biking the adirondaks
 

has anyone done biking in the adirondaks? i'm thinking about going from albany to burlington in late august. it looks to be abot 130 miles. i'm not used to mountains here in chicago so this will be quite a fun ride!!

It will be a fun ride -- State Bike Route 9 is your best bet. It will take you from Albany and then up the western shore of Lake Champlain. You can take one of the ferries over to Vermont and Burlington.

You can email the state's program manager for the DOT's biking and pedestrian department - his name is Eric Ophardt and he can be reached at eophardt@dot.state.ny.us -- ask for a copy of the State Bike Route 9 map. Great route map and it shows elevation, amenities, etc. Very handy.

You will, however, miss the worst of the mountains. There will be hills, but going from Albany to Burlington slides you up a gap between the Taconic mountains to your right and the Adirondacks to your left. The Hudson River Valley will hand you off to the Lake Champlain Valley.

I live north of Burlington and have done a fair amount of riding on the NY side of Lake Champlain, mainly north of Lake George on 9N/22. The biggest challenge will be going over the Tongue Mtn Range between Bolton Landing and Hague. Definitely some nice scenery through here. There is a ferry that crosses from Port Kent right to the Burlington Waterfront that would make a nice ending to your ride. Just kick back for the hour crossing and enjoy some of the nicest scenery in the country. You can check schedules here.

Have fun.

~kn

wow guys thanks for the responses! i can't wait to do this!