Northeast - Brooklyn to Port Jefferson, Long Island?

I've ridden the length of Long Island on a southerly route, but never north, toward Port Jefferson (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Port+Jefferson,+New+York&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.527387,56.25&ie=UTF8&ll=40.996484,-73.053589&spn=0.968065,1.757812&z=9&iwloc=A).

I'm wondering if I should head up through Queens (I'm leaving from Park Slope), then take a northern route, or instead stay south and then cut up when I'm in Long Island. Anyone do a lot of biking out there on LI and can make a suggestion?

Thanks

I think heading up to Queens and then out on the bike lane on 34th Ave into the Fair Grounds and then east at Both Memorial Ave which conects to the bike path to Alley Ponds Park. Upon entering Alley Pond park (just before the last big hill) you will see a bike path to your left that will take you towards Northern Blvd, you can exit onto the east bound service road of the LIE or continue North to Northern Blvd.

I think heading up to Queens and then out on the bike lane on 34th Ave into the Fair Grounds and then east at Both Memorial Ave which conects to the bike path to Alley Ponds Park. Upon entering Alley Pond park (just before the last big hill) you will see a bike path to your left that will take you towards Northern Blvd, you can exit onto the east bound service road of the LIE or continue North to Northern Blvd.

v70cat, this is very helpful. Thank you.

/\yes. :thumb: That ride sounds so good - must try it - that is, if it ever stops raining!:cry:


EDIT: Queens Born, Suffolk County partially raised, somehow wound up back here again....

40¢, don't look now, but if you are in Brooklyn, you are already on Long Island. :D

I suppose to get to PJ, you could just follow the RTE 25A signs from Northern Blvd. east, right?

Seriously, there's just been a new stretch of trail opened on the way to Port -

see: http://www.northshoreoflongisland.com/Articles-i-2009-06-04-80016.112114-sub_Your_trail_is_waiting.html - if you don't want to stick to the roads.

Kevin

(BKLYN-born, Suffolk County-raised)

40¢, don't look now, but if you are in Brooklyn, you are already on Long Island. :D

Geographically perhaps, but culturally...


Kevrob, thanks for the tips, and for pointing out the greenway. My route is quickly coming together.

(Masachusetts born, but Brooklyn roasted)

Anyone up for a Queens ride around 4:00 or 5:00 today?

Looks like the weather should be ok.

Anyone up for a Queens ride around 4:00 or 5:00 today?

Looks like the weather should be ok.

Will be stuck at the office -- but thanks. Yes, a rain-free day and can't take advantage.:troll:

I have a route from Syosset to Port Jefferson that I enjoy a lot more than 25a or the LIE service road. It's as follows:



Woodbury Road to Pulaski Rd. 13 miles to Rt. 25A in Kings Park.
Make right, 2 miles to fork, straight onto ROSE STREET
To LANDING AVENUE. Make RIGHT
2 miles to EDGEWOOD in Smithtown. Make LEFT
2 miles to 25A
4 miles to fork in Stony Brook. Bear left
½ mile to fork. Bear RIGHT and stay on 25A
5.75 miles, pass Setauket, into Port Jeff.

Once you get to Pt. Jeff, you may want to consider taking the ferry to Bridgeport and then riding in Connecticut. I discovered a whole new world up there.

I have a route from Syosset to Port Jefferson that I enjoy a lot more than 25a or the LIE service road. It's as follows:



Woodbury Road to Pulaski Rd. 13 miles to Rt. 25A in Kings Park.
Make right, 2 miles to fork, straight onto ROSE STREET
To LANDING AVENUE. Make RIGHT
2 miles to EDGEWOOD in Smithtown. Make LEFT
2 miles to 25A
4 miles to fork in Stony Brook. Bear left
½ mile to fork. Bear RIGHT and stay on 25A
5.75 miles, pass Setauket, into Port Jeff.

Once you get to Pt. Jeff, you may want to consider taking the ferry to Bridgeport and then riding in Connecticut. I discovered a whole new world up there.

Papa Tom, much obliged for the route information. I'm going to check this out on a map.

Yes, the ferry to Bridgeport is in fact my plan. A friend of mine invites me up to Westport, CT but I tell him the only way I'm going there is by bicycle. As a non-biker, he somehow thinks there's only highway between here and there.

Anyone up for a Queens ride around 4:00 or 5:00 today?

Looks like the weather should be ok.

I'll be wanting to take you up on a weekend soon if you're free!

Here's a route I once used to a specific address in Darien, CT. My friends no longer live there, so don't count on a free meal or a shower! You can modify the route as necessary to get to Westport, but this was a nice ride, often along the water. There are also some incredible mansions along certain parts of the route:

Bridgeport to Darien (21 miles)





Ferry Access Road south, becomes RR Avenue. Follow RR Avenue east 1.5 miles
Turn left on Fairfield Avenue and go 4.5 miles to Pequot
Turn left on Pequot and go 1.5 miles to fork. Bear left onto Beachside Avenue
1.2 miles and turn right onto New Creek
Quick left onto Greens Farms Road
2.5 miles and bear right/straight onto Bridge Street
½ mile, cross water and turn left on Riverside Ave
Go under 95 and make right onto Charles St/Park St (Rt.136)
At fork, go left on Park.
Bear left onto Sagatauk Ave (becomes Winfield St)
2.25 miles to East Ave (E. Norwalk train station)
Left on East Avenue to Van Zant Street
Right on Van Zant and go ½ mile to Ft. Point Street/Washington St
Left on Fort Point, 7 miles to Flax Hill Road
Left on Flax Hill Road and go 2.5 miles (becomes Old Kings Hwy) to Rt. 1
Left on Rt. 1 and go 1 mile to West Avenue.
Bear right on West Ave.
2 miles to Hollow Tree Ridge Rd and make left to #137 Unit 1812

Here's a route I once used to a specific address in Darien, CT. My friends no longer live there, so don't count on a free meal or a shower! You can modify the route as necessary to get to Westport, but this was a nice ride, often along the water. There are also some incredible mansions along certain parts of the route:

Bridgeport to Darien (21 miles)





Ferry Access Road south, becomes RR Avenue. Follow RR Avenue east 1.5 miles
Turn left on Fairfield Avenue and go 4.5 miles to Pequot
Turn left on Pequot and go 1.5 miles to fork. Bear left onto Beachside Avenue
1.2 miles and turn right onto New Creek
Quick left onto Greens Farms Road
2.5 miles and bear right/straight onto Bridge Street
½ mile, cross water and turn left on Riverside Ave
Go under 95 and make right onto Charles St/Park St (Rt.136)
At fork, go left on Park.
Bear left onto Sagatauk Ave (becomes Winfield St)
2.25 miles to East Ave (E. Norwalk train station)
Left on East Avenue to Van Zant Street
Right on Van Zant and go ½ mile to Ft. Point Street/Washington St
Left on Fort Point, 7 miles to Flax Hill Road
Left on Flax Hill Road and go 2.5 miles (becomes Old Kings Hwy) to Rt. 1
Left on Rt. 1 and go 1 mile to West Avenue.
Bear right on West Ave.
2 miles to Hollow Tree Ridge Rd and make left to #137 Unit 1812

Lovely, you're a wealth of information, thank you.

There's also some good riding heading northeast from Bridgeport. My favorite ride is all along the CT shore to Narragansett Rhode Island. Let me know if you're at al interested in that route.

Heading toward Westport from the Bridgeport Ferry is a little seedy for a short while. Heading in the other direction is a little seedy for a little longer. In the direction you will be heading, it gets much better once you've left the general area of the ferry terminal.

There's also some good riding heading northeast from Bridgeport. My favorite ride is all along the CT shore to Narragansett Rhode Island. Let me know if you're at al interested in that route.

Heading toward Westport from the Bridgeport Ferry is a little seedy for a short while. Heading in the other direction is a little seedy for a little longer. In the direction you will be heading, it gets much better once you've left the general area of the ferry terminal.


Having ridden the 5 boroughs I'm pretty accustomed to seedy... as long as I don't have to ride on a highway or a train track. On this trip I'll probably just do as direct as possible to Westport. I'll check out the CT shore on another trip.

Speaking of Narragansett, I've ridden from Worcester, MA to Naragansett many years ago on a brutally hot day and on a bicycle that wasn't prepared for that kinda distance.

I am eventually (later in the summer) looking for a Brooklyn -> Worcester route to ride up to my parents' house. I'm figuring 3 days... perhaps more if I take a more meandering pace. How far is Bridgeport to Narragansett?

I haven't done much riding on the Shoreline, but the state has a map:

http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=3535&q=259662

Remember, as the hockey ads have it, We are all Islanders!

Kevin

>>>>How far is Bridgeport to Narragansett?<<<<

My personal cue sheets from a trip I did a few years back say that it's about 125 miles from Bridgeport to Narragansett. Keep in mind, though, that I always try to stay as close to the water as possible, which can put several miles on a trip.

I broke this ride up by doing Syosset, LI to Milford, CT the first day, Milford to Old Saybrook the second, Old Saybrook to Mystic (a short ride, but a good place to spend the day) on the third day, and Mystic to Narragansett on the fourth day. Mind you, this was during the days when I could afford to be away from work for four days and didn't mind spending a $4-500 for 3-4 nights in hotel rooms. Today, I'd probably just do this ride in two days or so.

I'm not a tear-up-the-road kind of rider, so I do a lot of stopping to see things I may never see again. I'd recommend you do the same if you can spare the time while on the CT shore.

Part of this is my Brooklyn to Freeport bike commute, then from Freeport to the LIE is just standard good riding roads we use all the time. The service road is a good route (as far as Exit 63), with a required detour around the Sagtikos Parkway (no service road. thru here). Then at LIE exit 59 it's part of the old High Point Century route up towards Pt. Jeff.

Not the shortest, but scenic in the Rockaway's, and good roads thru Nassau and Suffolk

http://www.mapitpronto.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=routePlanner.viewDBRide&rideID=4400

Steve B.

>>>>The service road is a good route<<<<

Boooooooooooorrrrrrrring! :)

Sorry, Lightingguy, but I've done the service road all the way to the end and found it horribly monotonous. Have you ever done another route?

Tom

Agreed, the LIE service rd. is not as scenically interesting as taking assorted side roads to the north.

BUT, that adds a ton of mileage, as well as being extraordinarily convoluted.

I regularly ride Old Country Rd. and Manor Hill Rd up to E Northport, and then routes east and north to the Sunken Meadow/Kings Park area, but to get further east you have to use Rt25a for a bit and get around Smithtown and that road (Rt 25A) SUCKS for bikes. And I do not know the area east of Kings Park and north of the LIE as well, other then the section I described around Lake Ronk - which was part of the High Point Century 20 years ago.

The suggestion would be then to peruse the Suffolk Bike Riders cue sheets - http://www.bicyclelongisland.org/sbrafram.htm and try to find a route east along the north shore.

Note that heading north and then east of the LIE probably adds 20 additional miles to the route, putting it into the century range, that choice is up to to the OP.

Steve B.

>>>>BUT, that adds a ton of mileage, as well as being extraordinarily convoluted.<<<<

I REALLY enjoy the route I use between Syosset and Port Jeff (described above) as it is pretty much "scenic" all the way. By "scenic," I mean there are lots of trees, houses, and 7-Elevens, rather than just mile-after-mile of pavement and discarded trash, like I've found the LIE service road to be.

I've never done a side-by-side mileage comparison. Is the LIE really faster, considering you have to ride so far north to reach Pt. Jeff once you've reached the exit?

PS: Also that Sagtikos interchange is really dangerous.

I'll be wanting to take you up on a weekend soon if you're free!

Sounds good however I don't tend to be around on the weekend in the summer.

Guys, thanks for the spat. It's instructive to me who hasn't riddend out there. Let's put it this way, I want a pretty direct route and sightseeing won't be my first priority, yet I still want more than just pavement and trash. A tall order. I don't mind adding a few miles to the ride to avoid some awfulness.

Wondering what my mileage is liable to be if I take the start of Lightningguy's route (http://www.mapitpronto.com/index.cfm...de&rideID=4400) but scoot up to Syosset to do Papa Tom's route to PJ. I'll map it.

I like the idea of starting south toward Long Beach, mostly because I know it well, but it must be adding several extra miles.

No spat, just differing concepts as to what kinds of roads folks like riding.

I for one, hate 25A, avoiding it like the plague, but Tom has ridden the section east of Smithtown that I have not, so I defer to his judgment out there.

I use the LIE in central Suffolk only when I want some distance and am bored with the Kings Park loop I do all the time. It is not as enjoyable as western Suffolk or segments of Nassau. The extreme western LIE service road is god awful west of Glen Cove Rd. as example, is terrible on a weekday when traffic is heavy, but great on a Sunday morning.

I've linked a solution that uses Old Country and Manor Hill Road(s), in place of Woodbury Rd. to get to Pulaski Rd. It then links the route I included that meets the LIE at Old Country Rd. and Round Swamp Rd., this time going up Old Country.

If you start in Long Beach, you probably drop 18 miles or so off the route that starts at Prospect Park and goes thru the Rockaway's.

http://www.mapitpronto.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=routePlanner.viewDBRide&rideID=4413

SB

Here's the MapItPronto route from Long Beach to Plainview - Old Country Rd. at the LIE and Round Swamp Rd.

It's 22.5 miles or so, added to Tom and my suggestions which are about 27-28, so 50 one way ?.

http://www.mapitpronto.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=routePlanner.viewDBRide&rideID=4414

SB

"PS: Also that Sagtikos interchange is really dangerous. "

The detours as indicated on the map gets you around having to use the service road to get past the LIE/Sagtikos interchange. Here's the particulars.

From the West
- Heading east, continue past Commack Rd. to Crooked Hill Rd, Go Right
- Go south 1 mile, crossing over the Sagtikos and first left into Suffolk Community College
- Go north (left) around the campus loop road, exiting onto Wicks Rd. Go Left
- Go .2 miles and a right back onto the LIE service rd. heading east.

From the East:

- Stay on the service road, exiting right at the Wicks Rd. exit, which dumps you out on Vanderbuilt Parkway, Go Left
- Make first left onto Wicks Rd.
- Go south 1/4 mile and right into Suffolk Community College.
- Go right on loop road around north side of campus
- Exit in .8 miles onto Crooked Hill Rd. Go Right
- Go 1 mile, crossing over the Sagtikos Parkway and under the LIE, with immediate left onto the service road heading west.

SB

>>>>From the West
- Heading east, continue past Commack Rd. to Crooked Hill Rd, Go Right....<<<<<

Cool! I will try that detour the next time I ride out to eastern LI!

Just to second what LightingGuy said, I'm not under the impression that we're spatting, either.

Tom M
nyrides.freehosting.net

>>>>From the West
- Heading east, continue past Commack Rd. to Crooked Hill Rd, Go Right....<<<<<

Cool! I will try that detour the next time I ride out to eastern LI!

Just to second what LightingGuy said, I'm not under the impression that we're spatting, either.

Tom M
nyrides.freehosting.net


My use of spat was a bit tongue in cheek... a friendly back-and-forth kind of spat, otherwise know as a discussion I suppose.

Thanks you both for the help.