 A Great Lakes Seaway Trail original: Ice climbing “Play It Again Salmon” ascent at Salmon River Falls. Photo by Jim Lawyer (www.jimlawyer.com), copyright protected. |
All Winter Activities
The Great Lakes Seaway Trail is an outdoor sports playground in the winter. There are spectacular places for cross-county skiing, ice climbing and snow kite sailing.
Play It Again, Salmon; Mate, Spawn & Die; Shale We Climb – all names of ascents, some as high as 100 feet - for ice climbers at Salmon River Falls Natural Area in Altmar, NY. When crisp winter temperatures set, the frozen falls become a mecca for ice climbers. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation manages the area and requires that climbers observe strict safety precautions and register daily to climb. Call 315-298-7467 for ice conditions – generally best in February-March. Find more details and photos at http://www.visitoswegocounty.com/tn/MoreFun/IceClimbing.aspx.
Click here for NYSDEC-required Daily Registration Form for Climbing Salmon River Falls.
Click here for the Ice Climbing Map for Salmon River Falls.
The 1000 Islands Bait Store (www.tibait.com) between Clayton and Alexandria Bay equips you for ice fishing and points you toward the cold water “hot” spots in South Bay, Lake of the Isles, and Eel Bay.
The Chaumont-Three Mile Bay Chamber of Commerce (www.chaumontchamber.com) offers tips on where to fish and stay in the Chaumont Bay area.
 The Friends of River Hospital Polar Bear Dip. Photo: Friends of River Hospital |
Ready to jump into freezing water for a good cause? Join in the fun at the annual Friends of River Hospital Polar Bear Dip. Hearty, and harnessed, souls from all over the U.S. will plunge into the St. Lawrence River through a hole cut in the ice off the Rum Runner’s Dock at Bonnie Castle Resort at Alexandria Bay, NY. Minimum entry is $100; funds raised purchase equipment for the hospital. Prizes are awarded for Best Costume, Best Dipping Technique, and Most Money Raised. The Bay’s resort hotels offer preferred or reduced rates. The celebration includes a Snolf (snow golf) Tournament, and has raised more than $50,000 in a single year. Call for date and more info: 315-482-5421, kvpeters@ridgeviewtel.us.
With thousands of acres of pristine wilderness and generous Lake Effect snows, the byway’s Eastern Lake Ontario region provides backcountry skiers and snowshoers plenty of room for adventure at Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area and on hundreds of miles of snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and dog sled trails on the Tug Hill and Winona State Forest lands.
 Great Lakes Seaway Trail snowmobile trails take you past historic architectural sites such as this Erie Canal Culvert |
Snow-cruising aboard a snowmobile is a refreshing way to experience the byway’s beautiful wintry landscape and its historic architecture. For example, 8 miles west of Albion, NY, ride the only road that passes under the Erie Canal. Culvert Road is a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not highlight. Check out Trailwide snowmobiling and winter trail resources at www.seawaytrail.com/snowmobile.html.
Winter anglers have to register before 7am for Screwy Louie’s adult and kids perch and pike fishing derby at Blind Sodus Bay and Little Sodus Bay on February 12. The Sodus Bay, NY, Polar Fishing Tournament is set for February 19-20 with adult and kid divisions. Register with Sodus Point Lodge (www.asoduspointlodge.com) at 315-553-2056. The Salmon River is popular with anglers year-round (www.visitoswegocounty.com).
 The breathtakingly beautiful Salmon River supports a year-round fishery. Hardy anglers such as Kevin Parry of Vermont enjoy the cold weather months for steelhead. (Photo by Jessica Trump, Oswego County Tourism Office.) |
Along Seaway Trail Pennsylvania, visit Presque Isle State Park near Erie for ice kiting, ice fishing, cross-country skiing and ice sailing on Lake Erie (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/presqueisle.aspx).
 This serene spot for winter walking is found along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Lake Erie shoreline at Presque Isle State Park, near Erie, PA. Photo: VisitErie.com |
Hockey fans find the OHL Major Jr. Erie Otters (www.ottershockey.com) at the Louis J. Tullio Arena in Erie, PA. The Otters are the only Pennsylvania team in the OHL and one of only three US-based teams in the league. For NHL action on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, it’s Buffalo and the Sabres (http://sabres.nhl.com) at HSBC Arena.
The Buffalo area of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail provides the unique opportunity to appreciate the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and other American architectural masters in the winter landscape. Go to www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/visitors/architecture/#best to find dozens of sites to see on self-guided or scheduled tours.
When you are ready to warm up, plunge into the 84-degree waters at Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park & Resort (www.splashlagoon.com) in Erie, PA, then head back out on the byway for some fabulous winter birding. To find unique and common species, follow the Birding the Great Lakes Seaway Trail illustrated guidebook by ornithologist Gerald A. Smith and wildlife artist Robert McNamara, available at www.seawaytrailstore.com.
Waves surging inland from Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River form spectacular ice dunes all along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail’s shoreline. Presque Isle State Park along Seaway Trail Pennsylvania in Erie is perfect for photographing the dunes and hearty souls ice boating on Presque Isle Bay, or rent cross-country skis or snowshoes to explore 11 miles of natural and groomed trails. The Bay also offers outdoor skating and fishing, but know how to check the ice thickness for safety before stepping out. Check the Winter Report at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/winter/winterb.aspx?park=6200 or call (814) 833-7424.
 Family snowshoeing fun at Robert Moses State Park. Photo: NYS Parks |
To reach Robert Moses State Park at Massena, NY, drive underneath the Eisenhower Lock that allows six-story-tall freighters to travel the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The Park’s Nature Center offers cross-country ski and snowshoe rental for exploring 25 km of tranquil trails along the St. Lawrence River. Park entry is free. Call 315-764-5630 or check http://www.rmspnaturecenter.org for more info.
JANUARY 2011
January 9: Take an old-fashioned trolley ride around Niagara Falls State Park (www.niagarafallsstatepark.com) with a naturalist and receive a coupon for same-day dining at the Hard Rock Café on the US side of the Falls.
Through January 13: Holiday lights brighten Thursday nights at the Oak Orchard Lighthouse historic replica (www.oakorchardlighthouse.org) built in 2010 at Point Breeze in Kent, NY. The Great Lakes Seaway Trail is known for its 30 historic and replica lighthouses (www.seawaytrail.com/lighthouses).
 This one-horse open sleigh harkens back to Victorian days of winter fun at Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY. Photo: Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau |
January 15-16: Glide back in time with the Chautauqua Institution Nationwide Insurance Currier & Ives Sleigh Rally, Chautauqua, NY, www.ciweb.org
Check out Bavarian Ski Day on January 16, 2011 at Brantling Ski Slopes where now-retired Olympian downhiller Diane Roffe–Steinrotter once trained. The special event features music, traditional Bavarian food and drink: sausage, sauerkraut, German potatoes, German beer and wine. You can also snowboard here, 4051 Fish Farm Road, Sodus, NY, 315-331-2365, www.brantling.com.
January 22: Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills & Nash is scheduled to visit the George Eastman House Museum at 2pm in Rochester, NY, and the TAKING AIM: Unforgettable Rock ‘n’ Roll Photographs selected by Nash (www.eastmanhouse.org). Exhibit includes shots of Elvis, John Lennon, Bo Diddley, Johnny Cash and other music idols taken by Nash and others. Exhibit continues through January 28.
January 29: Bring your motorized sled to Little Sodus Bay in the Central Lake Ontario region of the byway for the January 29 Snowmobile Radar Run hosted by the Little Sodus Inn in Fair Haven, NY. Contact organizer J.J. at 315-224-8919 for details.
FEBRUARY 2011
February 3-6: Massena Winterfest, Massena, NY, www.northcountryguide.com
February 4-6: Lake Erie Wine Country Wine & Chocolate Weekend, sponsored by Dove Chocolate Discovery, tickets via www.lakeeriewinecountry.org
 HUNDREDS OF VINTAGE SLEDS will be displayed at the Great Eastern Whiteout Feb. 11 through 13 at the Fulton War Memorial in Oswego County. (Photo by Mary Ellen Barbeau, Oswego County Tourism Office) |
February 5: It’s 12 hours of winter fun inside and out during Warm Up Oswego in Oswego, NY, with downtown and Music Hall “Fiestas”, Hot 2 Trot Walk/Run, a treasure hunt in the snow, a cozy costume sled race and fireworks over the Oswego River (www.warmuposwego.com).
February 5: Snowflake Festival, Jamestown Audubon Center, Jamestown, NY (Lucille Ball’s hometown), eagle expert, skiing, hay/sleigh rides, winter camping and fiber demonstrations, http://snowflakefestival.wordpress.com)
February 10-12: Canton Winterfest, Canton, NY, www.northcountryguide.com
February 11-13: The Great Eastern Whiteout, Fulton War Memorial, Fulton, NY, hundreds of vintage snowmobiles on display, www.thegreateasternwhiteout.net
February 12: The Cracker Box Palace Farm Animal Haven at Alasa Farms hosts elegant black tie-optional benefit Snowflake Gala with wine tasting, music and dancing; a gourmet dinner; and silent and live auctions at Burnham’s Canalside Restaurant in Newark, www.crackerboxpalace.org
 February 1812 Battle of Ogdensburg reenactment. Photo: Tim Cryderman |
February 12-20: River Shiver, Ogdensburg, NY, includes War of 1812 winter battle reenactment. On February 19-20, the British Crown forces will slip across the St. Lawrence River to attack the Americans at Ogdensburg in a recreated battle of the War of 1812. Reenactors bring to life Forsythe’s Rifles Regiment at the future site of the recreation of historic Fort de la Presentation. Watch for details as the event approaches. www.northcountryguide.com
February 18-20: Mayville I.C.E. Festival - Will it be a castle bigger than last year’s record setter? Find out at this Presidents’ Day Weekend event in Mayville, NY, with Saturday night fireworks, www.mayvilleevents.com/icefest.html
MARCH 2011
Now until March 27: “Mysteries of the Great Lakes” at Rochester Museum & Science Center Strasenburgh Planetarium; via the giant screen experience, explore the Great Lakes’ landscape and travel underwater through the Earth’s greatest freshwater ecosystem with sturgeon and shipwrecks, bald eagles and Niagara Falls and more, www.rmsc.org
For more events and festivals, visit the following websites:
www.visiterie.com
www.tourchautauqua.com
www.visitbuffaloniagara.com
www.niagara-usa.com
www.orleanscountytourism.com
www.visitrochester.com
www.waynecountytourism.com
www.tourcayuga.com
www.visitoswegocounty.com
www.visit1000islands.com
www.northcountryguide.com