indyfabz

"Cheap hotel in Lambertville" does not compute, except for maybe The Bridgestreet House.

I have ridden from DWG to Lambertville more times than I can remember. Note that it can get very cold up there even in mid-October. One year I did the Black Bear Century at that time it was 34 degrees at the start.

From DWG you take PA 611 to Portland, PA. From there, you can either: (1) Take the minor roads along the river to Mt. Bethel and cross over the river into NJ at Belvidere, or (2) cross the river from Portland using a pedestrian/bike bridge, take U.S. 46 south and then make a right onto Manuka Chunk Rd. at the traffic light. That will take you to Belvidere. Option 1 has some hills, roads without shoulders and a couple of bad sight lines. Option (2) has more traffic, but it's flat, at U.S. 46 has a wide, good shoulder.

Belvidere is worth a look around. Cool town square surrounded by restored Victorian houses. The Skoogy's Deli location on Greenwich St. (there are two in town) has good sandwiches and a bathroom where you can fill bottles. Grab lunch at ride to the nearby town square.

South from Belvidere you'd be nuts to do anything other than follow the small roads that roughly parallel the river. Foul Rift, S. Foul Rift and River Rd./CR 621 to Phillipsburg. It's the nicest 13 miles in that area. And you won't have any trucks because of the low, narrow railroad overpasses. If I encounter 6 moving vehicles before Phillipsburg it's been a heavy traffic day. On one flat stretch with the river visible on the right there is a large tree that bears markers showing how high the river got during certain floods. I believe it's shortly after the blue metal bridge over the railroad. Also look for the house on stilts on the left.

Phillipsburg sucks. You can cross over to Easton and take the D&L Canal Trail all the way to New Hope, PA, and cross over into Lambertville. I find the trail monotonous. And you will want more than road tires. Or you can stay on the NJ side. If you do that, head down S. Main then make a right onto Carpentersville Rd. At the top of the hill, make a right to cross over I-78 then descend back down to the river, cross the railroad tracks and continue heading south on River Rd.. Look for some lime kilns on your left. In Riegellsville, NJ, you will see the Roebling Bridge to PA. Yes. Same guy who designed the Brooklyn Bridge. Just after town you will cross the Musconetcong River. As soon as you do, make a right onto Old River Rd. Not only does it avoid a small climb, it's really pretty. It will take you right back to what has become CR 627. Make a right and continue heading south. This entire stretch is far more interesting and scenic than the trail on the PA side. Another problem with the PA trail is that if there is a washout or other closure you have to get on PA 611 and/or PA 32. You don't want to ride on those roads.

Milford has a decent market and a few other places to get food and drink. Make a left on Bridge then a right at the Citgo onto Frenchtown Rd. This road sort of sucks. There is a shoulder (narrow in some places) and there can be some traffic. Good news is that's its only about 3 miles to Frenchtown. Or if you can deal with some gravel, you drop down a gravel road to the D&R Trail and take that to Frenchtown. (Look at Google Maps to see what I am talking about for all of this.)

The trail continues south from Frenchtown to L'Ville and eventually Trenton. You can also take NJ 29 south from Frenchtown. The section between Frenchtown and Stockton is a popular cycling route with a wide shoulder. Again, I find the trail monotonous. Make sure you pop into Bull's Island Recreation Area. Water, bathrooms and a nice view of the river from the pedestrian bridge.

From Stockton (there is another market there) south, I highly recommend the trail. NJ 29 loses its shoulder and is windy in places. Note the comment above about not ending up off the trail after you pass under U.S. 202. The trail crosses Bridge St., in the heart of L'Ville.

Any questions?