Riding in VT. MA. and N.H.
03-21-19, 12:11 PM
#1
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Riding in VT. MA. and N.H.
I live in the northeast corridor of the US and I'm always interested in riding where I have not ridden previously. I have looked into various bike vacations and I'm a bit overwhelmed by the prices. Several companies offer 3-5 day adventures but they are typically over $1k person. I'm not saying these prices are unwarranted but they are out of my range.
So I wanted to know if anyone has recommendations for routes in the southern New England states that one might be able to just book they're own hotel, drive up there and go riding on their own. I think it would be great to spend a few days of nice riding in that area without spending thousands (for 2 people) on a "bike vacation".
Thanks in advance for input.
So I wanted to know if anyone has recommendations for routes in the southern New England states that one might be able to just book they're own hotel, drive up there and go riding on their own. I think it would be great to spend a few days of nice riding in that area without spending thousands (for 2 people) on a "bike vacation".
Thanks in advance for input.
03-21-19, 01:49 PM
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Look into Adventure Cycling Association's Green Mountains Loop:
https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/green-mountains-loop/
One issue I can speak to based on my riding in New England without camping is that, in rural areas, inexpensive, indoor accommodations can be hard to find. You might get stuck at pricey B&Bs/inns unless you design a route that passes through more developed areas.
Another thing you need to be prepared for, at least in VT, is that you can encounter unpaved stretches when straying from state highways. That may or may not be important to you.
While I don't know where you live, one possible option might be to take Amrtrak's Vermonter up north and then ride back to wherever you started or take the train all the way home. The route runs between D.C. and St. Albans in far northern VT and accepts up to 3 unboxed bikes per train. Advance reservations are required. I've taken it twice with my bike from Philly. Once to Brattleboro and once to St. Albans.
This is the route I did last year on my way to my 35th high school reunion in Deerfield, MA before continuing home:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27849657?beta=false
Pretty tame hill-wise by VT standards as I travelled N-S. Some dirt sections. Plenty of lodging in Burlington, but the stretch south of there is pretty devoid of "regular" lodging until you get to Manchester. You'd find more if veered east to the busy U.S. 7 corridor. Brattleboro has motels, including a cheap Econo Lodge. Greenfield, MA has motels. From there, I don't think I passed any regular lodging until CT. I did spend the night in a restored 1917 caboose in Chester, MA, which was really nice, but there is no bedding for the mattresses. (I had a sleeping bag.)
Ultimately, you need to do the math. Wouldn't surprise me if you have to spend $200/night or more (including tax) for a room, especially during high season. That's at least $1,000 for 5 nights right there. Eating breakfast, lunch and dinner out for two people is not necessarily going to be cheap unless you can survive on junk food. Even the very low end of $25/day/person for food and drink is another $250. (I think $50/day/person is more realistic, if not still low.)
https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/green-mountains-loop/
One issue I can speak to based on my riding in New England without camping is that, in rural areas, inexpensive, indoor accommodations can be hard to find. You might get stuck at pricey B&Bs/inns unless you design a route that passes through more developed areas.
Another thing you need to be prepared for, at least in VT, is that you can encounter unpaved stretches when straying from state highways. That may or may not be important to you.
While I don't know where you live, one possible option might be to take Amrtrak's Vermonter up north and then ride back to wherever you started or take the train all the way home. The route runs between D.C. and St. Albans in far northern VT and accepts up to 3 unboxed bikes per train. Advance reservations are required. I've taken it twice with my bike from Philly. Once to Brattleboro and once to St. Albans.
This is the route I did last year on my way to my 35th high school reunion in Deerfield, MA before continuing home:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27849657?beta=false
Pretty tame hill-wise by VT standards as I travelled N-S. Some dirt sections. Plenty of lodging in Burlington, but the stretch south of there is pretty devoid of "regular" lodging until you get to Manchester. You'd find more if veered east to the busy U.S. 7 corridor. Brattleboro has motels, including a cheap Econo Lodge. Greenfield, MA has motels. From there, I don't think I passed any regular lodging until CT. I did spend the night in a restored 1917 caboose in Chester, MA, which was really nice, but there is no bedding for the mattresses. (I had a sleeping bag.)
Ultimately, you need to do the math. Wouldn't surprise me if you have to spend $200/night or more (including tax) for a room, especially during high season. That's at least $1,000 for 5 nights right there. Eating breakfast, lunch and dinner out for two people is not necessarily going to be cheap unless you can survive on junk food. Even the very low end of $25/day/person for food and drink is another $250. (I think $50/day/person is more realistic, if not still low.)
03-21-19, 02:41 PM
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I've done a tour of the Cape/Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
day 1: Starting at South Denis on the bike path to ProvinceTown - there is a hostel there.
day 2: from Provincetown to Nickerson State Park - camp there
day 3: Nickerson State Park to Hyannis to take a ferry to Nantucket. there is a beautiful hostel there on the southern beach of Nantucket.
day 4: tour of Nantucket - there is a bike path all around the island - another night at the hostel
day 5:bike to the ferry and take the ferry back to Hyannis - from there take the ferry to Martha's vineyard - there is a hostel there
day 6:tour of Martha's vineyard's eastern side - night at the hostel
day 7:tour of Martha's vineyard's western side - night at the hostel
day 8: bike to the ferry back to Hyannis and then back to south denis to the car
day 1: Starting at South Denis on the bike path to ProvinceTown - there is a hostel there.
day 2: from Provincetown to Nickerson State Park - camp there
day 3: Nickerson State Park to Hyannis to take a ferry to Nantucket. there is a beautiful hostel there on the southern beach of Nantucket.
day 4: tour of Nantucket - there is a bike path all around the island - another night at the hostel
day 5:bike to the ferry and take the ferry back to Hyannis - from there take the ferry to Martha's vineyard - there is a hostel there
day 6:tour of Martha's vineyard's eastern side - night at the hostel
day 7:tour of Martha's vineyard's western side - night at the hostel
day 8: bike to the ferry back to Hyannis and then back to south denis to the car
03-24-19, 05:15 PM
#4
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I have done quite a few two day tours in the MA/NH/VT area as I live in the area. I am not sure what type of accommodations you are looking for as you do not specify. All three states have state parks that are quite reasonably priced for camping. There are also public campgrounds that have reasonably priced spots. I am not sure about staying in motels and their pricing as I do not stay there. Though the Cape in Ma has a few reasonably priced hostels as mentioned in an above post. I would book early on those as the Cape is very busy during the summer months.
I can not recommend routes as typically I just make my own and that is based on where I am staying each night. What I can tell you is anything from Central MA and further western MA is very nice riding. Though so are VT and NH. I guess it just depends on what you want to see and do.
I can not recommend routes as typically I just make my own and that is based on where I am staying each night. What I can tell you is anything from Central MA and further western MA is very nice riding. Though so are VT and NH. I guess it just depends on what you want to see and do.
03-24-19, 06:17 PM
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Vermont is likely my favorite NE state for road cycling. Really good road network with not a ton of traffic excepting in leaf peep season. Easy to find a state campground and hole up for a few days and do loops. Lots of loop options. Lots of good gravel mixed in as desired as well.
Then pretty much every road junction has a general store, so easy to get water and food.
Only rub rub is it can be hilly.
The state cycling map is here:
https://www.vermontvacation.com/~/me...016.ashx?la=en
Of you don’t want hills, you could hole up on the eastern end of Long Island (Riverhead, Mattituck area) and do rides on the South Fork, North Fork, Shelter Island, Wading River-Calverton area. Lots and lots of nice road rides and if you get board bring the mt. bike and ride the trails, lots of easy to moderate stuff in eastern Suffolk.
Then pretty much every road junction has a general store, so easy to get water and food.
Only rub rub is it can be hilly.
The state cycling map is here:
https://www.vermontvacation.com/~/me...016.ashx?la=en
Of you don’t want hills, you could hole up on the eastern end of Long Island (Riverhead, Mattituck area) and do rides on the South Fork, North Fork, Shelter Island, Wading River-Calverton area. Lots and lots of nice road rides and if you get board bring the mt. bike and ride the trails, lots of easy to moderate stuff in eastern Suffolk.
03-24-19, 07:56 PM
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And I forgot to mention consider the Finger Lakes region. Beautiful area, lots of nice places to stay. Northern part is flatter and you can head up towards Lake Ontario, southern region hillier.
The 7 day Bon Ton Roulet Ride rolls thru this area. Tons of great options, camping as well.
The 7 day Bon Ton Roulet Ride rolls thru this area. Tons of great options, camping as well.
03-25-19, 12:04 PM
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From plenty of experience living in central NH and doing 150-200 mile roundtrip day rides all around the area...I can say whenever you cross into Crappyroadsachusetts you don't need to see a stateline sign, you know it by the pavement conditions.
Vermont is well known for its gravel roads. Unless you want to ride highways it would be hit and miss as to whether you would riding on pavement or gravel while riding in Vermont. If you knew the area then you would know what the expect. I always ride highways so it's not a problem for me.
So much depends on what riding conditions you like, what you like to see, how much you want to avoid city traffic(not talking about Boston, but even something like Concord/Manchester/Nashua/Portsmouth/Burlington). You could always find hotels/motels around the cities but you would have to be willing to ride in the cities to do that. Too much of what would determine a nice ride is dependent on your personal choices. Sure you can ride in the rural countryside during the day and spend the night in the city. Sometimes you just have to learn to think outside, err inside the box.
Vermont is well known for its gravel roads. Unless you want to ride highways it would be hit and miss as to whether you would riding on pavement or gravel while riding in Vermont. If you knew the area then you would know what the expect. I always ride highways so it's not a problem for me.
So much depends on what riding conditions you like, what you like to see, how much you want to avoid city traffic(not talking about Boston, but even something like Concord/Manchester/Nashua/Portsmouth/Burlington). You could always find hotels/motels around the cities but you would have to be willing to ride in the cities to do that. Too much of what would determine a nice ride is dependent on your personal choices. Sure you can ride in the rural countryside during the day and spend the night in the city. Sometimes you just have to learn to think outside, err inside the box.
03-25-19, 12:42 PM
#8
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Thread Starter
Thanks for the link to the VT. cycling map. The less hilly locations would be preferred but not a must. I appreciate the information. I have also been digging around on Map my rides as I have found several routes when you search on VT. N.H. to choose from. I'm hoping to plan a trip where my wife and I can stay in a hotel / B&B and go out for 20 - 30 miles and back again and maybe the next day have to drive an hour to a new start location and do the same. Mostly I'm interested in a scenic route without tons of traffic. Many years ago we went to N.H. and we borrowed a couple of hybrid bikes from the resort we were staying at. The roads had generous shoulders and it seemed to me that the cars passed with plenty of distance and caution to spare, kind of like it was a bike friendly area.
03-25-19, 12:59 PM
#9
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I live in the northeast corridor of the US and I'm always interested in riding where I have not ridden previously. I have looked into various bike vacations and I'm a bit overwhelmed by the prices. Several companies offer 3-5 day adventures but they are typically over $1k person. I'm not saying these prices are unwarranted but they are out of my range.
So I wanted to know if anyone has recommendations for routes in the southern New England states that one might be able to just book they're own hotel, drive up there and go riding on their own. I think it would be great to spend a few days of nice riding in that area without spending thousands (for 2 people) on a "bike vacation".
Thanks in advance for input.
So I wanted to know if anyone has recommendations for routes in the southern New England states that one might be able to just book they're own hotel, drive up there and go riding on their own. I think it would be great to spend a few days of nice riding in that area without spending thousands (for 2 people) on a "bike vacation".
Thanks in advance for input.
For lodging you can try the Vermont hostel system - here is one of the links: https://www.vermontvacation.com/land...o-stay/hostels
I looked briefly and saw a dorm-style accommodation in Ludlow for $40/night that includes breakfast - private rooms are also available for more $. With a little planning you could probably keep the cost to about $100/day. Manchester is also a great location to ride from - the town is also big enough to be interesting is its own right. There is a hostel in Manchester. Late May through mid-October is your best bet weather-wise, but there are no guarantees.
Camping would be a bit less expensive, but more of a logistical issue.
The main vertical obstacle in VT is the N-S spine of the Green Mountains. If you stay on one side or the other you will avoid having to cross any of the gaps. Ride with GPS is a great resource for planning your own route or finding 'public' routes that others have already created - near your hub location. VT has all kinds of quiet paved and unpaved roads - using Google Streetview and Bing Maps Streetside will show you ground-level images of road shoulders and type (dirt/paved), food stops, viewpoints...all kinds of stuff.
Take a look at the info. and if you want some suggestions/comments post your route ideas.
03-26-19, 04:01 AM
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03-26-19, 04:51 AM
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Riding in VT. MA. and N.H.
We have toured in New Hampshire and Vermont (considered Northern New England) but not in Connecticut. Our only Rhode Island ride was to Newport from Boston.I have heard nice reports about coastal Rhode Island, e.g. Little Compton.
FYA, I have posted about riding in Boston, particularly as a hub-and spoke tour:
I live in the northeast corridor of the US and I'm always interested in riding where I have not ridden previously.
I have looked into various bike vacations and I'm a bit overwhelmed by the prices. Several companies offer 3-5 day adventures but they are typically over $1k person. I'm not saying these prices are unwarranted but they are out of my range.
So I wanted to know if anyone has recommendations for routes in the southern New England states that one might be able to just book they're own hotel, drive up there and go riding on their own.
I think it would be great to spend a few days of nice riding in that area without spending thousands (for 2 people) on a "bike vacation".
Thanks in advance for input.
I have looked into various bike vacations and I'm a bit overwhelmed by the prices. Several companies offer 3-5 day adventures but they are typically over $1k person. I'm not saying these prices are unwarranted but they are out of my range.
So I wanted to know if anyone has recommendations for routes in the southern New England states that one might be able to just book they're own hotel, drive up there and go riding on their own.
I think it would be great to spend a few days of nice riding in that area without spending thousands (for 2 people) on a "bike vacation".
Thanks in advance for input.
FYA, I have posted about riding in Boston, particularly as a hub-and spoke tour:
Personally. I'm very happy cycling in Metro Boston, and have posted an informal Cycling Guide to Metro Boston [link] that would make a nice hub and spoke tour of nine days (and is easily accessible from Washington, DC).
It may seem parochial, but I think the cycling around here is great. One can be in scenic countryside within about one hour from downtown, while passing through an interesting, compact urban and suburban scene.
Furthermore you can extend your range with a convenient Commuter Rail that allows fully-assembled bikes during off-peak hours. In Spring through Fall it’s a temperate climate.
Besides the cycling, Boston is such a popular tourist destination that there will always be something interesting to do off the bike…culture, nightlife, sports and so forth...
It may seem parochial, but I think the cycling around here is great. One can be in scenic countryside within about one hour from downtown, while passing through an interesting, compact urban and suburban scene.
Furthermore you can extend your range with a convenient Commuter Rail that allows fully-assembled bikes during off-peak hours. In Spring through Fall it’s a temperate climate.
Besides the cycling, Boston is such a popular tourist destination that there will always be something interesting to do off the bike…culture, nightlife, sports and so forth...
...A couple years ago I thought about making up such list for weekend getaways, as you described, and posting to the local Metro Boston thread. We live in downtown Boston, and can go out in all directions (except eastward into the Atlantic Ocean).
So for here on the Right Coast, counterclockwise around Boston, such destinations would be:
So for here on the Right Coast, counterclockwise around Boston, such destinations would be:
- Newburyport, MA (did a mutual cycle trip there once)
- Portsmouth, NH
- Nashua, NH
- Lowell, MA
- Worcester, MA
- Providence, RI (did a car weekend trip there)
- Plymouth, MA (one mutual cycle trip there).
03-26-19, 06:04 AM
#12
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For day trips from a hub location, There’s a lot of flat space in Vermont west of the Green Mountains. Addison County has miles of quiet paved roads through farm country with views of Lake Champlain. As someone mentioned, you can ride the Island Line from Burlington (which has lots of lodging options), take the short ride on the bike ferry to the Champlain Islands and ride along the lake all day. Check out out AirBnB options in more rural areas of VT.
The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is worth checking out. There’s a bike path out of Newport that you can use to connect to a longer one across the border in Canada. Newport is on a big beautiful lake (Memphramagog, which has its own “monster”). It’s decent sized by VT standards but not busy and I have to believe there are some reasonable lodging options there.
As far as the backroads, unless it’s mud season (which is just starting) or the road has just been graded, VT gravel is pretty smooth and hard-packed in most places. That’s not to say it’s a picinic on skinny slicks, but theres so much good gravel and so many nice gravel rides, it’s worth checking out.
The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is worth checking out. There’s a bike path out of Newport that you can use to connect to a longer one across the border in Canada. Newport is on a big beautiful lake (Memphramagog, which has its own “monster”). It’s decent sized by VT standards but not busy and I have to believe there are some reasonable lodging options there.
As far as the backroads, unless it’s mud season (which is just starting) or the road has just been graded, VT gravel is pretty smooth and hard-packed in most places. That’s not to say it’s a picinic on skinny slicks, but theres so much good gravel and so many nice gravel rides, it’s worth checking out.
03-26-19, 08:42 AM
#13
Senior Member
Or, if you want a Lake Champlain adventure you could start in West Addision, VT and ride Lake St. (and a bunch of other quiet roads with great views) north along the lake to Charlotte, then take the Lake Champlain ferry across to Essex, NY ($5.50 for bike and rider), ride down the west side of the lake and cross back over east on the new Crown Point bridge. This loop would be around 50 miles with mostly rolling terrain.
You could extend this a bit further by riding from West Addison to Burlington and crossing the lake on the Burlington-Port Kent, NY ferry ($9).
Champlain is a big lake and riding the ferries gives you an interesting perspective - 11 miles across at Burlington.
You could extend this a bit further by riding from West Addison to Burlington and crossing the lake on the Burlington-Port Kent, NY ferry ($9).
Champlain is a big lake and riding the ferries gives you an interesting perspective - 11 miles across at Burlington.
