orionz06

From Pittsburgh, figured I would chime in.

VoyagerAl

Pittsburgh here! I ride the Millvale to PNC Park trail alot.

orionz06

I commute on part of that daily.

MangoPumpkin 

Bump

FelixScout

Hello all.

My wife and I are recent transplants to Easton PA from Southern CA where it is mostly flat and very urban and now it's very hilly and somewhat urban. Just want to see what the local community is like and open to any advice and suggestions anyone can give.

Thank you.

indyfabz

I ride on the NJ side of the river a fair amount. Hunterdon and Warren Counties offer a lot of pretty, rural riding. Hunterdon County is also one of the wealthiest counties in the entire country as measured by median household income. (For the lest several years it has been ranked 4th.) If you stay along the river it's not that hilly. The 13 miles from Philipsburg up to Belvedere is a gem. I ride it a couple of times a year and see maybe 5 moving vehicles. 10 on a busy day. Heading south along the river to Milford is also nice once you get out of Philipsburg/Alpha. Central Bucks Bike Club offers group rides up in that general area. You also have the canal path.

We saw this little guy while riding on Woodglen Rd. in Hunterdon County back in June:

billd76

Nottingham PA here

indyfabz

The park there is used a rest stop on White Clay's Savage Century, which is a very nice ride if you have never done it. Starts in Newark, DE and goes through MD and PA. I have done the metric, which excludes the really tough climbs.

billd76

Yes Brenda and I have rode white clay several times, also Fair Hill MD and the C&D canal from Chesapeake City to Delaware city. Never done century ride you are talking about, sounds like a blast though!Never done century ride you are talking about, sounds like a blast though! On the road there are some descent long climbs on Rt 273!! Most of our rides are on the back roads between Little Britain to Susquehanna State park, pinnacle over look then over to Quarryville.

FelixScout

So are you riding river road or belvidere rd?

indyfabz

I don't know what Belvidere Rd. is. I have a 70+ mile route that starts in Frenchtown and goes to Belvidere via Spruce Run S.P. and Washington. It them comes down the river on the NJ side using Foul Rift, S. Foul Rift and River Rd. to P'burg. Then Carpentersville Rd. and down the river to Milford and back to Frenchtown. I also go that way along the river when I do three-day tours from Pt. Jervis, NY to Philly. MR. B - A bike ride in Frenchtown, NJ

FelixScout

Well that answered my question anyway so thank you.

Mind if I use this route?

Paul J

welcome to PA! We live in Lancaster south and west of you about an hour and a half. You can find some great roads I'd you head out west to the Trexlertown area.

FelixScout

Awesome. Do you have any routes you like in that area?

Also love the Lancaster area.

indyfabz

The BCP has been running this as a club ride for decades: MOUNT GRETNA - East Earl, Penna It's best to do it between Memorial Day and Labor Day as the Jigger Shop in Mt. Gretna is only open during that span. There is a pizza place in town that open outside those date, but it's not the same. The club usually runs it the Saturday after Memorial Day. There is little shade after you leave Mt. Gretna and cross back from Lebanon County to Lancaster County so it's best to do the ride before it gets very hot. Mile 20-21 is unpaved, but doable on a road bike. Around mile 22 there are water and bathrooms at the wildlife management place shown on the map. On the way back you pass through Akron where there is a Turkey Hill minimart at mile 60. The Shady Maple Market (closed on Sundays) at the start/finish is quite an interesting place, although a bit less so since it became somewhat "corporate" after being bought. Behind the store there is a large pen containing some llamas.

Little Darwin

If you want to throw an occasional rail trail into your mix, there is a good rail trail system that goes through your area:

Map - Delaware & Lehigh - Delaware & Lehigh

FelixScout

That looks like something to work up to.

I've already started walking this and thinking my old Schwinn with the wider 27" tires should be able to do the unpaved sections.

indyfabz

The portion through Lehigh Gorge State Park is nice, especially during the foliage season. You can drive to Jim Thorpe, PA and park in the huge lot by the old CNJ train station. From there, you can now ride to the park via a trail. It's about 25 miles to the town of White Haven, where there are places to eat. Better yet, bring a picnic lunch and take it down to the river using one of the short walkways that are signed. For a fee, Blue Mountain Sports will shuttle you up to White Haven and you can ride back to your car. It's ever so slightly up hill to White Haven and down hill the other direction. A couple weekends in October Jim Thorpe has its foliage weekend celebration. The town gets extremely crowded and getting in and out is a pain. I recommend waiting until those weekends have passed. We did this fall and the place was still crowded. I first rode the trail in the early 90s, before it was highly developed. You would hardly see anyone. It's now very popular. Lots of tubers and kayakers in season. Summer can get a bit stinky in the gorge if it's hot and humid and there is no breeze. Fall and spring are the best times. Most of the trail is well maintained with a crushed limestone surface. 32c tires are fine. 28c would probably even work.

FelixScout

That is quite excellent. And the bike is on 32c-630 which should be OK.

Paul J

Lancaster County is an amazing area to ride. We live west of Lancaster City and enjoy awesome rural roads with minimal traffic. One of our loops (we ride a tandem) take us up to Mount Gretna which has a significant climb on both North Colbrook Road and Pinch Road. We love the Jigger Shop too Indyfabz. If you haven't found the Velodrome yet it is a great venue Home of The Velodrome - Valley Preferred Cycling Center

You might want to check this shop out to see if they have any cue sheets for rides out west and south of Trexlertown. Bicycle shop in Macungie PA offering finest bikes available

Best of luck!

FelixScout

Thank you!

eatontkd

Greetings; just checking in to the PA group from the sunny (but not warm) central Susquehanna Valley (Selinsgrove area). It's too cold for me to be pedalin' so I'm here at the BF. So looking forward to spring.... Have a Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Rflee

Pittsburgh! A little north actually (Beaver County).

mattbur

NW Pa. in the Erie area.

e5usmc

Bucks County, Peace Valley area. Mostly day tours packing along my travel St Croix and Orvis rods for a little fishing at Nockamixon and creeks along the way. I also ride with the Bucks County Bicycle Club during the week.