cityspinner

Hi, I'm looking for a fun bike trip to take somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 or so miles starting near New York City with great views and good bike paths that don't drop me in the middle of traffic through the whole trip. I'd prefer it if the bike trip was fairly flat if possible.

I'm looking to use this as a gift for my father where we would take a 2 or 3 day adventure together on bikes.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Nate

Air

You could follow the route for the NY Century ride though that's just NYC. Here's the thread and there are some maps and routes posted in there you could follow - lot of the markings will probably be there too.

Lots of people go up to Bear Mountain and beyond. Great views, though you're in traffic for most of it (can take 'river road' which doesn't have traffic but very hilly, only 8 miles or so) but still fairly safe with good sized shoulders.

Another option is to go to Philly. Haven't done it but is on my todo list for '08. Here's one thread and I've attached a zip that goes from Fort Lee (right next to the George Washington Bridge) to Philly from another thread I can't find.

Mazaev

Bear Mountain + flat == does not compute.

You may want to check out the Montauk route and take the train back This is more or less it: https://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=203345

cityspinner

I like the look of the Montauk route. Nice beach path Is there an official map somewhere of it (or should I just use the google map)? Do you know of any good hotels at around the 50 or so mile markers?

Theres not a super amount of car traffic on the route is there?

Air

Ha - missed that part

Steve B.

1) It's NYC, so there's going to be traffic pretty much anywhere you go for at least 30 miles outside the city boundaries. Fact of life, no getting around it. Timing and road choice is critical. Saturday early AM would avoid commuter traffic

2) Long Island is flat. Heading east thru Queens is doable, especially following the LIE service road. You could easily do a nice 2 days out to Montauk and catch the LIRR back to the city. PM me if you want some further directions for LI.

3) Going west over the GW and then north or continuing west is going to see hills. No way around that either.

In reality, the only route that comes to mind in terms of both flat'ish as well as mostly traffic free, is to head up thru the Bronx to Yonkers and pick up the Westchester County - South and North Country Trail(s) to Carmel, NY. It's a rails-trail that starts at Barney Ave. at Saw Mill River Rd. in Yonkers (South County portion), heads 6-1/2 miles north to Elmsford at Rt 119, with a 1 mile or so detour on Rt 9A North to Warehouse Lane (west) and over to the southern terminus of the North County Trail. From there it's about 30 miles or so to Carmel - all on paved path with a section on a well marked shoulder of Rt 100A in Millwood. The section in Putnam County, north of Rt 6 is the Putnam County trail. As it's a rails trail, the gradients are easy, if sometimes long'ish, but not steep (it was the old Putnam Penn. Railroad route to Brewster).

From Carmel, where the trail ends, if you wanted more distance, there are lot's of decent roads to ride on, all with low traffic. Or search for motels and/or B&B's in the Carmel/Mahopac/Brewster area.

Do some Googling of the above trails, as well as the Transportation Alternatives website for links to bike clubs in the Westchester ans Putnam County area's for road routes.

One option is to do a 2 day ride north to somewhere in Putnam County and catch the Metro North commuter railroad back to the city from Wassaic (Northern most station on the Harlem line) or whatever station you desire. A free Bike Pass is required to take bikes on the trains.

Steve B.

Air

There is a $5 fee I believe, here's more information on that. You can't get the permit on the train, you have to get it beforehand either at a window or by mail.

Mazaev

I don't think there's an official map out, although I'm sure people have cue sheets left over from the rides there. There should also be leftover markings from last spring. I haven't personally tested the gmaps route. Someone posted it in one of the Montauk century threads before.

Seriously though, does anyone have a cue sheet they could scan? It really is a great ride that also happens to have a tailwind most of the time. Would love to do it myself sometime without having to pay up the...

zacster

I ride that I like to do is out to Long Beach LI. It is very flat, on paths a lot of the way, and can probably be stretched to close to 100 miles if you start in Manhattan. I did it from my house in Brooklyn and it was 60 round trip, although it didn't feel it.

I use the Belt Parkway bike path, Cross Bay Blvd, through Rockaway and over the Atlantic Beach bridge into Long Beach. On the way back I use the Marine Park bridge/Flatbush Ave. Watch out for snakes! I hit one on Flatbush Ave bike path earlier this year, a big one too.

Ken Roberts

Yes I think that's about the closest we're going to come to what the original poster asked for.

The main thing that's missing in it (compared to the request) is the "great views" -- until get further north to Pawling and beyond. Like lots of rail trails, the Old Put line has less vehicle traffic, but most of what you see along the way is lots of trees - (which for me gets a little old after the 18723rd maple tree on the same day). I don't think Long Island's gentle riding delivers much better on the views, and surely worse on the traffic.

For "great views" and few hills with limited traffic (except some stretches where it's high-traffic), I think you have to scale back the distance to closer to 30 miles, and just ride the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. (Or accept serious hills and some vehicle traffic, and ride north up the west side of the Hudson River.
But not roads with low traffic which are not hilly. And in my experience there's significant percentage of roads around and north from Carmel and Brewster which do not have low traffic. But still there's some good possibilities with that basic idea.

Ken

Air

Yup - follow the links I posted above.

geo8rge

Take NJT to BayHead (shore line) ride up the shore to Long Branch (last NJT station near the shore), or perhaps south to Atlantic city (I never did that.) After Long Branch you can keep going to Sandy Hook. After that you hit the Atlantic Highlands, so it is a bit of a climb, you can reduce the climb and the scenery by riding the shoulder or rt 36. I suggest you hug the coast (ocean blvd), you may have to walk the bikes up one steep section. After Atlantic Highlands you hit the Henry Hudson bike path, which ends at Matawan (NJT station).

https://www.boblucky.com/Biking/NewJe...on/HHintro.htm

You might want to do the route from long branch to the start of the henry hudson by yourself once before inviting others, just to make sure you know it. Buy a detailed street map, it will clear up allot of things. You may see a road out sign in Atlantic Highlands, it applies to cars not bikes, but be careful anyway.

Plenty of places to eat and stay along the way. Decent number of bike shops. Possible high winds on the shore. My guess is 2 days, unless you want to push it.

Steve B.

The Montauk Century is a nice route and is generally off the main roads. It does NOT follow the beach.

In fact, there is no bike route or path along the beach that is continuous in any way in all of Long Island. There is the aforementioned bike path along Jamaica Bay on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, that runs from Knapp St. at Emmons Ave. to Howard Beach in Queens, with a side route from the east side of Flatbush to the Marine Parkway bridge.

There are no similar bike paths in Nassau or Suffolk counties along the beach.

Yet.

Steve B.

Ken Roberts

That's good to know.Now getting back to the original request of this thread for "great views and good bike paths". I think the drift I'm getting is:Seems to me like Steve B's earlier suggestion of riding north toward Carmel does better -- at least it delivers on the "bike paths" part.

Ken

revolator

You can route a section of the North Shore from about the Glen Cove area, through Bayville, Centre Island, Mill Neck, Coldspring Harbor, up through Lloyds Harbor, back through Northport, Asharoken and Eatons neck.

This is a mix between some bike lanes, but there's still car traffic and rolling hills. Parts of the ride are very scenic, with plenty of water views. String this ride down Suffolk, and you probably have a nice 50 mile route that could be your century as a round trip.

bktourer1

The Westchester County has bike maps for the North & South County trails as well as the Bronx River paths. You can get a FREE NYC bicycle map at almost any bike shop. You can ride from Orchard Beach in the Bronx all the way to E 233rd St along paths. and hook up with the BX river path in Eastchester/Tuckahoe that will get you to the Kensico Dam in Valhalla. Check out the Rails to Trails book for rides in NY

Ed

metronycbike

take a train from gct to the last stop on the Harlem line start and start your ride up there, you can do a 100 mile going through some very nice scenic rolling hills with less vehicle traffic. nice quaint town up there also.
take train back to nyc.

otep12

Maybe you'd like to join the actual Montauk Century. It's an organized ride complete with SAG vehicles. The 145 miler can be stretched to two days if you don't want to do the whole ride in a day.

leonem

Hi All,

My favorite new york city area bike ride runs from Battery Park to Piermont, NY (and back). Piermont is a quiet and picturesque town about 25 miles from the GWB with a great assortment of restaurants, including a few at the very high end. (I recommend the Sidewalk Cafe, which has very good American/Tex-Mex fare). There are also art galleries, a great ice cream place, and a long pier extending out into the Hudson that provides great views.

Unlike all of the Long Island rides, no public transport is required, and there is the village of piermont at the end as a reward!

The local (and pretty high-end) bike shop is: Piermont Bicycle Connection.

If you get a flat along the way (and don't want to/can't change the tube): I know that Nyack Bicycle Outfitters, which is in the same area, will pick you up if you get a flat on the way. I don't know if Piermont will do that as well, but I'm sure a quick phone call can establish that. There are also taxi companies that serve the route (google map it and write down some numbers before you go). They'll take you and your bike back to the city, but it's not cheap.

Route overview: https://www.roberts-1.com/bikehudson/...yack/index.htm
Cue sheet: https://www.roberts-1.com/bikehudson/...heet/index.htm

The website that hosts these rides is maintained by Ken Roberts and Sharon Marsh Roberts, and they've done an excellent job of assembling detailed cue sheets for a bunch of rides in the area.

Also check out the New York City Cycle Club at https://www.nycc.org/.

Cheers!

~ Leo

dendawg

I guess you haven't been up there this year. The Sidewalk cafe ownership has changed and it is now a French Bistro. Food is still excellent. If you ride straight up 9W it's approximately 22 miles (one way) from 72nd and Riverside to Piermont, and only an additional 3 miles to Nyack, another nice river town.

leonem

Nope, haven't been up this season at all. I tried mid-season though. I made it almost the entire way. Then popped my front tire.

And sidewalk cafe a french bistro... I don't know... I'm planning to take another ride up there in a few weeks... I'll have to check it out. Is the ice cream place still there?!?!

dendawg

The Ice Cream place is still there.

leonem

Nice. Nothing like a banana split after a long bike ride.

Ice cream: 1. Exercise: 0.

(j/k)

Toobiz

I didn't see anyone mention the North & South County Trailways in Westchester which are an excellent option if traffic (or lack of it) is one of your primary goals.

The Trailway is roughly 50 miles and paved over an old rail line and aside from connections between parts of it and getting on it, it's car free. If you want to extend it, there are options that extend north - although there would be (light) traffic. Of course you can always do a round-trip. Connections to the MetroNorth along the way as well.

You can get information on it here:

https://www.westchestergov.com/Parks/.../Trailways.htm
https://www.nycbikemaps.com/maps/nort...ways-bike-map/

Toobiz