"From its majestic mountains, cities and lakes to pastoral farmlands and vineyards, the Empire State has it all! Upstate New York features motorcycle rides meandering through the Adirondack Mountains and the Appalachian Highlands. Between these two upland regions and along the eastern and northern borders, motorcycle rides will take place within a series of lowlands. The state is also blessed with good access to large lakes including Lakes Erie, Ontario, and Champlain and majestic rivers like the Hudson and Allegheny. A great motorcycle ride in New York (NY) state can provide memories to last a lifetime!
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Best Rated Motorcycle Roads & Rides
Color Key: top-5 ranked routes in the state
#1#2#3#4#5
Routes ranked below the top-5 are drawn in gray
This route offers some twisty roads. The first corner at the top of Swartwood hill, and the last corner on Swartwood hill are the sharpest. It gets you away from the city vibe of Elmira and…
This route starts in a small town with cute little restaurants and goes along the Delaware River. The Hawks Nest is a high elevation with pull offs and wonderful views of the valley and river. Port…
Many ponds and a lake is what you pass by on this route. It seems the locals do some fishing, or what-have-you, here. It can be a scenic ride, if that's what you're interested in.
My apologies…
Scenic valley route along Barkaboom Stream and Beaver Kill in the northern section and scenic rural farmland in the southern section. Wonderful scenery for all seasons and a special treat during the…
Scenic views of the West Branch Neversink River in any season with autumn colors being a definite bonus.
The Ocean Parkway goes from the Jone Beach State Park to Captree State park on the barrier islands of Long Islands south shore. There are beautiful views of the Atlantic ocean to one side and the…
Bridges, riding next to the Hudson River, through wonderful beautiful farm lands and wooded areas.
I was expecting more of the reservoir to be seen along the way. I rated this a 4 because of the potential scenery during the color change in the fall.
Lots of elevation change and large swaths of farmland with good views of the scenery. Really good example of the area's natural beauty.
This route travels through the hills and open fields of the Mohawk Valley. The first stretch is a pleasant country road that will wind you through modest farm land and open fields. Then once on NY-…
Starting in Port Jervis route 97 winds along a shear cliff cut into the side of the mountain then drops down to run the entire 70 miles having the Delaware River usually in your view. The beginning…
This is a twisty less traveled route to the Catskills from the heart of the Shawangunk Mountain range, down the round from Minnewaska State park to the heart of the Catskills in Shokan. Beautiful…
Rolling and Twisty Road that connects well with Tracy Road in Mineville. While Tracy road has one left for every right successively Ensign Pond road has no patterns. Lots of wooded scenery on a…
This route carves through the valley between Keuka Lake and Canandaigua in the heart of the Finger Lakes. Rolling hills, flowing streams, and farms are all along this route.
Route runs through the southern Adirondack Mountains. Because it is heavily forested there are no long range views.
Road is north of Whiteface Mountain and follows several small streams. It connects with NY 431, the toll road to the top of Whiteface.
This section of NY 30 serpentines thru numerous Adirondack lakes. Along the lakes are some open areas that allow for long range mountain views.
The whole route is tree lined and gives the appearance of a national park road. The trees create a canopy, so most of it is shaded.
This route climbs over the Helderberg Mountains of western Albany County and down into the beautiful Schoharie Valley. The route undulates among farm fields, and winds through hollows cut by…
This 20-mile route east of the Delaware River is part of the Delaware Water-Gap National Recreation Area and is within sight of a beautiful section of the river most of the way. The Pocono Mountains…
