The Great Sacandaga Lake Loop

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > New York

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 0 visitors

State: New York
Date Submitted: May 19, 2011
Submitted by: MCR Contributor
Motorcycle Road Length: 72 Miles

Written Directions

Take the Thruway to Exit 26 at Amsterdam, ride Rt.30 north to Vail Mills and take a right on Rt. 29 (to ride the loop the other way, just keep going north on Rt. 30 to Northville). Take your next left on to 2nd Ave. There's a Stewarts' Shop on the corner where you can pick up gas. Follow 2nd Ave into Broadalbin, turn right on to Main St., bear left on to N. Main St. (Co. Rd. 117) and follow it out of town. Turn right on Co. Rd. 110. Follow this road, which becomes Co. Rd. 7/S.Shore Rd. just north of Fish House Rd. Turn left onto Kathan Rd. Follow Kathan Rd./Overlook Rd. over the Conklingville Dam to the pulloff on the other side. Take a left on N. Shore Road/Co. Rd. 4. In Edinburg, turn right onto Northville Road (Co. Rd. 4/113). Turn left at the stop sign on to Main St. Ext. and follow it across the bridge into Northville. Take a left at Bridge St. to follow Rt. 30 South.

Scenery

This route traces the shoreline of the Great Sacandaga Lake. The lake itself and Adirondack Park lands surrounding it are absolutely gorgeous making the area a major vacation destination during the summer months. In the fall, Great Sacandaga Lake, actually a man-made resevoir, provides unique scenery opportunities. The water is drained out of the lake in autumn and sometimes reveals foundations of old houses left on the bottom when the Sacandaga Valley was flooded in 1930(?) to create the lake. Great photographic opportunities year-round from the Conklingville Dam near Hadley and from the side of either South Shore or North Shore Road.

Road Quality

Both North Shore and South Shore Roads are fantastic motorcycle roads. The roads' surfaces are well maintained for the most part with a few rough patches here and there. Rt 30 on the west side of the lake, however, is in perfect condition and makes for great laid-back cruising. In springtime, watch out for large amounts of sand on North Shore and South Shore Roads left over from the winter. It usually takes a couple good spring rains to wash this stuff away. Both of these roads provide tons of great views of the Great Sacandaga Lake, and enough curves to keep any rider's heartrate up. The stretch of North Shore Road between the Conklingville Dam and Day Center is especially curvy with tons of twisties in that area.

Roadside Amenities

Lots of nice places to stop and eat along this route. For a great roadhouse, there's the I-Go-Inn on South Shore Road just north of Fish House Road, open Memorial Day through Labor Day. For a more upscale dining experience, try Lanzi's on the Lake just off Rt. 30 in Mayfield on the west side of the lake. You can fuel up at gas stations in Broadalbin, at Fullers Corners in Edinburg, in Northville, in Lake-Luzerne or Hadley, and at any one of several gas stations along Rt. 30 in Mayfield. Looking for something other than motorcycling? Great Sacandaga Lake has got it: boating, camping, fishing, you name it. Try whitewater rafting on the upper Hudson River in Lake Luzerne at the Hudson River Rafting Company. If you're riding this route around labor day, be sure to stick around after dark the night before Labor Day for the Ring of Fire, an annual tradition where bonfires are lit all along the lake shore to celebrate the end of summer.