Originally Posted by
RobE30
I'm planning my first long (term is relative) bike trip. I've been browsing the net trying to figure out the best way to calculate a route that is low on traffic. Trails.com seems like a good place, but I am frugal (cheap) and have better things to spend money on (bike etc) besides an online membership. The trip I'm planning is from Kutztown Pa (Berks county) to Mt Gretna Pa (Lebanon county) approx 60 miles one way. The trail could be either totally road, completely rail trails or a combo (I have a few bikes that I could ride). If anyone on here has any suggestions please post them. I posted this in the long distance section as well, but thought local guys might have some good ideas. Thanks for any input guys!
I suggest using Bikely to get ideas for roads cyclists have used in the Kutztown and Mt. Gretna areas, and then using Google Maps to look for other low-traffic roads. Aside from your departure and destination, the most traffic you will find should be around Reading, 5th biggest city in PA. The city's airport and the outlet malls are near your course, so plan accordingly. There's some trail north of Reading and near Blue Lake, but nothing substantial.
I'll do some research on this topic, since I'm 45 minutes from Reading and I've wanted to do a tour in Berks County.