Route suggestions, Buffalo/Erie to Boston
04-17-07, 10:17 AM
#1
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Route suggestions, Buffalo/Erie to Boston
In planning an NT tour I want to leave the AC route around Buffalo/Erie area and finish in Boston. Any suggestions for good routes?
04-17-07, 12:13 PM
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ma rt. 2 or 9 is fine in west ma at the ma/ny border and into central ma..then both become a busy highway somewhere outside (west) of worcester... shouldn't be to hard to find a route from worcester to boston.
Last edited by goldener; 04-17-07 at 12:18 PM.
04-17-07, 12:18 PM
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and it would be useful to buy the set of rubel's ma bike maps:
the whole state set is like $20 and they are really great and useful- the central ma map might not be complete- i've never seen one in existance, but i am frequently wrong.
https://www.bikemaps.com/
the whole state set is like $20 and they are really great and useful- the central ma map might not be complete- i've never seen one in existance, but i am frequently wrong.
https://www.bikemaps.com/
04-17-07, 12:40 PM
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Originally Posted by goldener
ma rt. 2 or 9 is fine in west ma at the ma/ny border and into central ma..then both become a busy highway somewhere outside (west) of worcester... shouldn't be to hard to find a route from worcester to boston.
I second the notion getting the Rubel maps for Mass.
It might be useful to know what you are trying to avoid by leaving he AC route so far west.
Speedo
04-17-07, 12:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Speedo
Taking Rt 2 up and over the big ridge east of North Adams would be un-fun. There are definitely better options either north or south.
I second the notion getting the Rubel maps for Mass.
It might be useful to know what you are trying to avoid by leaving he AC route so far west.
Speedo
I second the notion getting the Rubel maps for Mass.
It might be useful to know what you are trying to avoid by leaving he AC route so far west.
Speedo
04-17-07, 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by nun
Not avoiding anything other than going North instead of West towards my destination of Boston. I have a route from Worcester to Boston as I've done that ride quite often and I have the Mass bike maps, so I suppose I'm asking whats the best route across PA and NY
https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/p...-bureau/biking
and the link on the above linked page about state bike routes 5, 9, 17. and us11
04-17-07, 01:12 PM
#7
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Originally Posted by goldener
check this out:
https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/p...-bureau/biking
and the link on the above linked page about state bike routes 5, 9, 17. and us11
https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/p...-bureau/biking
and the link on the above linked page about state bike routes 5, 9, 17. and us11
04-17-07, 05:22 PM
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One for BR17
Having been across the state a few times by BR 17 and 5 alike, I would suggest 17 over 5. It meanders, making for a few extra miles. However, you know what meandering means: Hills. Scenery. Buffalo to Syracuse by 5 offers little in the way of either as compared to 17. Even after Syracuse, there is room for improvement.
BR 5 is much more straightforward than BR 17, as BR 17 does not follow a certain car road (17 is a highway, soon to become I-87). Both pass through a few cities, 5 having more (Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Albany) than 17 (Elmira, Corning, Binghamton), but I daresay that 17's cities are far lovlier and more bike-conducive than 5's (especially Utica, which is a terror). Around Binghamton, BR 17 includes an optional little northern digression that takes you through what I feel to be some of Upstate New York's finest cycling outside of the Catskills or Adirondacks (note bias: I am a one-time Binghamton resident). 17 also gives you the option of heading through the Catskills and possibly the Hudson River region, both of which offer spectacular scenery (but, again, more hills).
Obviously, 17 is easier to pick up right out of Erie, while 5 takes you more directly to (northern) Mass at its terminus.
Both routes offer fine lanes, though I would trust 5's more. They are very spacious and I once made the trip from Buffalo to Syracuse in the dark without much worry. 17's are fine too, if perhaps less spacious.
I vote for 17. That's my own position; I am willing to endure the hills for the scenery they provide, and let me tell you, it is much, much better on 17 on that front.
BR 5 is much more straightforward than BR 17, as BR 17 does not follow a certain car road (17 is a highway, soon to become I-87). Both pass through a few cities, 5 having more (Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Albany) than 17 (Elmira, Corning, Binghamton), but I daresay that 17's cities are far lovlier and more bike-conducive than 5's (especially Utica, which is a terror). Around Binghamton, BR 17 includes an optional little northern digression that takes you through what I feel to be some of Upstate New York's finest cycling outside of the Catskills or Adirondacks (note bias: I am a one-time Binghamton resident). 17 also gives you the option of heading through the Catskills and possibly the Hudson River region, both of which offer spectacular scenery (but, again, more hills).
Obviously, 17 is easier to pick up right out of Erie, while 5 takes you more directly to (northern) Mass at its terminus.
Both routes offer fine lanes, though I would trust 5's more. They are very spacious and I once made the trip from Buffalo to Syracuse in the dark without much worry. 17's are fine too, if perhaps less spacious.
I vote for 17. That's my own position; I am willing to endure the hills for the scenery they provide, and let me tell you, it is much, much better on 17 on that front.
04-18-07, 10:50 AM
#9
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Originally Posted by Zalafan
Having been across the state a few times by BR 17 and 5 alike, I would suggest 17 over 5. It meanders, making for a few extra miles. However, you know what meandering means: Hills. Scenery. Buffalo to Syracuse by 5 offers little in the way of either as compared to 17. Even after Syracuse, there is room for improvement.
BR 5 is much more straightforward than BR 17, as BR 17 does not follow a certain car road (17 is a highway, soon to become I-87). Both pass through a few cities, 5 having more (Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Albany) than 17 (Elmira, Corning, Binghamton), but I daresay that 17's cities are far lovlier and more bike-conducive than 5's (especially Utica, which is a terror). Around Binghamton, BR 17 includes an optional little northern digression that takes you through what I feel to be some of Upstate New York's finest cycling outside of the Catskills or Adirondacks (note bias: I am a one-time Binghamton resident). 17 also gives you the option of heading through the Catskills and possibly the Hudson River region, both of which offer spectacular scenery (but, again, more hills).
Obviously, 17 is easier to pick up right out of Erie, while 5 takes you more directly to (northern) Mass at its terminus.
Both routes offer fine lanes, though I would trust 5's more. They are very spacious and I once made the trip from Buffalo to Syracuse in the dark without much worry. 17's are fine too, if perhaps less spacious.
I vote for 17. That's my own position; I am willing to endure the hills for the scenery they provide, and let me tell you, it is much, much better on 17 on that front.
BR 5 is much more straightforward than BR 17, as BR 17 does not follow a certain car road (17 is a highway, soon to become I-87). Both pass through a few cities, 5 having more (Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Albany) than 17 (Elmira, Corning, Binghamton), but I daresay that 17's cities are far lovlier and more bike-conducive than 5's (especially Utica, which is a terror). Around Binghamton, BR 17 includes an optional little northern digression that takes you through what I feel to be some of Upstate New York's finest cycling outside of the Catskills or Adirondacks (note bias: I am a one-time Binghamton resident). 17 also gives you the option of heading through the Catskills and possibly the Hudson River region, both of which offer spectacular scenery (but, again, more hills).
Obviously, 17 is easier to pick up right out of Erie, while 5 takes you more directly to (northern) Mass at its terminus.
Both routes offer fine lanes, though I would trust 5's more. They are very spacious and I once made the trip from Buffalo to Syracuse in the dark without much worry. 17's are fine too, if perhaps less spacious.
I vote for 17. That's my own position; I am willing to endure the hills for the scenery they provide, and let me tell you, it is much, much better on 17 on that front.
Thanks for the great descriptions of the routes I'll check them out this summer, but an option for me might be 17 up to the Binghamton/Deposit area then head NW to Catskil and from there head towards Northampton
Last edited by nun; 04-18-07 at 11:03 AM.
