Biking trails on the east coast

[GOGIANTSFAN11]

Hi,
Was just wondering if anyone can recommended long bike trails that we can make a weekend trip out of.. There is a group of 6 of us that all got the specialized como bikes this summer. We are in NY and have a 47 mile round trip rail trail that is right next to my house. Would love to try new trails.. We were in Cape cod last weekend and did the Cape Cod Rail trail and the Shinning Sea trail and spend a day in Nantucket. Also, went to Block Island, RI with the bikes. Looking for any other nice trails Northeast, mid Atlantic down south and even out to Michigan. Thanks.

 

[MechaNut]

Probably the biggest trail is the Erie Canalway Trail. It runs along the Erie Canal from Albany all the way to Lockport. Two other major trails around these parts would be the Genesee Valley Greenway and the Lehigh Valley Trail. I'm most familiar with the major trails around Monroe County.

 

[dblhelix]

Hi,
Was just wondering if anyone can recommended long bike trails that we can make a weekend trip out of.. There is a group of 6 of us that all got the specialized como bikes this summer. We are in NY and have a 47 mile round trip rail trail that is right next to my house. Would love to try new trails.. We were in Cape cod last weekend and did the Cape Cod Rail trail and the Shinning Sea trail and spend a day in Nantucket. Also, went to Block Island, RI with the bikes. Looking for any other nice trails Northeast, mid Atlantic down south and even out to Michigan. Thanks.

Pittsburgh to DC. 350 miles, no roads, two connecting trails. The GAP, Great Allegheny Passage, is an enjoyable and hassle-free ride on packed limestone. You connect to the C&O Canal and towpath in Cumberland, MD. Bonus: the sometimes challenging towpath is being resurfaced with limestone as I type.

Just realized you said weekend, hmm. 2-3 days is really pushing it. Can you extend?

 

[6zfshdb]

Northwestern Pennsylvania near Franklin has a group of trails within a half hours drive of each other. They are in the 25 mile range one way. They are the Allegheny River Trail, Sandy Creek Trail, Armstrong Trail and Oil Creek Trail.

Central PA. also has the 64 mile Pine Creek Trail near Mansfield and the 34 mile Ghost Town Trail near Blairsville.

 

[Oberst]

Virginia Capital Trail Foundation | Paved pedestrian & bicycle trail from Richmond to Williamsburg Virginia

The Virginia Capital Trail is the product of a successful public-private partnership between the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation (VCTF).

www.virginiacapitaltrail.org

 

[6zfshdb]

Hi,
Was just wondering if anyone can recommended long bike trails that we can make a weekend trip out of.. There is a group of 6 of us that all got the specialized como bikes this summer. We are in NY and have a 47 mile round trip rail trail that is right next to my house. Would love to try new trails.. We were in Cape cod last weekend and did the Cape Cod Rail trail and the Shinning Sea trail and spend a day in Nantucket. Also, went to Block Island, RI with the bikes. Looking for any other nice trails Northeast, mid Atlantic down south and even out to Michigan. Thanks.

@GOGIANTSFAN11: I'm planning a trip up to Cape Cod myself this week. MA is not an ebike friendly state and technically, they are banned on bike paths. Did you have any trouble and did you see many other e-bikes?

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Erie Canal. The western stretch between Buffalo and maybe Fairport or Palmyra is more paved, civilized and continuous... east of that you have to deal with (or go north around) Syracuse, and you have to go through Utica. Little Falls all the way to Albany is great, mostly paved, the rest stone dust, a few stretches of road, more out there in the wild, so to speak. A great ride no matter which end you pick. To me the eastern part is more adventurous.

Other than the ridges in the Montezuma Wildlife area in the middle of the state and a couple of surprises near Schenectady, the entire thing is pretty flat. Headwinds can be entertaining out west, but that's what the ebike is for!

The GAP trail is on my bucket list as well, but I have done the entire Erie Canal and continue to ride various sections of it every week.

 

[dblhelix]

Erie Canal. The western stretch between Buffalo and maybe Fairport or Palmyra is more paved, civilized and continuous... east of that you have to deal with (or go north around) Syracuse, and you have to go through Utica. Little Falls all the way to Albany is great, mostly paved, the rest stone dust, a few stretches of road, more out there in the wild, so to speak. A great ride no matter which end you pick. To me the eastern part is more adventurous.

Other than the ridges in the Montezuma Wildlife area in the middle of the state and a couple of surprises near Schenectady, the entire thing is pretty flat. Headwinds can be entertaining out west, but that's what the ebike is for!

The GAP trail is on my bucket list as well, but I have done the entire Erie Canal and continue to ride various sections of it every week.

Dave, are all sections kept open as it gets colder or do you have tunnels that are closed for the winter?

This was my original route back, but a misbehaving trailer compelled me to head home to the DC area to drop it off before heading to Brooklyn. So now I’m thinking later this year or to route westbound next summer via NYS.

Either way, hope to bump into you!

 

[Saratoga Dave]

It’s all open, no tunnels on the Canal route that I remember. I rode it almost two years ago during a good weather week in October 2017, from Little Falls to the western end. It was a great trip. I ride various sections from Albany to Canojaharie all the time... we live right near where the Canal runs into the Hudson in Waterford.

Let me know if you’re coming through, I’d love to hitch a ride.

 

[GOGIANTSFAN11]

@GOGIANTSFAN11: I'm planning a trip up to Cape Cod myself this week. MA is not an ebike friendly state and technically, they are banned on bike paths. Did you have any trouble and did you see many other e-bikes?

Hi, We had zero trouble on the bike trails. We saw other ebikes. In fact most people stopped us to ask about it. We had a great time there. Enjoy!!

 

[GOGIANTSFAN11]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I should have clarified a bit more. We are looking to head some places that we can overnight and go out and do a couple 50 -60 miles rides and then back to the hotel. I think we are going to try Arcadia in Maine next. We loved the cape cod rail trail as we were able to stop at different towns for shopping and eating making a great 8 hour day.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

The D&L Trail (Delaware and Lehigh) has enough big and small cities along the route from which you can base your rides around. For the most part, the canal is along either of it's name sake rivers to provide some relief from the summer heat and humidity with an added bonus of shade cover provided by the trees along the route.

Link: https://delawareandlehigh.org/map/?...oLn2tkCZcmj3lwy4iIB_JxU0iayxFmtwaAhfmEALw_wcB

 

[Greencat]

The D&L Trail (Delaware and Lehigh) has enough big and small cities along the route from which you can base your rides around. For the most part, the canal is along either of it's name sake rivers to provide some relief from the summer heat and humidity with an added bonus of shade cover provided by the trees along the route.

Link: https://delawareandlehigh.org/map/?...oLn2tkCZcmj3lwy4iIB_JxU0iayxFmtwaAhfmEALw_wcB

Is there an area that you would recommend to start with? I am about an hour from Allentown. Looking for a 25 to 30 mile ride round trip.
Thanks

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Mike, any official ebike hostility on the D&L? This sounds like a ride I want to take, maybe this upcoming month.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Is there an area that you would recommend to start with? I am about an hour from Allentown. Looking for a 25 to 30 mile ride round trip.
Thanks

Using Easton where the Lehigh River empties into the Delaware River is a nice start point to explore the towpath to points south or north. Easton has two points from where you can begin your run, either at the Hugh Moore Park or at the junction of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers off PA 611. Parking is safe; compared to Allentown, which is, well, Allentown. Sand Island in Bethlehem is another good start point. All told, from the Canal Park in Allentown to Easton is about 18 miles, give or take, one way.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Mike, any official ebike hostility on the D&L? This sounds like a ride I want to take, maybe this upcoming month.

Dave, no problems at all, ever experienced on the dozens of times I've been on these towpaths. For that matter, no problems encountered on the adjacent New Jersey based Delaware & Raritan Feeder Canal, from Frenchtown, NJ to Washington Crossing, NJ. Both NJ and PA canals run along the Delaware River so you can start on one side, take one of the free bridge walking paths over to the other one and do your return trip; which alot of folks do.

Be mindful of parking on NJ state canal property after sundown; some police, especially down at Washington Crossing, are eager to ticket your vehicle as technically, the state park is closed at sundown. I can't speak about the PA side in this matter.

I've got what feels like several hundred ride reports, many with photos of my journeys on both of these canal systems, using both my Haibike and my Specialized Fatboy and that can be looked up over on the mtbr forum "Fatbikes" specifically at the thread titled "Fat biking and health". My posts and photos over there I would think pretty much cover most any questions. The link for that thread is here; just go to post #3174 where my Haibke ebiking madness begins: https://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/fat-biking-health-922626-16.html

My camera started to accompany my towpath rides on the Haibike Full FatSix a bit later on, at post #3380, at this link: https://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/fat-biking-health-922626-17.html the ride reports and photographs of my journey's start in earnest......


If you wind up going there, post some photos here; looking forward to reading how your ride turned out!

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Thanks very much, Mike, I will go study those threads post haste. This is now officially at or near the top of my Places To Ride list.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Thanks very much, Mike, I will go study those threads post haste. This is now officially at or near the top of my Places To Ride list.

Dave, you're welcome. A wee bit closer to your NY homebase and something to consider on the D&L is the run from Jim Thorpe, PA to White Haven PA in the Lehigh Gorge; especially in the autumn season with the changing of the leaf colors.

Worth a check would be the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway that often has bike trains that take their customers to the top at White Haven & the bikers come downgrade the 25 some odd miles thru the gorge into Jim Thorpe, the train's start point. Link: https://www.lgsry.com/ I pedaled the round trip starting at Jim Thorpe on my Bike E recumbent, about a decade ago, in summer. Going north you are going upgrade on an old rail-trail that is part of the D&L system. The grade is easy; but you do notice it stiffens at the midway point at Rockport all the way to White Haven. Piece of cake on any ebike, though....

Lotsa options to consider on the D&L and D&R canals to ride on, with a host of nearby hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts.

 

[kathik]

Dave, you're welcome. A wee bit closer to your NY homebase and something to consider on the D&L is the run from Jim Thorpe, PA to White Haven PA in the Lehigh Gorge; especially in the autumn season with the changing of the leaf colors.

Worth a check would be the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway that often has bike trains that take their customers to the top at White Haven & the bikers come downgrade the 25 some odd miles thru the gorge into Jim Thorpe, the train's start point. Link: https://www.lgsry.com/ I pedaled the round trip starting at Jim Thorpe on my Bike E recumbent, about a decade ago, in summer. Going north you are going upgrade on an old rail-trail that is part of the D&L system. The grade is easy; but you do notice it stiffens at the midway point at Rockport all the way to White Haven. Piece of cake on any ebike, though....

Lotsa options to consider on the D&L and D&R canals to ride on, with a host of nearby hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts.

I started at Slatedale and rode to Jim Thorpe last weekend. Round trip was about 35 miles. It's really nice since they opened the new bridge to Jim Thorpe! I'm hoping to start at Weissport and do a round trip to White Haven before the weather changes.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

I started at Slatedale and rode to Jim Thorpe last weekend. Round trip was about 35 miles. It's really nice since they opened the new bridge to Jim Thorpe! I'm hoping to start at Weissport and do a round trip to White Haven before the weather changes.

Looking forward to a ride report, Kathik. I live in South Jersey, so just getting up to Bethlehem is 70 some odd miles; and with the hours of daylight shortening, long ride opportunities up in those scenic areas of the canal are just gonna have to wait until next late spring, early summer.

That bridge over the Lehigh was a very long awaited project for the trail, a big undertaking for the D&L folks. A little further to the south, the right of way at Catasauqua, PA in the area of the new bridge span over the Lehigh features a new tunnel.....

As well as much further to the south in Morrisville, PA, the CSX Tunnel was opened this spring. Alot of good public works projects have gone on and are on-going on the D&L.....my personal favorite riding path.