Help with vacation plans.
 

I plan to rent a house somewhere within 4 hours of Hartford, CT for a week or two this summer. I am looking for a cycling destination which will offer an abundance of great rides plus peace and quiet. I'll take a road bike, a cross bike (for dirt roads) and a canoe for a secondary activity. On or near a lake w/o power boats would be ideal. Please offer some suggestions.

I'd say Deerfield, MA.

For dirt roads, I'd use as much of the D2R2 routes as possible. I'm sure there is nice road riding on the paved rural roads of that area. For the canoe, I'm sure there's something around that fits the bill, perhaps the Green River or the Connecticut.

Northeast Kingdom area of Vermont. Ton's of empty roads. Ton's more of gravel roads. Lot's of empty lakes.

Or:

Portland, Maine area (or just north). Also empty roads, maybe not as many dirt roads. Some lakes as well as a lot of kayaking opportunities in like a gazillion bays and harbors.

Or:

Long Lake, NY. Some good road routes north, south and east. Gravel roads in the Moose River area, lot''s of lakes.

Dang! I read the OP and before I scrolled down to see your post I thought "Deerfied" for the reasons you mention. I did the 100K route of D2R2 in '12. Beautiful course. I am was a four-year "Deerfield Boy", class of '83, back when there were no girls. Hadn't been back to the campus since '91.

The Deerfield River runs along the west end of the town, and the CT River is not that far of a drive.

We could rent you our house in High Falls, NY, cheap. There is gorgeous riding on road and off road, all over the place. It's hilly. It's rural, and our road is quiet. You'll see a car every ten to thirty minutes, so inside the house is very quiet. It's a great place for hikes, too. I don't know about the boating scene. It's not terribly far from the Hudson River.