clampdownx

Does anybody have any recommendations for bicycle routes from Harrisburg, PA to Ocean City, MD or any leads on where I could find information on this?

Thanks guys!

Neil_B

https://www.dot.state.pa.us/BIKE/WEB/tour_routes.htm

Take PA Bike Route J south into Maryland, turn East to Annapolis, get shuttled over the Bay Bridge, take local roads to Maryland Rt 50, and follow that to Ocean City.

Or, take PA Bike Route S east to Route L, turn south on L, cross into Delaware, follow Delaware roads to Fenwick Island, and Ocean City is next door.

Excellent Maryland and Delaware bike maps are free from each state's DOT. PA doesn't have printed bike maps, but you can download them from the website link I provided.

CCrew

Umm... Bay Bridge IS Rt 50.

jamawani 

There are many reasons NOT to go west of the Chesapeake Bay.
1. Getting around the Baltimore urban area.
2. Getting across the Bay Bridge - no bike access, no shuttle.

Therefore you should plan to head towards Elkton at the northern end of the Delmarva Peninsula, then head south towards Ocean City. Kent and Queen Anne counties are lovely, but once you reach the middle part of the peninsula you will get traffic coming off the Bay Bridge heading towards the beach. Use caution in choosing roads heading east. There are plenty of back roads. Stay off the major ones.

Neil_B

You can't ride a bike on it until after 301 splits off.

Neil_B

1. East Coast Greenway's route takes riders through Baltimore on the Jones Trail. From there it's only a few miles to the Baltimore and Annapolis trail, which takes you within two miles of the latter city.
2. Kent Island Express will shuttle riders across the Bay Bridge.

You could follow the PA Bike G route south, pick up the rail trail to the East Coast Greenway's route, and follow that to Elkton.

Again, consult a Maryland bike map when plotting a route. I found Rt. 50, the Ocean Gateway, to be an excellent road during my tour last month despite the shore traffic. It had very well-kept shoulders, and they were wide. The only problem area was the bridge over the Choptank and in Cambridge - narrow shoulders.

jamawani 

1. "Only a few miles" in mid-city Baltimore is different than "only a few miles" in the Delmarva.
2. By "Kent Island Express" - if you mean the Annapolis Transit bus, that was discontinued two years ago. If you mean the private service - "Kent Island Express" - it costs $35 to $40 - depending on time and reservation charge. For a round-trip a car pays $2.50 and a cyclist pays $70 to $80 to access a public facility. Not to mention that you have to make reservations at least four hours in advance with no Sunday reservation service.

Neil_B

Baltimore isn't as fearsome as some folks make it out to be.

I never said the shuttle was cheap. I merely corrected your statement there wasn't one. I'm sure a creative touring cyclist can find other ways to get over the Bay Bridge if they wish. In my case, I was driven across by my Warm Showers host. Hitchhiking, I understand, has also been tried with success.

jamawani 

Technically speaking - there isn't a bridge shuttle.

The Kent Island Express is primarily an airport shuttle for Kent Island and Eastern Shore Residents. They will pick up and drop off cyclists if prior reservations are made and if vehicles are available. But it is peripheral to their main service. Call the Maryland Bike/Ped Coordinator if you wish and ask whether or not there is dedicated shuttle service.

A bridge or tunnel shuttle is a service operated either by a toll authority or state DOT that transports cyclists and pedestrians across/through a structure that is closed to cyclists and pedestrians. In the past this service was sometimes free. In most cases the charge is the same as the toll. Such does not apply in the case of the Bay Bridge.

Neil_B

I defer to the hairsplitter's definition of "shuttle" for the sake of good will on this forum. However, I doubt people, and not just me, will give up a common usage of the word "shuttle."

OP, you CAN get across the Bay Bridge if you wish, and call it whatever you like. Meanwhile, keep all of us informed on the route you wind up choosing.

mtclifford

Well you could also strap the bike to your back and swim it, but hey sometimes you just have to suck it up and deal. There really is no ideal solution. I would prefer the Delaware route personally.