GadgetGirlIL

I'm trying to figure out how you are going to drive from Niles, MI to Rockford, IL in 3 hours. You do change time zones so that buys you an hour. Catch the I-80/94 corridor at the wrong time and that travel time will double.

Angola, IN is a nice area to ride in. I did a 200K brevet that started there back in 2019.

Russ Roth

I wouldn't drive through PA like that, I'd head up through Erie to Buffalo, make a stop off at Niagara Falls, and shoot the thruway to Albany, head North and drive through VT and NH to ME before dropping south. If you're near it the NY side of the falls as a touristy place sucks, but there's a lot to see there of the falls and they shouldn't be missed. There's plenty of places to ride in NY and it'll pass you through nice areas in New England.

DXchulo

That's what Google says. Obviously there's always going to be a potential for traffic jams.

DXchulo

Somehow my map got messed up between points N and O. I need to fix that and I'll re-post it.

DXchulo

Here's the fixed map: https://mapq.st/3uqVM7R




I might do Toledo, OH, hit Michigan somewhere closer to there, then ride a bit further south in Indiana to avoid driving too close to Chicago. I'll play around with that and see how the times play out. I might ride further east in Ohio. I picked Toledo because I used to live there.

GadgetGirlIL

You'll probably want to double-check expected drive times when it gets much closer to your actual trip. We have a saying here in Illinois that we only have 2 seasons: Winter & Construction.

staehpj1

Just an observation...
In the interest of the arbitrary collecting of states as a goal you miss many interesting regions completely. You miss the beauty of the Pacific coat, the MI upper peninsula, the NC barrier islands, the FL keys, you don't really see much of New England, and you miss or don't do a lot of other areas much justice. It easily becomes about being checking items off of a checklist rather than seeing and doing things. Is it worth it? Only you can say, but I don't think it would be for me. If you could add a bit more time and some additional mileage you could see/do a lot more. It might be worth it while you are already investing so much time, effort, and money. Something to consider anyway.

a_d_a_m

You'll be passing right past my house (I'm right off I-90 just into Ohio from PA).

Point "Q" on your map near Erie, PA...you can ride the 11-mile loop on Presque Isle. Nice bike path, good views of Lake Erie, totally easy cruise as it's on the lake and therefore flat.

Near Toledo is the North Coast Inland Trail, but that one is sort of straight-flat-boring to me. (and frequently without tree coverage from the sun) I'd still opt for Cuyahoga Valley.

rm -rf

That would be an interesting project, to have a big list of "worth the drive" areas to ride. I suppose it depends on the rider's interests, time available, and ride difficulty too.

I really liked Vermont. The Gap Trail in PA is very good. The Blue Ridge Parkway in the Asheville area is fantastic. Locally, there's some extremely low traffic roads with smooth pavement and interesting views in northern KY, but it's quite hilly. And there's some amazing riding in the Bluegrass horse farm roads in the Frankfort and Georgetown KY area, with rock fences, plank fences, and huge pastures with thoroughbreds. Quiet and scenic.

GadgetGirlIL

another vote for the Frankfort and Georgetown areas of Kentucky! I’ve ridden down there twice and it was well worth the 6+ hour drive from Chicago.