Touring - Need help planning a bike trip

Three of my friends would like to do a bike trip this summer. We would like to do something in the range of 80 to100 miles a day for three days. I live on Long Island but want to travel a bit as parts of Nassau County are just too congested.

I saw my cousin at Thanksgiving and he mentioned there were sites you can go to; that help plan trips like these. They mark them out and even mark food stops and places to sleep.

Does anyone know of such a site?

Three of my friends would like to do a bike trip this summer. We would like to do something in the range of 80 to100 miles a day for three days. I live on Long Island but want to travel a bit as parts of Nassau County are just too congested.

I saw my cousin at Thanksgiving and he mentioned there were sites you can go to; that help plan trips like these. They mark them out and even mark food stops and places to sleep.

Does anyone know of such a site?

Adventure Cycling is one of the better known outfits. There is two routes in New England and New YorkAdventure Cycling (http://www.adventurecycling.org)

Another suggestion is to participate in one of the two annual tours that cross NY from Buffalo to Albany
http://www.fanyride.com/
http://www.ptny.org/canaltour/index.shtml

If the cost is too much you can ride the erie canal route on your own, I have done it 3 times in the past two years and others here have also ridden it. Amtrak will get you and your bikes to Buffalo . Almost half of the route is now offroad trail. http://www.canals.state.ny.us/exvac/trail/

Here is a link to what is probably the most popular ewbsite that offers premapped routes....
http://www.adv-cycling.org/routes/network.cfm

And here is a link to a website that hosts online touring journals. They have a search option that allows you to find journals from people who used adventure cycling's routes.....
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/

Search by adventure cycling route...
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/categories/?o=aw&category_id=245

Amtrak will get you and your bikes to Buffalo . Almost half of the route is now offroad trail. http://www.canals.state.ny.us/exvac/trail/

Thank you. I should mention, we are on road bikes. Therefore no dirt trails, please.

Actually these new trails ( mostly hard packed stone dust) are suitable for roadbikes with a 25c or larger tire. In urban areas the trail is asphalt. Most people who tour the trail are on roadbikes. But if you want real roads the whole way use the adjacent NY Bike Route 5 which is a very nice ride also. You can get route info here (http://www.dot.state.ny.us/br5/).

additional reading



My first tour on the trail (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/?o=aw&doc_id=401&v=0&term=erie%20canal&context=all)

Dale Oswald on the western part of the canal (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/?o=aw&doc_id=224&v=0&term=erie%20canal&context=all)

Dale Oswald's eastern tour (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/?o=aw&doc_id=231&v=0&term=erie%20canal&context=all)

Rick Nighbert did it east to west (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/?o=aw&doc_id=1098&v=1b&term=erie%20canal&context=all)

and others (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/search/?term=erie+canal&scope=journal_tocs&expand=auto)

velonomad:

I see you’re in Albany. My friend Anthony drove us up to Kingston and Mike and I did a Kingston to Albany ride.

Still remember it. My friend got his tire stuck in a RR track and flipped over the handle bars. He chipped some front teeth and needed stitches in his chin. After he got out of the ER a few hours later, he insisted we keep going. We did make it. Anthony met us in Albany and drove us back home. It was a while ago and do remember a lot of hills! But I was younger back then!

Jcwitte:

Thanks for sites! I’ll check them out!




Anyone actually do a trip that they would recommend?