Touring - Tour: Montreal to Philadelphia

Hey Everybody,
I`m biking down just past Philadelphia at the end of the month from Montreal and was wondering if those of you who are familiar with the New Jersey/Philadelphia area could take a look at my route. I was just wondering if my route was safe but all I have to work with is googlemaps, it would be great if somebody could give me some input on my route. Thank you.
-Alex

Edit: Should probably add this http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=948207

Well, you have to realize that most of eastern NJ is a complete zoo. Biking from Fort Lee to where you cross 287 will involve a lot of traffic but it doesn't look like you have much of a choice. If you end up modifying your route en route, stay out of Newark and Irvington. If I can make one suggestion, it's to add a few miles by heading west from Bound Brook (near your 287 crossing) and make it out to Round Valley Reservoir. It'll be a very scenic stop and will help you recover from biking in NE NJ. By heading that way, you'll also ensure you take much less busy and more scenic roads to the PA border. You can cross in New Hope, PA which is a quaint little town, albeit with a fair amount of traffic for its size.

I'm not what you'd call a seasoned bike tourer, but I have spent 23 of my 33 years in NJ. Looking at your route, I'd advise you to stay clear of the metro NYC area altogether. You should look into alternate routes that will bring you west through NY before you reach the NJ state line. If you can find a route into Sussex county, you will have some really nice roads (although hilly) through western NJ. Check out www.njbikemap.com (http://www.njbikemap.com) for some really good routes through the state. Good luck and have fun.

Great thanks a lot for your tips guys this really helps out. I really don’t know what I’m getting myself into with New Jersey the route took 10 times longer to plan out than the one for NY and as you can see there are still many problems with it. I'll take the advice you guys gave and modify my route or completely change it. I just found these maps would you recommend using the routes indicated on these maps http://www.greenway.org/maps/googlemaps.htm? Thanks again.
-Alex

If you aren't against taking public transport and want to see NYC, you can try taking Amtrak's Adirondack Line into the city, and then taking the NE corridor NJtransit line out to Princeton.

Otherwise, you should really stick to the western part of NJ, as it is quite rural and scenic. If you're coming through that area on a weekend and aren't far from the PA border, let me know and I could ride out and meet you.

If you aren't against taking public transport and want to see NYC, you can try taking Amtrak's Adirondack Line into the city, and then taking the NE corridor NJtransit line out to Princeton.

Otherwise, you should really stick to the western part of NJ, as it is quite rural and scenic. If you're coming through that area on a weekend and aren't far from the PA border, let me know and I could ride out and meet you.

Are there any extra costs to bring your bike on public transit? Thanks for the ride offer what part of PA are you in? Thanks.
-Alex

Are there any extra costs to bring your bike on public transit? Thanks for the ride offer what part of PA are you in? Thanks.
-Alex

NJ Transit - no costs

Off-peak travel periods:

* Standard frame bicycles may be carried on-board during off-peak hours (weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.), and all day Saturday and Sunday.
http://www.njtransit.com/rg_bp.shtml

Amtrak has the following bike info page, http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1080080554487&pagename=Amtrak%2Fam2Copy%2FSimple_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy


I live in Bethlehem, PA and usually ride out to Frenchtown or Milford, NJ on the weekends.

Cheers.

you could also consider avoiding NJ altogether and following western NY down into PA and then taking PA bike Route G south towards Philly. great old rail trail.

~Steve

you could also consider avoiding NJ altogether and following western NY down into PA and then taking PA bike Route G south towards Philly. great old rail trail.

~Steve

Well, I guess it really depends on what you're looking for. Central PA is supposedly beautiful, but it's almost entirely desolate. Eastern PA, outside of a few towns in the poconos and the Lehigh Valley are also pretty bleak. I live on the outskirts of Bethlehem and can easily do a 40 mile loop without seeing a single store or business. If you're looking for that sort of experience and don't mind the radical topography, PA is great.

Western NJ, while still quite rural, has a little bit more going on. All the towns along the Delaware are charming and have neat places to check out. Again, it all depends on what you want to see.

Elik

My first tour was as a teenager with American Youth Hostel in '78, from Manhattan up to Montreal, going up the Hudson River Valley, then over to Vermont and Lake Champlain. If memory serves, our first week overnights were in Ft. Montgomery, Hyde Park, Chatham and Cambridge Center (all NY); Vergennes and Burlington, VT. You're in for a great ride!

I suggest you look at the part of the Atlantic Coast route for Adventure Cycling that covers NY/NJ/PA. That might give you good ideas.
http://www.adventurecycling.org

Good luck planning and riding.
Ken

What length of time are you planning to take?

I'm not familiar with the route you are taking from NYC to Princeton. I've taken 27, and I thought it was terrible.

The part around Philly looks OK. Personally I think taking Baltimore Ave out of the city until it links up with Rt 1 might be better. You cross Rt 1 later anyways, might as well take it all the way there. It's a nice road, and you don't have to make any turns so it's hard to get lost! :)

Also, that area around Kennett Square is pretty desolate, so make sure you have food and water with you.

Sweet thanks for all the tips guys. I`ll modify my route a bit more with this new info and let you know how it turns out. I`m going to try to average around 100miles a day give or take a few. Hope this thing works out. Thanks again for all the help!
-Alex

I would suggest crossing the St Lawrence into the US at Cornwall and going around the West side of the Adirondacks towards Syracuse. Then go on South from there.