Great Lakes Seaway Trail

Snowmobiling the Great Lakes Seaway Trail

“Lake Effect” is the renowned weather event that causes celebration by snowmobilers and where better to find hundreds of inches of snow created by cold “lake effect” winds moving across warm freshwaters than the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. This America’s Byway stretches 518 miles along the shoreline of the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Niagara River and Lake Erie in New York and Pennsylvania. The byway also provides access to the inland trails that run through the Lake Ontario plain and across rolling drumlins, over the Tug Hill Plateau, through Winona Forest, and into the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.

Did you know...?

… Lake Effect is created when cold air passes over the Great Lakes’ warm waters and
wind drives the snow

…The National Weather Service informally names winter storms: 2007-08 theme: dog breeds, 2008-09: Snake species

… A “Lake Flake Scale” is used to rank storms from 1-flake wimpy to 5-flake epic megastorm

… Spring and summer also experience a “Great Lakes effect” that assists the production of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail agricultural bounty and provides gentle summer breezes for family fun along the freshwater shoreline byway

… The Great Lakes region averages 12 Lake Effect storms per winter season

The Great Lakes Seaway Trail is a multi-use National Recreation Trail with sections that record more than 200 inches of snow in a single winter season. The Tug Hill Plateau and Buffalo on the Niagara Frontier annually vie for “Highest Snowfall” honors. Hundreds of miles of well-groomed trails maintained by clubs and volunteers offer snowmobilers crisp, fresh winter fun!

More than 2700 miles of trails are found in the Great Lakes Seaway Trail’s 11 counties in New York’s Chautauqua-Allegheny, Greater Niagara, Finger Lakes, and 1000 Islands-Seaway regions and Pennsylvania’s Erie County.

Important Information for Snowmobiling the Great Lakes Seaway Trail

• All sleds must be registered to ride in New York and/or in Pennsylvania

• Some New York State DMV offices are open on Saturday. You may download a registration form from http://www.nysdmv.com/dmvfaqs.htm#Snowmobiles

• Join a participating New York State Snowmobile Association Member Club to obtain a discount (as much as $55) on snowmobile registration. For details, contact: New York State Snowmobile Association, PO Box 612, Long Lake, NY 12847-0612, 888-624-3849, http://www.nysnowmobiler.com

• For snowmobiling registration info, and rules & regulations for riding in Pennsylvania, go online to: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/FORESTRY/snowmobile/registration.aspx and check with the Pennsylvania State Snowmobiling Association: 717-441-6045, 888-411-PSSA, www.pasnow.org

• Find accommodations, services & attractions online in the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Travel Guide: Experience the Journey at www.seawaytrail.com or call 1-800-SEAWAY-T

• Find info on riding in state parks along the byway at http://nysparks.state.ny.us/recreation/snowmobiles/ and http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/recreation/ snowmobile_wilds.aspx

• For a NYS Snowmobiling Guide & Corridor Trails Map: NYS Parks & Recreation Marine & Recreational Vehicles Division, 518-474-0445, www.nysparks.com/snow. Maps are also available from clubs, county tourism offices and online (see resource list that follows)

County Trail Descriptions

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY: www.tourchautauqua.com

Snowmobiling Chautauqua County

• 600 miles of groomed trails over rolling foothills, open meadows, State forestland

• Trails generally open mid-December to late March or April, groomed by 5 local clubs using 16 full-size groomers on 300 miles of corridor and secondary trails, 300 miles of club trails

• Find service stations, restaurants, accommodations at trailheads

• Club events may include dinner rides, snowcross run, ice castle, snow/grass drags, season end party

• Sampling of Trails (C: Corridor, S: Secondary): C-4 Mayville to Stockton, C-4B Brocton to Mayville and Brocton to Stockton, C-4D Findlay Lake Trail, C-4E Hartfield to Ellery Sno-Cruisers, S-48 Mayville to Clymer, S-49 Mayville to Westfield via old trolley line, S-50 around Mayville, S-52 Warner Road to PA State Line

• Cherry Creek Trailheads: Cherry Creek Township: County Rd (near Cockaigne); Kennedy Township: Cobb Hill Rd; Charlotte Township: Route 60 (rest area before Luce Rd), Boutwell Hill (parking area corner of Boutwell & East Hill), and Ruttenburg Rd (parking area at corner of Ruttenburg & Lewis Rd) ; Cassadaga Township: Route 60 (behind Shur-Fine grocery store); Arkwright Township: Ruttenburg Rd (between Rood and Lewis Rd), intersection of County Rd and Griswold Rd (near Woodside camping area), Hanford Bay Township: Route 5 near Hanford Rd.

• Lake Effect Trailheads: Gerry Rodeo Grounds, Route 60 South, 3 miles from Jamestown and Falconer, main corridor trail runs through large parking area; Route 394 parking lot across from gas station/grocery/restaurant in Kennedy, NY, access to Trail #1; parking area for Harris Hill State Lands trail at Harris Hill Road intersection with Gerry-Ellington Roads

Great Lakes Seaway Trail snowmobile trails take you past
historic architectural sites such as this Erie Canal Culvert

ERIE/NIAGARA FRONTIER: www.visitbuffaloniagara.com
• Chestnut Ridge Park Area Trails (13 mi.)

Trail Guides for 2009-2010 are expected to be available at:
• Blasdell: Recreational Parts, 716-825-7441
• Chafee: Pioneer Motorsport’s (On the trail), 716-496-6000; Milestone Restaurant (On the trail), Hearth Restaurant (On the trail)
• Clarence: Don George Sports, 716-759-6837
• Colden: Colden Lakes (On trail C4A), 716-941-5530; Colden Hotel
• East Aurora: Kodiak Jacks (On trail C4), 716-655-6310; Pete’s Pub, 716, 652-9752
• East Eden: Shunks West Hill Grill (On trail C4A), 716-992-4432; East Eden Tavern (On trail C4a), 716-992-3483
• Eden: V.F.W. Post (On trail C4A)
• Elma: Ken’s Sales & Service, 716-683-1155; Mia’s Restaurant, On Trail S45, 716-652-7830
• Hamburg: Advanced Auto Electronics (On trail C4H), 716-648-1358; Colley’s Ski-Doo, Hamburg, 716-649-7675; Bert’s Motorsports (On trail C4H), 716-646-0028; Appolson’s Arctic Cat, 716-649-1090; Family Express Mobile (Trail S41); Bozanna’s Pizzeria, Hamburg, 716-648-4224
• Holland: The Valley (On the trail C4A), 716-537-9192; Holland Willows (On the trail C4), 716-537-9070
• Orchard Park: Milligan’s Pub (On trail C4H), 716-648-9017; Stadium Mobile (On trail C4H)
• Sardinia: Little Country Store (On the trail)
• Wales Center: Wales Center Hotel (On trail S45A), 716-652-9715
• West Falls: Bob’s New York Deli (On trail S47), 716-655-0930 and in Niagara County at:
• Lockport: Ship-N-Shore Restaurant, 716-625-6106; Pour Boys Grill/Tap Room, 716-625-4384; Tuesday’s Place, 716-434-5029
• North Tonawanda: Weaver’s, 716-693-1500
• Pendelton: Hebeler’s Ski-Doo, 716-625-8744

ORLEANS COUNTY: www.orleanscountytourism.com
• 110 miles of trails are maintained by 3 Orleans County Federation of Snowmobile Club member clubs

• Groomed trails are on relatively flat Ontario lakeplain connecting with adjacent Monroe, Genesee, and Niagara counties trail systems

• Open meadows, a state park, federal wildlife refuge, and Erie Canalway Trail provide opportunities to watch wildlife and take in historic villages, farmscapes, and scenic vistas of Lake Ontario

• Restaurants, service stations, and lodging may be found along 86 miles of corridor trails

Sampling of trails:
• C4G and C4H follow "15 miles on the Erie Canal" along the towpath, features historic village of Albion, widewaters nature area, and the culvert tunnel (the only place where you can drive under the Erie Canal)
• C4G also leads you south to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge before entering Genesee County

MONROE COUNTY: www.visitrochester.com
• 500+ miles of trails; see club listings for more info

Snowmobile Racing in Wayne County

WAYNE COUNTY: www.waynecountytourism.com
• 200 miles of trails: 178 mi. of State trails, 67 mi. of Corridor trails, 12 mi. of local trails, 110 mi. of secondary trails

• A diverse number of trails throughout county: Ride open fields & State land; travel old railroad beds & wooded areas

• 5 clubs service and groom many of the trails

• Maps are available from local clubs and New York State Snowmobile Association

• A number of restaurants, B&B’s and motels cater to snowmobilers

CAYUGA COUNTY: www.tourcayuga.com
• 32 miles of county-owned trails; other trails maintained by clubs

• Trail system in Cayuga County is largely on private land; Cayuga County Snowmobile Association (in cooperation with others) produces a map every year. Map is available from Cayuga County Tourism Office.

Cayuga County trails open to snowmobile use are:
• Hojack Trail (7-8 miles) runs east-west in northern Cayuga County and is an off-road, multi-use trail extending throught the Town of Sterling along abondoned railroad bed for use by hikers, bicyclists, horseback riders, cross-country skiers and snowmobilers; extends west into Wayne County and east into Oswego County
• Cato/Fair Haven Trail/North Trail (13 miles) runs from town of Cato to Village of Fair Haven, a multi-use trail through woodlands, farmlands and wetlands along abandoned Lehigh Valley Railroad bed, connects town of Cato and Village of Fair Haven. A feature is the Cato Station, situated at the head of the trail in the village of Cato
• Sterling Nature Center opens more than 3 miles of trail system to snowmobiling
• Portions of Cato-Brutus Trail (7 miles) runs from Cato to Brutus. This trail is under construction with sections where snowmobiles must access private property due to sections where there are no bridges
• Section of Erie Canal Trail (1 mile) in Weedsport belongs to Cayuga County
• Cayuga County Erie Canal Recreational Trail follows historic canal tow path and is a recreational trail for hikers, bicyclists, horseback riders and snowmobilers from the village of Jordan to the Seneca River. High points include carved stone locks, Centerport Aqueduct, Lock 52 (west of Port Byron) and Richmond Aqueduct. Access to the trail is in Weedsport behind Arby’s on the north side of Route 31.
• Cayuga County Snowmobile Association President is Darrin Williams, 315-246-1475
• Cayuga County Parks & Trails, Gary Duckett, 315-253-5611

Oswego is one of the snowiest areas in America with some winters totaling over 300 inches - one lake effect storm dumped approximately 10 feet of snow on Oswego over a 2 week period in 2007

OSWEGO COUNTY: www.visitoswegocounty.com
• 340-plus miles of trails, including trails on the Tug Hill Plateau (www.visittughill.com) and in Winona State Forest (www.winonaforest.com/snowmobiles.html)

Club Trail Park & Rides are found at:
• Arena’s Eis House Restaurant & Sailfish Saloon: Watson Avenue & Academy Street, in the village of Mexico, NY, 315-963-3830; park in Northwest corner of lot. Do not park snowmobiles in the handicap areas.
• Mexico Town Park: Route 104 just east of Village of Mexico
• Sticks Sports Bar/Grill & Motel, New Haven, 877-302--8537: on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail at NY State Route 104B and Oswego County Rte 6; 15 trail miles from Pulaski, 20 trail miles from Happy Valley, 25 trail miles from Kasoag Lake, 30 trail miles from Redfield

JEFFERSON COUNTY/1000 ISLANDS: www.visit1000islands.com
• 32 miles of county-owned trails; other trails maintained by clubs

• Basic trails map: http://www.trailjeffersoncounty.com/Jefferson%20County%20Snowmobile%20Map.pdf

• 1000 Islands area maps may be available for a fee at Sand Bay Inn, Cape Vincent; Lynn’s Small Engine, Chaumont; and O’Brien’s Restaurant, Clayton

ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY: www.northcountryguide.com
• 500-plus miles of trails, including trails into the Adirondack Mountains region and along the St. Lawrence River

• We rely on dedicated volunteers willing to give countless hours to the winter sport we all love by maintaining trails.

• Our 500-plus miles of groomed trails take you through various types of trails with something for every rider. Most trails are open through the generosity of landowners and or lessees. Please RESPECT landowners rights and stay on designated snowmobile trails.

• Basic county trails map: http://www.slcsa.org/2007St%20LawrenceWebMap.pdf

Snowmobiling Associations and Local Club Contacts

Many of the trails are maintained by snowmobiling associations and clubs

The telephone numbers listed may connect you to trail condition hotlines or club representatives; ask about membership, maps and local details...

SEAWAY TRAIL PENNSYLVANIA

VisitErie - 800-524-ERIE, 814-454-1000, www.visiterie.com

Presque Isle Snowmobile Club - 814-796-2027, www.snowmobilepisc.com

Erie Crawford Snowmobile Alliance/McKean Snowriders - 814-476-7984, www.mckeansnowriders.com

Tri-County SnowBlazers (Corry) - 814-664-2117

Wales Sno-Drifters (Wesleyville/Erie) - 814-825-2067, www.walessnodrifters.com

Triangle S Snowmobile Club (East Springfield) - 814-922-7363, www.trianglessnowmobileclub.org

WESTERN SEAWAY TRAIL (Lake Erie, Niagara River)

Snowmobiling in Western NY - http://allwny.com/snowmobiling.html

Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau - 800-242-4569 , www.tourchatauqua.com

Chautauqua County Snowmobiling Federation - 716-673-1188, 716-386-3980, www.chautauquasnow.com

Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Club - 716-753-7925, 716-753-2361, www.chautauquasnow.com

Cherry Creek Sno-goers - 716-973-1188, 716-934-3809, www.cherrycreeksnogoers.com, 5 grooming groups

Cockaigne Ski Center, Cherry Creek - 716-287-3223, www.cockaigne.com, Café stop on trail, Tu-Sun, closed Mondays

Ellery Sno Cruisers - 716-386-5410, 716-386-6930, www.ellerysnop-cruisers.org

Lake Effect Trailbreakers - 716-985-5732, 716-287-4705, www.trailbreakers.com

Silver Creek Sunset Drifters - www.sunsetdrifters.com, Silver Creek/Irving/Northern Chautauqua County

Buffalo-Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau - 800-BUFFALO, 716-852-2356, www.visitbuffaloniagara.com

Erie County Federation of Snowmobile Clubs - www2.pcom.net/ecfsc/

Erie County Parks Hotline - 716-858-8513; includes Chestnut Ridge, Emery, Sprague Brook Parks

Colden Trail Riders - 716-652-9913, 716-941-3290, www.coldentrails.com

Eden Trail Blazers - 716-992-9657, 716-992-4097, http://www2.pcom.net/ecfsc/eden/eden.htm

Hamburg Snowmobile Club - 716-648-6759, 716-646-0439, 716-649-6144, www.hamburgsnowmobileclub.org

Holland Sno-Rascals - 716-537-2258, 716-537-2628, www.snorascals.com

Marilla Sno-Mob - 716-655-3013, 716-684-6739, www.marilla-snomob-sc.com

Northern Erie Sno-Seekers, Akron - 716-762-8352, 716-542-5855, www.snoseekers.com

Pioneer Sno Surfers, Sardinia - 716-496-6058, 716-537-2925, http://snosurfers.objectis.net/

Southern Tier Sno-Drifters, North Collins - Hotline: 716-337-0732, 716-592-0657, 716-592-0620, www.stsnowdrifters.com

Western NY Snowmobile Club of Boston - Hotline: 716-649-6662, www.bostontrails.com

Niagara Tourism & Convention Corporation - 877-325-5787, 716-282-8992, www.niagara-usa.com

Niagara County Federation - 716-692-0618, 716-735-3236

Beaver Island State Park, Grand Island - 716-773-3271, M-F 9-4, Niagara Region State Parks

Grand Island Snowmobile Club - 716-773-9258, 716-773-6854, www.gi-snowmobiler.com, 25 miles of trails

Hartland Drift Dodgers, Gasport - 716-735-3217, 716-735-7089

Olcott Brrr-ezy Riders - 716-778-7647

Pendelton Snowmobile Club, Lockport - 716-434-9932, 716-433-8006

Shawnee Sno-Chiefs, Sanborn - 716-438-5331, 716-731-4246

CENTRAL SEAWAY TRAIL (Lake Ontario)

Orleans County Tourism - 585-589-3198, www.orleanscountytourism.com

Orleans County Federation of Snowmobile Clubs - www.ocfsc.net

Orleans County Snowdrifters, Waterport - 585-682-4742, 585-589-4709, www.orleanscountysnowdrifters.com

Southern Orleans Trailblazers - 585-409-7111, 585-589-6127, www.southern-orleans-trailblazers.net

Salmon Creek Snowmobile Club - 585-544-6844, www.salmoncreeksnow.org, mghauer@frontiernet.net

VisitRochester - 800-677-7282, www.visitrochester.com

Chili Winterhawks - 716-247-3592

Henrietta Hill & Gully Riders - 716-334-3308, www.hillandgullyriders.org

Hilton Sno-Flyers - 585-621-3871, Snow Phone: 585-234-0629, www.hiltonsnoflyers.net

North Greece Ski Benders - 585-392-5964

Wayne County Tourism Office - 800-527-6510, 315-946-5469, www.waynecountytourism.com

Wayne County Council of Snowmobile Clubs - 315-483-2387, 315-483-2197

Canaltown Snowmobile Club Inc. - www.canaltownsnowmobilers.com

Lakeshore Snow Devils, eastern Wayne County - www.snowdevils.net; trail conditions online

Macedon Sno-Rovers - 315-986-4055

Old Erie Riders - www.olderieriders.com

Lakeshore Snow Devils, Wolcott - 315-564-5620, www.snowdevils.net

Webster Ridge Runners - 585-251-2528, www.websterridgerunners.com

Williamson Driftriders - 315-483-2917, www.driftriders.com

Cayuga County Tourism - 800-499-9615, 315-255-1658, www.tourcayuga.com

Fair Haven Chamber of Commerce - 315-947-6037, 14-mile Fair Haven-to-Cato Trail maps for fee

Cato Trailblazers - 315-626-3199, 315-678-2004, www.catotrailblazers.com, 55 miles of trails

Poor Folks Snowmobile Club, Sterling - 315-564-6192, 315-564-6907, www.poorfolkssnowmobileclub.com

EASTERN SEAWAY TRAIL (Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River)

Oswego County Tourism - 800-248-4FUN, 315-349-8322, www.oswegocounty.com

Oswego County Snowmobile Assoc. - 315-599-7762, 315-964-2561, www.oswcsa.com

Fulton Area Snow Travelers - 315-678-2708, www.fastsnowclub.org

Kasoag Trailblazers, Williamstown - 315-964-2561, www.kasoagtrailblazers.com

Mexico Trail Riders - 315-963-3027, www.mexicotrailriders.com

Pulaski-Boylston Snowmobile Club - 315-298-7245, www.pulaski-boylstonsnow.com

Redfield Sno & Rec Club - 315-599-7762, www.snowmobileredfieldnewyork.com

Square Valley Trailblazers, Central Square - 315-668-9945, www.squarevalley.org

Vanderbilt Snowmobile Club, Constantia - 315-623-9379, www.members.tripod.com/howellpg

1000 Islands International Tourism Council - 800-8-ISLAND, 315-482-2520, www.visit1000islands.com

South Jefferson Chamber of Commerce - 315-232-4215

1000 Islands Snowmobile Club - http://1000islandssnowmobileclub.com

Barnes Corners Snow Pals Snowmobile Club - 315-688-4645, www.sno-pals.com

Tug Hill Recreation Association - www.visittughill.com, 315-779-8240, online map

Winona Forest Association - www.winonaforest.com/snowmobiles.html; 55-plus miles of trails connect to the 8000+ miles of NY state corridor snowmobile trails

St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce - 877-228-7810, 315-386-4000, www.northcountryguide.com

St. Lawrence Co. Snowmobile Association - 315-265-0898, www.slcsa.org

Boondockers, Russell - 315-379-1250, 315-386-2301, 315-212-1930

Parishville Pacemakers - 315-265-4053, 315-265-7417

Childwold Sno Packers - 518-359-2540, mpr3250@aol.com

Cranberry Lake Mountaineers - 315-848-5790, 315-848-2121, www.cranberrylakemountaineers.com

Dairyland Snowmobile Club - 315-394-9896, 315-375-4020, muffin1942@localnet.com

Edwards Snowmobile Club - 315-562-2320, skyesracing@tds.net

Grasse River Groomers - 315-322-4041, bmoulton@twcny.rr.com

Hermon Sledders - 315-714-2364, mamo@twcny.rr.com

Punchlock Travelers - 315-393-1151, mgarmstrong@gisco.net

Sno-Skippers - 315-268-1292, akahamit@tds.net

Tri Town Trailblazers - 315-769-2195, bhewlett@mcs.k12.ny.us