Bicycle Touring 101: Bicycle Touring Around Lake Erie

One of the many beautiful sunsets I experienced during my tour.
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The Great Lakes consists of five very large lakes that have very powerful climate effects on the lands around them. For thousands of years these lakes have also been a focal point of interest to people from many different cultures. I live in the middle of three of the lakes so it's only natural to want to explore them by taking a bicycle touring adventure from my home around each lake in turn.

This article discusses Lake Erie. Other articles will discuss the other great lakes over time.

Lake Erie is the second smallest great lake in terms of surface area. Going around the lake allows you to cross two international borders, visit four states and one province. Along the way accents will change and you will notice many common concerns amongst the people you meet. There are some differences but these are relatively minor.

The north shore of Lake Erie is entirely in the province of Ontario, Canada. As you ride along this shoreline you will be mainly riding through lightly populated agricultural farmland with few large cities between the two ends of the lake. You will see tobacco, ginseng, corn, soybeans and numerous other farm crops. You will also see horses, cows, llamas and numerous other farm animals including that early morning alarm, the rooster.

There are numerous historical forts and re-enactments available for you to review and reflect upon as you circle the lake.
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Most of the areas will be flat with very mild changes in altitude although there are some mild hills in areas that were visited by glaciers during the last ice age. Near the eastern end of the north shore you can visit the Welland Canal and see the remains of the three earlier versions of it. Keep an eye out for several rail trails along the way. One runs south and then east from Windsor towards Leamington, another runs from Port Burwell to Tillsonburg, a third runs from Simcoe to Port Dover (well worth a visit) and there is a nice rail trail that runs from Ridgeway to Fort Erie allowing you to take the road less travelled as you circle the lake. Even where there are no rail trails there are often quiet and beautiful farm lanes available instead of the relatively busy secondary highways.

The southern, eastern and western shore of Lake Erie is much more populated with several cities including Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Toledo, Sandusky, and Detroit for you to consider visiting. When you go through Pennsylvania you will explore some very mild hills although heading south just a little ways will reward you with some much tougher ones should the mood strike.

My campsite at Put-In-Bay, South Bass Island allowed me a scenic view and the opportunity to be the fastest rider on this automobile free island.
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During the American Revolution (British perspective)/American War of Independence (American perspective) and the War of 1812 to 1815 there were numerous battles between Canada and the United States. This historical heritage can be seen in the numerous forts, statues and historical markers that can be discovered around the entire lake. It is quite possible to create a tour route that actually links many of these historical sites together.

Thankfully today the two nations are firm friends and both countries are their number one trading partners. Although you will need to cross International borders twice during your journey around the lake, I've found that as long as you are honest with the various border guards then you shouldn't have problems. The same goes for the people on both sides of the border. In my journey around the lake I discovered numerous nice people on all four shores of the lake. All it took on my part was a friendly smile, a willingness to listen and enjoyment answering their questions.

Camping facilities are easy to find along with motels and hotels. I went around the lake in ten movement days averaging 120 km/day but if you wanted to go either more or less distance on a daily basis then this is indeed possible without worrying too much about finding a place to camp or food to eat.

It is worth pointing out that crossing the border in Detroit is not fun. The border crossing at that point is not setup to allow bicycles to cross. You will be instructed to cross north of Lake St.Clair (a day or two north) instead. Alternatives include taking a ferry from Leamington, Ontario to Sandusky, Ohio instead.

Unfortunately this is the only picture that shows me during my Round Lake Erie tour. Shown here is the lovely Sandusky clock.
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Another special place to consider visiting during your adventure is South Bass Island. Put-in-bay is the town on this island and features a War of 1812 Memorial that also commemorates the many years of peace between Canada and the United States. With the exception of emergency vehicles, automobiles are banned from this island. Although the island is touristy there is an inexpensive state park at the western end of the island where you can camp and riding the roads of the island on a bicycle is truly something to be experienced and fondly remembered long after your journey has ended.

There are guidebooks available, including one called, Around Lake Erie, that can provide you with very detailed planning information for your tour. It should also be noted that the Adventure Cycling Association's Northern Tier route covers much of the southern shore of Lake Erie. With a bit of luck you might meet a few cross continental cyclists during your tour. Since most of these cyclists are riding from west to east if you go counter clockwise around the lake and time it reasonably well (mid July to mid August I suspect it the busy time) then you are very likely to enjoy at least a couple minutes of roadside conversation with these adventurers! If you are really lucky you will get to camp with some along the way!

I tremendously enjoyed my trip around Lake Erie. In fact I enjoyed it so much that it became the first segment of my Great Lakes Circle Tour adventure. My Round Lake Erie journal contains many pictures and the daily log entries from that tour.