Bike Rochester: Downtown to Lake Ontario and Seabreeze

This article was scraped from Rochester Subway. This is a blog about Rochester history and urbanism has not been published since 2017. The current owners are now publishing link spam which made me want to preserve this history.. The original article was published September 09, 2013 and can be found here.

     The following is a guest post submitted by       Ryan Green      .
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The second part of The Biking in Rochester Series showcases the route from downtown to Lake Ontario, following the Genesee River Trail. It is 20 miles, roundtrip, from downtown to the end of the pier at Lake Ontario Beach Park and back. Actually, I'll take us a bit further and ride along the lake shore, east to Sea Breeze - adding another 8 miles to the trip.

Although this route is not as consistently scenic as     the first one    , it has much better rewards, and you get more of a workout. We'll pass by 3 waterfalls, 3 beaches, 3 lighthouses, and two piers out onto the big lake. The western portion of this route is on the Genesee Riverway trail, a mostly completely dedicated bike path such as the one on the canal. The eastern portion is on King's highway/Goodman street...

   This is probably my favorite route of the ones I've been on so far. Starting at downtown, it is a net 300 feet downhill to the lake from downtown. Remember, that means uphill on the way back!

   We a start off downtown, and head north along Exchange/State Street, toward the High Falls District. This section is on city streets (riding on the sidewalk is prohibited in the center city district).

   Be careful when entering the High Falls District. Even if you have the right of way, drivers from the ramps of the inner loop are rarely paying attention. Turn right on commercial street, then left on Browns Race.

   Browns Race will lead you to Granite Mills Park and the Pont de Rennes bridge.

   Cross over the Ponte De Rennes bridge to pass by the 96 foot (52m) High Falls.

   How many other cities can boast a nearly 100 foot waterfall in their downtown? (Not many) You go, Rochester!

Once we get to the other side, we follow the (not so nicely paved) Cataract Street to Saint Paul Street.

   The ride on Saint Paul street lasts for about a mile, passing the Genesee Brewery.

   This is a very industrial section of the city, but the street has a bike lane, which appears after Bausch St./Upper Falls Blvd.

   We then turn off to the left, and onto the Genesee Riverway Trail. A church on the left at     Brewer Street

marks the location of the turnoff. Watch for the Genesee Riverway Trail sign.

   The trail is a steep, winding, downhill into the river gorge.

   We then reach Middle falls, which has the Rochester Gas and Electric plant built on it. We ride right over it. There has been construction at middle falls lately, so the gates may be closed, though this is unlikely. If the gates are closed due to it being after hours, there is a phone outside the gates or a number you can call. There is a camera, and they will remotely open the gates for you, giving you enough time to cross.

   Shortly after, we see Lower Falls and the Driving Park Bridge.

   And an unusual monument made by the casts of school children.

   The path then splits, take a left to get an extreme workout up the path to the Driving Park bridge and cross, either at the path, or to the left at a crosswalk. Alternatively, you can take the path to the right, going down then carry your bike up many flights of stairs!

   We then reach the Maplewood Rose Gardens.

   After a few minutes on gravel and well maintained dirt paths, we come up on Ridge Road. Use caution, as the path is very narrow here.

   We can take a detour     here

on a bike/pedestrian bridge, which links to the east riverbank at the Seneca Park Zoo. There you can head north into     Seneca Park

and more scenic (wooded) trails. You'll also find a link (across Saint Paul Street) to the     El Camino Trail    .

   Then the path merges to a sidewalk along Lake Avenue. Here we see part of the massive Kodak facilities on Lake Ave.

   The path goes on as part of the sidewalk for a while, over a mile, passing beautiful cemeteries: Holy Sepulchre and Riverside Cemetery.

   Then at the     Charlotte welcome sign

, the path diverges from the sidewalk and heads downhill for a long time, ending up at Turning Point Park, a very beautiful, long, winding boardwalk on the Genesee.

   Before we reach the bottom, we pass within ten feet of some deer.

   We head back on the path for a short time... and down to Turning Point Park.

   Soon after, we can start to smell the "sea" and enter Rochester's harbor.

   Here's the Harbor Town Belle, one of the many boats available historical or dining cruises in the Rochester Area.

   We See the Hojack Swing Bridge, which has now been demolished.

   And the beautiful Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse is above us.

   Here is where the ferry to Toronto once docked. The large parking lot was used for cars waiting entrance onto the ship.

   The building, itself, now has restaurants and shops.

   And here are some areas in and around Charlotte Beach AKA Lake Ontario Beach Park...

   Now we head on the pier, and end up a half mile out onto Lake Ontario. The lighthouse here is nothing to marvel at, though.

   And Looking back.

   Then, we head west a bit. This area has a handful of nice restaurants and feels like a small seaside commercial area you'd perhaps find along the Atlantic Ocean.

   Here's the Roger Robach Community Center, which serves as a bathhouse. It has bathrooms, showers, and lockers for beachgoers. There is also a large banquet hall which can be rented and has a "Big Band Dance Series" for senior citizens.

   The path west then takes an interesting turn. This is a very unique area: the path is     a public sidewalk    , but it passes between lakeside properties and their beach-fronts. I discovered it thanks to an amazing website called Rochester Subway (maybe you've heard of it?!)

   Then we swing back east and a bit south to cross the closest bridge over the river, the Colonel Patrick O'Rorke Memorial Bridge.

   This part is known as the Irondequoit Lakeside Multi-Use Trail, and it consists mainly of rideable sidewalks. It has a couple areas to rest with maps and history of the area. We follow the recommended trail, taking a right on St Paul Blvd, then a left onto Lake Shore Blvd.

   We then arrive at the Durand Eastman Beach, just as popular, if not more popular than the former beach. Certainly, it seems more popular for swimming.

   We continue east into Irondequoit, over a bridge and up a meandering path before heading back onto sidewalks.

   The path joins the sidewalk     at Culver Rd

, and we continue north and east past Parkside Diner and Whispering Pines Mini Golf. The sidewalk on the left side of the road disappears, however, so it is a good idea to cross over and ride on the right, if you haven't been already.

   Coming up to the lake and Seabreeze Amusement Park! The Irondequoit waterfront area has many restaurants as well.

   This area is called "Sea Breeze." The pier is similar to the one at the first beach, with an anticlimactic lighthouse, but beautiful scenery. This is at the mouth of Irondequoit Bay. A small bridge to the east side of the mouth remains open to boat traffic from early April until early November. Cars wishing to cross the bay at this time period must do so south.

Unfortunately, my camera died at this point. Certainly, taking the Genesee Riverway Trail back is the least stressful, but since we are so far east and the sun is setting, it might be wiser to try a different (shorter) way back.     Culver Road

or     Kings Highway/Goodman Street

seem like decent streets to bike on. I chose Kings Highway simply because it sounded more interesting to say "I rode on Kings Highway" than "I rode on Culver Road."

We head back west a bit to hook up with Kings Highway, taking care when crossing Lake Shore Boulevard at Durand Eastman Park.

Kings Highway is quite scenic. It feels as though you are riding though a mountainside far away from a city. The good thing is that the elevation rise is mainly in the beginning, here (you get though the pain due to gravity early). The rest of the route is not steeply uphill.

Here's a     view of Kings Highway

after you get past Titus Avenue. There aren't many shoulders on the road, but there are always sidewalks. The traffic is not too bad.

As Kings Highway morphs into     Goodman Street

, we enter the neighborhood of Group 14621. This area often gets a bad rep, but it is fine passing through on a bike.

Finally, I reach     Goodman & Main Street

and the Public Market District just before darkness falls. I take a right onto Main to get back downtown.

For more info on the Genesee Riverway Trail (and others) visit     Rochester Trails

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About Ryan Green:

Ryan Green is from Albany, NY. He went to undergrad for Chemical engineering and Electrical engineering at SUNY Buffalo, and while in Buffalo, caught the industrial history/architecture/urban exploration bug. He volunteered at the Buffalo Central Terminal a few times. He is now attending University of Rochester for a Masters in Materials Science and is a member of the UofR Urban Exploration Club.