Steve B.

From the point where the Old Put meets the golf clubhouse in VCP, you follow the Mosholu Path NE to a point where you turn south, cross under the Deegan alongside the Mosholu, go up a steep hill and come out at the W Gun Hill Rd intersection.

You then cross over to the east side of Mosholu and follow the path on the east side of the Parkway.

It's in OK condition, but it's been a few years, so not sure of current. Doesn't feel like a "real" bike path, more like a wide sidewalk, but all the maps say it's a bike route.

Google maps shows all this.

UniChris

Yes, that's the part between VCP and the 4 train at Jerome avenue. It's okay, but the Gun Hill Rd crossing is a long light and you have to really move to catch both parts in one pass, so it's kind of annoying.

(At the base of the big hill, there's also an absurdly pointless short steep climb to a road overpass and immediate curving drop back down with poor sight lines, merely to let the trail cross a fenced off golf cart route. A 50 yards later and there's only a strip of grass separating the carts, and later a curb. When I do a round trip back to VCP I usually just ride the short distance west from the Old Put to the Broadway entrance and hop on that train to avoid all that, at the cost of the transfer at Times Square.)

It's the unfamiliar part to the east of Jerome Ave towards the Botanical Garden and Pelham Bay I'm more curious about.

Narrow is okay, what I'm trying to figure out is if it's a lot of annoying stop-and-go like the Gun Hill Rd. crossing just outside the park, the Jerome ave crossing where I've been starting, etc. What a ride is going to feel like on the ground can be hard to tell from Google Maps - for example on a map Palmer Road looks like a nice portage from Bronxville to the SCT, and even has sharrows, but it's a long curving upfill with little shoulder, fast traffic, and poor sight lines.

Plan B is to take the NCT fork to Tarrytown Lakes Park and back to pick up the few extra miles, which is starting to sound more relaxing.

Or maybe sometime when I can only start later I'll have to try Jerome Ave east to Pelham by itself, though it's a lot of time getting to a ride for the length of ride available.

Vifam7

Don't know about the segment from Jerome to Reiss Field but, heading eastwards from White Plains Road going all the way along Pelham Pkwy, it's pretty much a gentle downhill all the way to the park. The path is relatively smooth. Not much too see though. It gets a bit hairy when you have to cross the off-ramps & on-ramps of the Bronx/Pelham & Hutch River Pkwy interchange just before getting to the park.

UniChris

Thanks! Subway access from the 5 is at White Plains Rd or Williamsbridge Rd. (There are apparently two routings of the 5 train, will have to research that more)

Your mention of the ramp crossings sounds like a good reason to avoid starting yet further eastwards on the 6 train, unless actually intending to include a visit to Pelham Bay Park in the ride.

Jarrettsin

That sidewalk is the bike path but you will be sharing it with the whole neighborhood who think it's a sidewalk!


That path start about 1 mile from me and I ride it a lot. The Mosholu section and Pelham Parkway section are like that but better that then out in traffic over there. After that the path gets more bike path like. Some sections are very new, nice and well marked. And you can ride it all the way to Orchard beach. There is also a section that will take you to City Island, I ride the main street of City Island right to the end then turn around

Finallymark 

How about within Manhattan itself? The west side bike path leaves something to be desired.

UniChris

The portion from 59th up to the lighthouse has less crowding and only intersects traffic at one point in the 130's.

The lower east river portion isn't bad, especially past the under-the-highway section, and you have the option of the express lane inland or the scenic but need to go slower route by the water.

Upper east side is narrow but a rideable.

Harlem River Drive path seems way underutilized, though its upper end can be barbecue heavy on a nice day.

Wish they'd do something about the gaps from east 30's to 60's the missing bridge, the 120s-140s, and Dyckman St.

Vifam7

Would you happen to know a good/safe place to park your car on the Upper West Side? I know most folks park across the river in NJ and cross the GWB but I have a bit of acrophobia and don't really want to ride or walk my bike across that long span.

UniChris

I've never done so, but there's a parking lot at the latitude of 149th street for the park along the river there. Not sure how you can get in.

Back in the days when I owned a car, one of my rules for city parking was absolutely nothing left in the passenger compartment, and never to access the trunk where I'd parked - if I thought I needed to get or deposit something, I'd pull over blocks before to do that, then get back in and start looking for parking. Note sure if you could meet that with a removable bike rack though.

Depending on where you are in NJ, another option is to take PATH to the WTC and head out to the greenway from there, though you do hit the busiest and most intersection-interrupted portion doing that.

Though I have to ask - if you're driving in by car, why Manhattan at all? People who live here tend to go elsewhere to ride when we have time to. Why not river road and 9W and all that, or if you want to come to this side of the river, go to one of the many parking lots on the South County Trail, North County Trail, or Putnam Trail?

Vifam7

I've never ridden the Hudson River Greenway in Manhattan. I've always been meaning to but never got around to it.

South County Trail and North County Trail are 2 other trails I've been meaning to get to.

UniChris

Let's put it this way: there are about as many road crossings and people in the few miles between Battery Park and 59th street as there are on the 47 miles of SCT+NCT+Putnam between the Bronx and Brewster.

The Greenway is a short, ride where the scenery changes quickly and you get interrupted a lot. The Westchester/Putnam route is long, unfolds slowly and you cover a lot of distance between interruptions.

NYSteve

Whats the plans for this weekend?

I will be sitting this weekend out with work and prior engagements.

Steve B.

Ferry from NJ ?

The Hudson path, while scenic, is one of my least favorites due to the sheer volume of users. All mixed types as well, so a duster cluck, especially on nice weekends

Boondocksaints

Pretty cool place in Manhattan is to go across the bridge onto Randall's Island. There's a bike path there. From there, you can even get on another bridge into Astoria.

Steve B.

Then you should ride the NYC Century, a Transportation Alternative ride in Sept.

You can start at Central Park or Prospect Park, do various distances out to 100 and see parts of NYC you would never find on you own. The TransAlt route developers know the city remarkably well.

lost_in_endicot

I'm on vacation next week, and will be out of town for a few days, but I hope to get up to the Erie Canalway Friday for a ride. This weekend I might get out to ride a little, if I have the time.

ecnewell 

Took advantage of the beautiful weather, rare as it's been, to take a nice ride through Syracuse, Manlius, Jamesville, and Dewitt. There are some killer hills out this way, but the payoff is worth it.

Vifam7

Rode the South County Trail on Sunday. Van Cortlandt Park to Elmsford and back.

Save for a few washboard-like patches on the north end, the bike path was fantastic.

Also, I can now see why there's a thread about the post-rain ground conditions on the Old Putnam trail at Van Cortlandt. Are they really going to pave that short bit of trail?

Steve B.

From all we can determine from NYC, yes. Any day now.

Bikel78

The side of Cross Island expressway is a good ride.

Steve B.

Well, yes, but note that Queens, NY is technically on Long Island and as such, this post should have been in the Long Island Good Ride Today, thread.

Just kidding.

My only issue with the CIP path is it's short. Pretty area though.

Ferdinand NYC

I took advantage of the good weather yesterday, with temperatures approaching 80, to do 40 miles throughout Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. This gave me 750 miles for August, and more than 2700 miles for the three summer months, or an average of 900 miles per month. This year I had my best June total (817 miles); and in July I posted my best-ever month, totalling 1158 miles.

I have kept close track of my miles for the past five years; and this helps keep me motivated, both during the summer when I am aiming for excellence, and during other seasons when I am just trying to keep from crying. Here is a graph of my monthly totals for that period:




The crash in miles from last August through October was as a result of an injury, a stress fracture in my femur. At that time I worried whether I could ever get back to normal; so having had such a great summer this year is very satisfying.

My remaining goals this year are to hit at least 6000 miles, and perhaps even 10,000 kilometres (6200 miles). Of course, I didn't do those goals much good today by not riding. But, having experienced temperatures in the 80s yesterday, I was emotionally unprepared to deal with ugly temperatures in the 50s this morning! I just didn't want to dress for that chill, especially since I know that Monday and Tuesday are expected to bring a return to the beautiful 80s. I will be off from work to enjoy that -- before the arrival of the depressing and life-destroying autumn.

Ferdinand NYC

More great weather late in the season allowed me to do days of 50 and 47 miles over the past few days.

The south side of the George Washington Bridge will now be closed for several months, while they ruin the view by putting up a tall fence. This is terribly unfortunate. No more will we be able to see this magnificent view.



They have now opened the north side path. Unfortunately, there is no ramp on either the New York or the New Jersey entry to this path; there are only several staircases on each side. You have to go up, then down, then up again on both sides. And the first staircase from the street on the New York side has one step that is dangerously rusted out.



The other staircases are in much better condition, with nothing like this kind of rust. But, still, having to hoist the bike to carry it five or six times is extremely annoying.

This was the first time that I had ever been on the north side path. The view from there looking north is wonderful -- for now, until they spoil that with a fence, as well.



And the north side has one thing that is lacking on the south side: a marker at the state border.



Anyway, we have been extremely lucky to get this good weather this past week; and I am glad that I have been able to take advantage of it.

EnjoyinTheRide

Ive been riding every day commuting to work. its not far but i go home for lunch so its a nice daily trek. Weather here in Syracuse has been awesome we broke heat records all week long. I just rode home in the rain from work, nice and cool now

Dreaded1

I rode a 3 state century last Friday