The Genesee River in the Finger Lakes
BIKING FROM GENESEE VALLEY PARK TO THE LAKE ONTARIO SHORE AND BACK
This ride is 20 mi./32 km. round trip and encompasses both banks of the Genesee. How long it takes will depend on how many stops you make. It can be stretched into a full-day ride with lunch at Ontario Beach Park on the Lake Ontario shore. Since the ride is mostly on level ground, it should be attempted by anyone with the ability to go the distance.
A Long Note About Riding in Rochester
In New York State bicycles are considered "motorized" vehicles. They must be ridden on streets, in the direction of traffic, following all the signs and signals of other vehicular traffic. In some cities, you can get a ticket for riding on the sidewalk or counter to traffic. None of this applies in Rochester. The first rule of riding in Rochester is to forget everything you've ever been taught about the rules of bike riding.
The streets in Rochester were never designed for bicycle riding, and there is no safe space for bicyclers to ride on the streets. Riding on sidewalks in Rochester is not only permitted but encouraged.
Normally, you would be expected to ride in the direction of traffic. Not so in Rochester. In fact, in many cases, the signs for the Genesee River Trail are along the sidewalks running counter to traffic. Even on the sidewalks, it's a mishmash of who walks and rides where. Pedestrians seem to like to walk as far from the curb as possible. This will leave you with riding on the left side of the sidewalk. Everything seems to work out somehow. But be watchful of broken glass, of which there is more than the average amount.
In addition, a comment should be made about curbs at intersections. Many years ago when the Americans With Disabilities Act was put into effect, all curbs at intersections were re-done into ramps to accommodate wheelchairs. This makes crossing streets for bicyclists very easy, you won't need to worry about going up and down curbs. Have a great ride.
Start Here--Genesee Valley Park to Lake Ontario
Start your ride in the parking lot of the Waterways Center (149 Elmwood Avenue) in Genesee Valley Park in Rochester. There are portable toilets in the parking lot. There is no charge for parking.
Cross Elmwood Avenue at the traffic light. Cross over the Genesee River using the Elmwood Avenue bridge. Turn north onto Wilson  Boulevard. You will pick up the Genesee Riverway Trail right there on the sidewalk. The University of Rochester will be on the other side of Wilson Boulevard.
Follow the trail along the east bank of the Genesee. You will pass by the Ford Street bridge and enter a section of the trail called the Genesee Gateway Park. Ahead of you will be the new, silver-colored Douglass-Anthony Memorial Bridge. At Court Street, the trail crosses over the bridge and turns back on the other bank, but you want to continue north.
Ride along the South Avenue sidewalk for several blocks. This is downtown Rochester, with many interesting buildings. You can zigzag off South Avenue to look at architecture and bridges and the aqueduct under Board Street, but keep coming back to South Avenue because you need to make an important connection.
Where South Avenue runs under the Inner Loop (State Route 490), South Avenue becomes St. Paul Boulevard. There will be a small green space to your left (toward the river). This is the viewing area for the Upper Falls. Do spend time here looking at the falls and going over the river via the Pont de Rennes. You will have a good view up and down the river from this pedestrian bridge.
Back on St. Paul Boulevard continue north. You can make a detour at the Avenue E bridge to see the Lower Falls and another detour at Seth Green Drive to ride a steep path down to the water, but you will have to come up out of the gorge again back to St. Paul Boulevard.
Continue on to Seneca Park on your left. You can make a stop here to use the pedestrian bridge to look at the river again, and you can ride the road that makes a loop through the park.
Back on St. Paul Boulevard, you leave the city of Rochester and enter the suburb of Irondequoit. Your ride will be a pleasant one for a couple of miles through a residential area with trees lining the street. Stay on St. Paul Boulevard even when it begins to curve.
Watch for the intersection of Pattonwood Dr. that will come in on you left. Follow Pattonwood across the Colonel Patrick O'Rorke Memorial Bridge. You may want to stop here to take photos as the view from the bridge gives you a long view of the Genesee River, the Port of Rochester, the mouth of the Genesee, and Lake Ontario beyond.
IMMEDIATELY after the bridge, take a sidewalk that leads down to River Street along the west bank of the river. Along River Street there is an area with benches and interpretative signs, explaining the history of the port and the river. Continue north along River Street. Once you pass a former railroad depot (on you right), there will be a parking lot. If you stand with your back to the lot , the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse should be on the top of the hill in front of you. (If it's not there, we're in big trouble.)
River Street will take a turn to the left. Take that. You will see in the sidewalk a marker for the Genesee River Trail. As you go uphill, you will see the Port of Rochester terminal and the Port of Rochester Marina on your right. You can stop in the terminal to eat, if you like or stay on the Genesee River trail to Ontario Beach Park on the other side of the lot ahead of you. Ride the short distance through the park to the shore. Congratulations, you have made it to Lake Ontario.
The Return Trip--Lake Ontario to Genesee Valley Park
The return trip is not a matter of just riding back the way you came, it's a totally different ride with some beautiful scenery.
After you've explored Ontario Beach Park, the lighthouse at the end of the pier, and anything else in the area that appeals to you, turn around and ride back along the genesee River trail the way you came. When you get to River Street, veer to the left to the dock along the river. (There is a sign there stating that bikers must walk their bikes along the dock for the safety of pedestrian traffic.)
When the wooden dock ends, it will turn into a paved path. Follow the path under the O'Rorke Bridge. There will be a parking lot and  a sign, indicating the beginning of the Genesee River Trail. Take the trail path. You are near river level now, down in the gorge. The trail will go up out of the gorge and back down into it, but the trail is not steep, just hilly.
You're just starting to think that the ride is getting to be a little repetitive when you come upon a 12-foot-wide/4-meter-wide, 3,572-foot-long/1,089-meter-long boardwalk stretching in a serpentine fashion along the western edge of a widewater. This is Turning Point.
Turning Point is a lovely place to explore and take photos. The boardwalk leads you right back onto the paved path. The trail will continue eventually uphill and come out on Lake Avenue. Turn left onto the sidewalk and stay on the sidewalk on that side (the left side) of the street. You should be riding counter to street traffic. You will be riding past some large cemeteries. If you are a cemetery buff, you may want to stop in.
When you get to Maplewood Avenue, don't cross the street, but turn left onto the intersecting sidewalk. Follow the path through Maplewood Park, which has a large and well-known rose garden at the point where the path crosses over Driving Park Avenue.
Cross over Driving Park Avenue, go through the gate and down the steep path to Lower Falls Park. Follow the path across the river and up out of the gorge to St. Paul Boulevard. Follow St. Paul Boulevard back to that little park where the viewing area was for the Upper Falls, and take the Pont de Rennes back across the river. You are now in a quaint section of the city called High Falls. You may want to stop and have a beer at one of the outdoor cafes, if the weather merits it, or visit the museum right near the bridge.
Continue west for just a couple of blocks to North Plymouth Avenue. Turn south (left). Take Plymouth until it ends at Exchange Boulevard. Cross the boulevard, and the river will be in front of you, Corn Hill Landing with eateries and shops will be to your left, and the Genesee Riverway Trail will be to your right.
Following the trail. You will begin to see students from the University of Rochester, then the Greenway Valley Park, and then Elmwood Avenue. Cross over Elmwood, and you should be back where you started.
There are hiking/biking paths all through Genesee Valley Park. In fact, you can even connect with the Erie Canal Trail from the park.
There is as yet no definitive hiking/biking trail map for Rochester, but this map should help.
Accommodations
BED AND BREAKFASTS ON THE RIVER
There are no bed and breakfasts on the river, but there are many bed and breakfasts in Rochester.
CAMPING ON THE RIVER
There are no camp grounds along the river in this area, but there are campgrounds in the county.
HOTELS ON THE RIVER
120 E. Main St.
Rochester, NY 14604
585-546-6400
1000 Genesee St.
Rochester, NY 14611
800-238-8000
Updated 2 April 2021
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