter from Windsor, which at the time did not have pedestrian access on the Ambassador Bridge. I stopped at a bike shop, to see how to navigate getting into Detroit, and they basically said I would be flattened by a tractor trailer if I tried to pedal with traffic on the bridge. But just so happened that there was a fella in the shop that was heading into Detroit that morning, and offered me a ride in his minivan! So I bought him lunch, then we made our way over. That was the only time I hitched a ride during my 5k+ mile trip. But in hindsight, after traversing the bridge, I should've pedaled it. Didn't seem too bad. Pedaling a loaded bike over the Astoria-Megler Bridge was def more nuts, IMO. Or taking 101 on the Olympic Peninsula on the south side of Lake Crescent was way more disconcerting, with the narrow road and logging trucks combo, haha.
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#5
03-06-2023, 12:02 PM
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I'm familiar with this area as rode to the midwest from NH via the Erie Canal and Ontario. You might find it easier and more pleasant to leave the canal and cross into Canada on the Rainbow Bridge. It's really easy if you time it for Sunday A.M., no wait at all. Once in Canada, the Niagra Parkway south to the Friendship trail is nice. You might consider crossing back into the US via the Walpole-Algonac ferry. I think the fee is $8.00 with a bike and it runs frequently. Have a great ride.
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#6
03-06-2023, 01:59 PM
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My wife and I rode out-back for about 30 miles one day on the Erie Canal Path and thought it was delightful. The surface was smooth, lots of shade trees, small towns every few miles to get food/drinks. We saw places to camp and plenty of lodging options.
How many miles per day do you want to ride? I would enjoy this ride as a credit card tour so I could enjoy a real bed and shower plus good food. I would like to have enough time and energy so see the sights and historic sites along the way. It sounds like you would have enough time to skip riding in awful weather should that pop up while you are en route. You can choose a ferry depending on your schedule as I think there are quite a few options from western Michigan to Wisconsin.
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#7
03-06-2023, 02:14 PM
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Michigan has a pretty extensive but kind of haphazard rail trail network. I moved here a few years ago but am still trying to figure it out. Here’s a set of cross state routes that are apparently mostly complete. I don’t think any line up with the border crossings or lake MI ferries, though.
https://www.michigantrails.org/trail...-lake-to-lake/ Hard to use but extensive guide to non-motorized trails: https://mitrails.org/ League of Michigan Bicyclists (lmb.org) also has maps and guides on their website. I don’t believe any of the major border crossings between Port Huron and Detroit (Bluewater Bridge, Detroit-Windsor tunnel, Ambassador Bridge) allow bikes. The Walpole-Algonac ferry is an interesting option I wasn’t aware of. There’s also bus service through the tunnel that I believe takes bikes. Let us know what you figure out!
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#8
03-06-2023, 04:24 PM
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Another Michigan map (state-maintained non-motorized trails I believe):
https://midnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/w...7b642382632c7c I'm in Evanston, IL and our family has a place near South Haven, MI. Would be happy to meet up somewhere. I think I can provide you with a place to stay (though would have to confirm with my better half).
__________________
Monti Special
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#9
03-06-2023, 05:32 PM
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google says it 767 miles from Albany to Muskegon. That’s an easy 43 miles/day for 18 days. You almost certainly should not follow the google route, so maybe a nice route is 45-50 miles/day. Presumably that sounds like fun to you (it does to me.) If you haven’t done any touring, set up your bike (rack+ panniers, or bikepacking) and try a 2-3 day tour. You’ll find out what’s good and bad about your rig and whether 18 days will be fun.
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#10
03-06-2023, 07:07 PM
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Download this one so you can view it larger. It's put out by MTGA and will contain the bulk of the rail trails and other pathways w/in Michigan
https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...h4UtP1X0S4orb_
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#11
03-06-2023, 08:03 PM
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Quote:
I have a really bad aversion to 'credit card touring'...a little known fact is you can camp at all the locks along the canal for free!
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#12
03-07-2023, 04:24 AM
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I have been riding the Erie Canal trail since it's inception. I grew up right next to it and they have made some nice improvements in recent years. As stated above there is free camping at all of the locks and plenty of small towns to stop by and grab food and drinks if needed.
Sent from my SM-S127DL using Tapatalk
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#13
03-07-2023, 07:08 AM
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I live in downtown Buffalo myself. The closest open roads to ride on are actually right across the border in Canada. Crossing all of the bridges here on bike is a breeze, you just ride up the sidewalk to the customs booths then walk over to the nearest open booth, skipping all of the traffic.
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#15
03-07-2023, 05:16 PM
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I really appreciate all the replies. I’m feeling more encouraged to do this by the day. I figure, even if it all goes to hell in a hand basket, I can just rent a car one way and drive home with the bike in the backseat.
I spoke to a friend today that has bike toured in the past, and he’s going to loan me his Panniers, so that’ll help greatly. He’s also going to loan me a copy of a book about the trail. I have heard from others as well about the free camping at each lock, I will definitely be taking advantage of that. I cannot afford to get a hotel each night. Thanks all, and keep ‘em coming. I guess my current areas that require more research are how to cross the border at Windsor. I’ve read that there is a ferry called Walpole-Algonac that crosses several times a day.
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