ChipSeals

I've had a good record with crowdsourcing my trips here, so I'm going to give it another shot.

My girlfriend and I have a week off after September 15th. Typically on short trips we go up to the Catskills or Western Massachusetts. We'd like to try someplace slightly different this time, and wanted to ask folks' opinions on destinations.

We like to spend about a third of our time cycling, another third with day hikes, and the balance of it lounging around, taking in the local restaurants, etc.

I'd love to hear of places you've all gone to that you like. We'd consider resorts and hotels if they exist too, although I know that few good ones in the Northeast, unless one skis.

We'd normally consider Western Mass again, but we'll have just been there with D2R2 and another related trip.

We're looking into Vermont, New Hampshire, and possibly parts of Pennsylvania. We'll be driving from New York City, and we're willing to drive up to about 6-7 hours to get to our destination.

indyfabz

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Shoot right up I-80. Maybe stay in Milford, PA (U.S. 6 and U.S. 209). There is a neat hotel there that offers individual building units with porches. Some really nice riding (especially on the NJ side) and hiking in the DWG. Also paddling opportunities. Another option is to stay in the Stroudsburg area, but you would have to drive a bit each day to get to the hiking/biking areas. And if cost is not an object, there is the Deer Head Inn in the town of Delaware Water Gap, PA. The place usually has jazz on the weekends.


BTW....I was a four-year "Deerfield Boy" (Class of '83) and went back to do D2R2 twice in the last five years or so. Great ride. Also rode through campus last September during a Brattleboro to Philly tour.

leob1

Try Cape May, NJ. We went there in that same time frame, the summer crowds are gone, but the weather is still warm. You can stay in a hotel or one of the many B&Bs. There is good food, a brewery, and shopping. There are also good roads for riding, and none of the summer traffic. We parked our car, and road our bike every where, even to dinner with valet parking(they didn't know what to do with our bikes!). There is lots to do, eco tours, fishing, the lighthouse, etc.

autonomy

In NH the White are the place to be for hiking, there's just so much there. Cycling the Kancamagus Highway is on my to do list. Restaurant scene may not be that great though, but there are breweries and nice places around - depends on where you stay. Sorry, can't be more specific. Stowe, VT is a great place for hiking, cycling, and restaurants/breweries.

Steve B.

Vermont.

Lots of road choices so easy to put together loops, lots of towns with places to eat, hiking in the Green Mt's,

Ludlow was always my favorite.

ChipSeals

Great suggestions. Going to look into all of them.

Anyone ever stay at any resort-y type places in the areas mentioned? Since we're not flying, I'd love to justify a place with at least basic spa and pool / fitness amenities -- always good to have in case weather runs afoul.

late

Vermont has a bunch of ski mountains, and they stay open in the summer. Some of the places will offer lots of resort amenities. A hot tub after a long days ride is wonderful. You can also ride up the ski lift, but as a former hiker, my suggestion would be to hike up to the view.

Some other nice places in Vermont, the fort at the southern end of the lake is very much worth a visit. When we rode around Champlain, we just happened to stay there, but I am very glad we did. Burlington is cool, it's one of the nicest American cities in summer. There is also an island north of Burlington that is nice.

What you might do is park in Burlington, spend the night. Ride to and stay at the island. Then head north, and loop around to a ski resort or two, and eventually work your way back to Burlington.

ChipSeals

By "we stayed there," do you mean Burlington?

late

We started there, rode down the NY side. I meant the town next to the fort. I almost didn't tour the fort, the ride had been hard and quite hot. It's quite a bit better than your typical historical stop. The food in town was also better than I'd expected.

TBlackwell600

Lehigh Gorge, Jim Thorpe, PA. 26 mile rail trail goes from Jim Thorpe to White Haven, great for biking and hiking. You can also road bike west out of Jim Thorpe. JT offers some very nice B&B's along with shopping & restaurants. www.jimthorpe.org

Steve B.

I assume that's Fort Ticonderoga. The local town is Ticonderoga.

There's a ferry at Ticonderoga across Lake Champlain to Vermont. Plus the bridge at Port Henry NY, the ferry's at Essex, Port Kent and Cumberland Head, all make it easy to do loops onto the NY side.

There's a bike path heads north out of N Burlington, follows the old railbed across Lake Champlain to S Hero Island with a seasonal bike ferry. A good out and back.

Very pretty riding thru this area.

Champlaincycler

Look up the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes VT. Right on Lake Champlain, great cycling, has cabins and rooms, casual and fine dining, golf, tennis, watersports and stunning vistas. You'd have to drive 45 minutes or so to hike in the National Forest above Middlebury or Bristol but those towns are worth a visit anyway.

Lake Placid is also a thought.

ChipSeals

OK — definitely leaning toward the Vermont side of the lake. Jim Thorpe is also a great choice, and I'll keep that on my list for a weekend trip.

Many thanks, everyone!

rumrunn6

Vermont, if you haven't been. the Burlington area has so much to offer. the bike trail along the lake & hiking east of the lake. also lots of online info easy to find

indyfabz

In connection with what I mentioned above, this place is right on the river:


The Shawnee Inn Golf Resort | Pocono Resorts | Poconos Mountains PA Golf Resort


Worthington State Forest, on the NJ side of the river, has some great hiking, including a stretch of the AT. Just watch out for bears! Good number of them up there.

NYSteve

If you want to beauty come to Watkins Glen, NY. Beautiful Rodes and views. Hiking The Gorge Trail at Watkins Glen State park. Ithaca is also a beautiful area.

indyfabz

I hear it's gorges.


Seriously...When I was younger, someone on my block had an "Ithaca is Gorges" bumper sticker. I don't know why, but it bugged the hell out of me--and still does. When I did the Bon Ton Roulet back in '06 we rode through Ithaca on the penultimate day and passed a store selling all sorts of merchandise with that slogan. My head nearly exploded.


But you are correct: It is a beautiful area.

Rider51

Finger Lakes are better for hiking than cycling I think. But it is nice there.

You could probably get to Rickett's Glen and World's End state parks in PA. That area has great hiking, low traffic (if hilly!) roads for cycling, but the amenities are going to be tough to come by, as it's pretty quiet around there.

indyfabz

Excellent cycling in the Finger Lakes. The Bon Ton Roulet is going on right now:


The Bon Ton Roulet


Done it twice.


This morning I made camping reservations at Rickett's Glen for a September weekend. The GF wants to see the waterfalls. Was lucky to score one of the few remaining sites in the Big Loop that has lake access. I have never been either and am looking forward to it. No biking though, which is o.k. since the following weekend I am hoping to start an Erie to Philly self contained tour.

Steve B.

I think if hiking is a major part of the destination, then Lake Placid, North Conway, NH, or Vermont gets you to the more scenic trails that are mt. tops with views.

The road cycling is easy in those areas, lots of good roads everywhere in the northeast, and it's easy to find a base camp that has hot tubs, then do routes from there.

I like the northern Finger Lakes region (Geneva, Auburn, Seneca Falls) and the cycling is superb and not too hilly. The southern Finger Lakes are very hilly but have the parks with short hikes. Not Vermont, NH or LP, but pretty.

Possibly the best road network would be Vermont and the great hikes are very easy access.

ImNotHardcore

The coastline of Northern Mass, all of New Hampshire and Southern Maine offer some great rides. The coastline of NH, in particular, while not very long, offers some amazing views of the ocean from a main road with little traffic all things considered. The best hotel in the Portsmouth area is the Wentworth by the Sea -- it's got a spa, fitness, etc. If you base out of Portsmouth, it's an easy ride or drive up to biking and hiking along Lake Winnapasaukee (sp?!) and the White Mountains as well. If you're thinking of leaf peeping, keep in mind there are 10 trillion people up here at that time (but also know it's later than you might think...).

ekubilus

The Montgomery/Delaware county areas outside Philadelphia have some great rides and a number of great nature trails and hiking areas managed by local conservation organizations (e.g., Natural lands trust). Also, Philly has become a pretty good foodie town.

ChipSeals

I love this thread. Such good stuff to explore.

ChipSeals

Thanks for this suggestion! We did a trip to Newburyport, MA a couple of years back and stopped in Portsmouth. Agree that the cycling (and lobster, ice cream, etc) is great up there. We did morning loops on the Merrimack and rode north into New Hampshire. I'd like to go back but probably not on this particular trip. That hotel you meantioned looks great.

ImNotHardcore

Newburyport is really nice, too. I'm lucky to live around here, that's for sure! And this is definitely lobster and ice cream season. Can't beat it!