Does anyone have information on roads to ride and sites to see around Watkins Glen ? We're planning a trip there in a few weeks from Pa.

 

There are good roads that take you around the lakes there. Probably a hundred wineries around the lake. We were there last year and stayed at the Professors Inn B&B. Would not stay there again. Stop at a winery call Three Brothers. They have 3 wineries and one brewery at one stop.

 

Yup. Got a nice ride for you. I live in PA, a little more than an hour from there. Been up there many times. From Watkins Glen, take 14 North all the way til it ends at Lake Ontario, and have lunch & walk around in the village of Sodus Point. 14's a nice ride. (1 of the few roads in NY that's actually smooth!) Also, there are wineries & tours on 14 between Watkins Glen & Geneva. (I'm not a drinker & never been on a tour so you might have to ask which ones are the best ones.) Then take 14 south, to 96 south to 414 back to Watkins Glen. That route goes down the east side of the lake so you'll have some different scenery on the way back. This'll be close to 150 mile roundtrip. Maybe 135 to 140? Also, just south of Watkins a few miles on 14 is the village of Montour Falls. While you're there you probably should go down & have somebody get your pic in front of the falls.

 

Here is my trip report from last year for the Finger Lakes/Watkins Glenn area. Pick it up where we leave Maryland and maybe it will give you some ideas. We really enjoyed the area.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/road-...-lakes-ny.html

 

Geezer, you gave me ride details for Hyner Lookout a few years ago. I've been through that area quite a few times since then. Thanks again for the Watkins Glen ride !

Etstrine,
Great ride report, thanks... I was at the Glen when I was young but I still remember the climb through the falls and the blown glass demo at Corning.

If you're ever back in the area around Altoona, Pa. and south, let me know. There's a lot of great back roads and scenery here that you didn't see.

 

Hey Bigbender --- 1 more thing for a little nicer ride up there. If you're going up 15, about 10 miles north of Williamsport, you can pick up 14 at the Trout Run exit. 14 goes all the way to Watkins Glen. 14's a nice ride from Trout Run to Elmira NY, but it's a pain-in-the-neck from Elmira to Watkins with all the lights you'll come to. Knowing what I know, I'd take 15 all the way to NY, then 17/86 east. About 3 miles to the 1st Corning Glass exit, which is 414. Turn left & take 414 to Watkins. Just before you go down the hill into Watkins Glen, you'll come to a light with an ice cream stand on the right. (Sorry, don't know route number.) Turn left right there & go about a mile to the Watkins Glen race track. You might not be able to get in at the main gate, but you can ride around & get a look at the track from somewhere else, and be able to see cars going around if there's anything going on up there that day.

 

Name of the road that takes you the Watkin Glen race track is CR 16 (Montour-Townsend Rd)

I grew up in Corning, NY. I know the area around there petty good..
Another good ride is fron Watkin to Dresden up Rt.14, pick up Rt 54 to Penn Yan and take E. Lake Rd.(Rt 54) down to Hammondsport. There is alot of great roads around the finger lakes, you won't be disappointed on any of them.

 

Agreed! 54's a real nice ride down to Bath.

CR 16 --- that's it! I knew it was a county road, but couldn't remember which one. Thanks.

 

It was a good ride up to Watkins Glen.
We left the Altoona area at 9:00 friday morning, rode Rt 99 to Port Matilda and jumped on 220/150. After Jersey Shore, we took Rt. 287 up to Wellsboro. There are new gas wells being drilled along this road so truck traffic was pretty heavy.

Our first stop was in Wellsboro and then over to the Harley shop in Mansfield so the girls could go shopping. We jumped on Rt 15 there and took it up to 414 to save time. We decided to stop at the race track (on Rt 16) before going into town but the guard told us someone rented the whole track for the day so we had to leave without even getting a glimpse. Probably a dozen porche's pulled in while we were leaving.

We pulled into Watkins Glen about 3:00, parked the bikes, got our motel rooms then walked up to the gorge to find the gate closed until May 11th! This was not a good start to our weekend... It was too late to ride around the lake so we stopped at Maria's for a great cheeseburger and some cold beer then bar hopped our way home. The one highlight of the day was finding their VFW with cheap beer and shuffleboard

The next morning, we woke up to a cold, cloudy morning in the low 50's. After breakfast, our plans were to check out then ride up the west side of the lake. When I dropped off my motel key, the manager told me there were cars parked at the gorge so we went back up and were lucky enough to find it open early ! While we walked the two miles up and down the gorge, the sun came out and it warmed up so we jumped back on the bikes and headed up Rt 14 along the lake. The farther we went, the colder and cloudier it got so we pulled into one of the wineries to get the girls warmed up. It was now in the 40's with a strong wind blowing so everyone decided to just turn around and ride home.

This is the second time we rode up to New York in May and both trips ended up in cold, crappy weather. I think we'll stay south until about mid June.

 

Sorry you didn't have a nicer trip. Seems to be the way it's been up here, for the last couple of years --- rainy & cold til Mem Day weekend.