My Favorite Bike Trails in the Northeastern US

[6zfshdb]

Hope I'm not duplicating. The Swamp Rabbit Trail in SC. Travelers Rest to Greenville. 22mi. Goes into the citys river district then down to the zoo. Very well maintained but crowded on weekends. I also saw the Creeper Trail (VCT) in SW Va. Last I heard, no eBikes. This is still worth it on an acoustic bike. You take a shuttle to the mountaintop and coast back to Damascus. Really scenic.

The last time I rode the Virginia Creeper Trail, I saw a few ebikes. They may not be permitted but enforcement is almost non existent. If you're doing the trail one way downhill, you really don't need an ebike anyway, just good brakes due to the steep downhill slope in spots. Any way you go, it's a good ride.

I added the Swamp Rabbit Trail as #51 on the list.

Thanks for your input!

 

[GypsyTreker]

The last time I rode the Virginia Creeper Trail, I saw a few ebikes. They may not be permitted but enforcement is almost non existent. If you're doing the trail one way downhill, you really don't need an ebike anyway, just good brakes due to the steep downhill slope in spots. Any way you go, it's a good ride.

I added the Swamp Rabbit Trail as #51 on the list.

Thanks for your input!

Thank you for such a great list.

 

[Art Deco]

Anyone know a good bike trail near Ithica NY? Butter milk fall seems to be no bikes of any sort.

 

[6zfshdb]

Anyone know a good bike trail near Ithica NY? Butter milk fall seems to be no bikes of any sort.

You might try the Catharine Valley Trail, a few miles west of Ithaca near Watkins Glen. https://www.traillink.com/trail/catharine-valley-trail/ I've never been there but it gets good reviews. Bicycles are permitted but I don't know if ebikes are allowed. Worth a look.

There is also the Cayuga Seneca Canal Trail at the north end of Cayuga Lake near Geneva: https://www.traillink.com/trail/cayuga-seneca-canal-trail/ It's only 5 miles long but it would give you a 10 mile round trip through a pretty scenic area.

 

[Art Deco]

You might try the Catharine Valley Trail, a few miles west of Ithaca near Watkins Glen. https://www.traillink.com/trail/catharine-valley-trail/ I've never been there but it gets good reviews. Bicycles are permitted but I don't know if ebikes are allowed. Worth a look.

There is also the Cayuga Seneca Canal Trail at the north end of Cayuga Lake near Geneva: https://www.traillink.com/trail/cayuga-seneca-canal-trail/ It's only 5 miles long but it would give you a 10 mile round trip through a pretty scenic area.

Thanks. I'll check these out next week while I'm up there.

 

[Dionigi]

we have found the rails to trails to be safe but boring. They usually have very little elevation gain making an ebike an overkill. The app Ride With GPS offers a great search feature allowing you to pick a route more appropriate for an ebike. Our comfort zone right now seems to be the gravel rural rides between 25 and 45 miles with an elevation gain of between 3,000 and 4,500 feet. This last ride we saw 5 cars in over 3 hours, so quite safe.

 

[opimax]

i love riding rails to trails , smooth and comfortable...for the first 65 miles, the return trip home not as nice I did 129 miles yesterday. I am hoping some day to maybe complete the 100 miles one way and return in the same day, may take a while but should be doable

 

[Saratoga Dave]

129 miles on a rail trail! They are great to ride on, but you must have been ready to kill yourself by mile 80. Too bland, as Dionigi infers.

For some reason New York State has gone on a paving kick with the trail network, which I have to say I hate to see. We‘ve had literally hundreds of miles of lovely, wooded cinder and gravel paths which are now being paved over, especially along the Canal system. It takes all the character away from it.

 

[6zfshdb]

129 miles on a rail trail! They are great to ride on, but you must have been ready to kill yourself by mile 80. Too bland, as Dionigi infers.

For some reason New York State has gone on a paving kick with the trail network, which I have to say I hate to see. We‘ve had literally hundreds of miles of lovely, wooded cinder and gravel paths which are now being paved over, especially along the Canal system. It takes all the character away from it.

I agree. I find paved trails are nice for a change but tend to get crowded with people on roller blades and skateboards. Unless they are well maintained, tree root heaves and potholes ruin the smooth surface and can actually be hazardous. I much prefer a packed gravel trail over asphalt.

 

[opimax]

The trail is the Silver Comet Trail. World class ratings of some kind. It reminds me of of a minature airplane runway for over 60 miles. You could ride no hands at night Without lights except for 2or 3 bumps for the part in GA. The scenery may be less interesting to some but not to me. Many miles of no one else or close to it after I ride less then 10 miles. Cell phone coverage except a mile or 2 . Couple hills are short but large. On 1 bike I walk up to save battery since I only have 2 for this bike. The Stromer I ride up since I have enough range and it is more powerful . The other bike can make it but sucks battery. 1 of the main reasons for retiring here is the trail.

 

[GypsyTreker]

So we are back home. What a fun getaway, rain and all. The post about the "prime" leg on the GAP was spot on. We stayed at Outflow Campground in Confluence, see attached, for 12.50 a night ( Interagency Pass) it is a COE property. We did the Confluence to Ohiopyle r/t then North as far as the tunnel and turned back due to rain. We plan to return, camp at Outflow ride to Cumberland, B&B , return the next day. If we have time, same thing south to Pittsburgh then back. I do recommend mid-week as traffic on the weekend is way higher. Although some (us included) wore masks, its pretty much a mask free zone. I had one guy actually feel the need to remark. That conversation came to an abrupt ending. For the most part, easy to distance at the outdoor food venue and 98% of the folks friendly. Couldn't ask for a better un-plugged weekend.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Wow, that’s a hell of a Subaru commercial right there! Some operation, love the A/C unit poking out the side of the camper.

 

[GypsyTreker]

Wow, that’s a hell of a Subaru commercial right there! Some operation, love the A/C unit poking out the side of the camper.

The Subbie has dragged that Aliner over the Rockies and back about 4x now. The A/C is only 5000btu meaning it runs fine using our Honda 1000 generator for about 7hrs on .6 of a gallon.

 

[6zfshdb]

The trail is the Silver Comet Trail. World class ratings of some kind. It reminds me of of a minature airplane runway for over 60 miles. You could ride no hands at night Without lights except for 2or 3 bumps for the part in GA. The scenery may be less interesting to some but not to me. Many miles of no one else or close to it after I ride less then 10 miles. Cell phone coverage except a mile or 2 . Couple hills are short but large. On 1 bike I walk up to save battery since I only have 2 for this bike. The Stromer I ride up since I have enough range and it is more powerful . The other bike can make it but sucks battery. 1 of the main reasons for retiring here is the trail.

I've never tried the Silver Comet but have heard of it's reputation. A little research reveals it does indeed deserve a place on the list. Added as #52

 

[Art Deco]

You might try the Catharine Valley Trail, a few miles west of Ithaca near Watkins Glen. https://www.traillink.com/trail/catharine-valley-trail/ I've never been there but it gets good reviews. Bicycles are permitted but I don't know if ebikes are allowed. Worth a look.

There is also the Cayuga Seneca Canal Trail at the north end of Cayuga Lake near Geneva: https://www.traillink.com/trail/cayuga-seneca-canal-trail/ It's only 5 miles long but it would give you a 10 mile round trip through a pretty scenic area.

Upstate NY USA
So I didn't get to either NY trail this trip. Sorry. We stayed with my grandsons and rode with them a bit while their parents got to explore Lechworth state park in Upstate NY. They were afoot but liked it alot and said it was full of bike trails. Photos below ...

 

[GypsyTreker]

Upstate NY USA
So I didn't get to either NY trail this trip. Sorry. We stayed with my grandsons and rode with them a bit while their parents got to explore Lechworth state park in Upstate NY. They were afoot but liked it alot and said it was full of bike trails. Photos below ...View attachment 58329

Great area in general. Use to go camping at Treman SP many (many) years ago.

 

[Dionigi]

129 miles on a rail trail! They are great to ride on, but you must have been ready to kill yourself by mile 80. Too bland, as Dionigi infers.

For some reason New York State has gone on a paving kick with the trail network, which I have to say I hate to see. We‘ve had literally hundreds of miles of lovely, wooded cinder and gravel paths which are now being paved over, especially along the Canal system. It takes all the character away from it.

On our list of rides this summer (now hopefully late fall but more likely next summer) is the Erie canal . We through 60 to 70 miles a day. Spending our down time exploring the historical canal towns and staying in small hotels. What is your experience and is the trail well traveled right now.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

It’s a great trip. I just came off a 25 mile trip along a section of the canal path near Schenectady. I see they have repaved the whole area near the GE plant in the past couple of weeks... it needed it, tree roots had cracked and pushed up the blacktop over the past few years.

There are people out every day all along the canal and the Hudson and Mohawk rivers where we are. I’m sure that is true out in the western side of the state where it is a hugely popular recreational route as well.

When I did it two years ago I just got on Google maps every night, figured out how far I might go the next day, and found whatever cheesy hotel I could. It worked out great. It was Quality Inns or Budget Inns or the like, but they were all staffed by very friendly people who would give you a ground floor room so you could wheel the bike in. There are lots of B&B type places especially out in the western side of the state as well. Hard to go wrong. I enjoyed the places I stayed in, and the most alarming looking was the best night of all, so there you are. It was just me and no particular schedule, though I encountered riding partners on two days that made both those days that much more entertaining.

I think the Erie Canal and the GAP - my brother has done that one, me not yet - are two of the Big Dog trips in the east that everyone really wants to do. I am fortunate to live about a half mile from the Hudson River end of the Erie Canal. The bike infrastructure around here is pretty good and getting better all the time. City of Albany just opened up a new connector between two established bike paths literally yesterday.

 

[Gionnirocket]

38 - The 31 mile North County and Putnam Trailway in Westchester and Putnam County NY (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-york/north-county-and-putnam-trailway) - this is currently being extended to meet up with the Walkway over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie and eventually will connect to Canada (https://www.bicycling.com/rides/a20020913/you-could-ride-trails-from-nyc-to-canada-by-2020/)

Has the connection to the Walkway over the Hudson been completed?
I often ride the South county trail and continue into the lower portion of the North.
They are almost finished with the South extension into Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Not yet. The Hudson trail’s south end is still at Hopewell Junction, near the old train station.

The trail after it crosses the river to Ulster County has been extended all the way into New Paltz, though, and they did a terrific job on it.

I’m actually on the way out the door right now on a run down to Poughkeepsie, and i was going to ride the Rail Trail this afternoon until I realized it is Saturday and the thing will be jam packed with people. I’m going to zoom over to the Harlem Valley trail instead from Wassaic to Millerton. No shade anywhere on that one, and sort of ordinary visually, but there are lots of nice country roads to jump off on and ride, and there should be a lot less people around.