ksp2089

Hello! We are looking for a rails to trails cycling experience this summer. We had completed the 34 mile Creeper Trail in Virginia, as well as the 150 mile GAP trail in MD / PA, and the 50 mile Capitol Trail in Richmond. We have considered doing the GAP trail again, but would like to try out something new. We loved the GAP experience of cycling to the different towns and staying overnight at B&Bs and historic hotels, so a trail in excess of 50 miles would be preferable.

Thanks for any input!

Skipjacks

The C&O Canal towpath trail from Pittsburgh to Washington DC has the bed and breakfast options. I've never ridden it but I'm told nice things about the experience.

The NCR railtrail north of Baltimore runs from abbout 20 miles South of the MD/PA line up to York. So roughly 40 miles total, one way.

There isn't much to do a long the way though, at least on the Maryland side. No hotels, nor the need for them over that distance. Just a few trail side train related buildings. And a giant hill full of garden gnomes (words are inadequate). There is more stuff to see on the PA leg of the trail, but I'm not super familiar with it.

UniChris

If you're willing to do 10 miles of roads in the middle the Farmington Canal trail runs up the middle of CT to MA from New Haven. Goes right by at least one hotel in Avon. Train access with bikes at New Haven, but a fair distance on roads from Springfield at the North end. About 65 miles counting the roads but has an additional ten mile branch option. Avoid the last few miles of the New Haven end after dark but fine and heavily used during the day. Pretty good condition overall, some tree root spidering but not too disruptive except right north of the farm in Granby where it's briefly very bumpy. One section of a mile just below Cheshire where there are very bumpy joints between 100 foot sections of paving.

If you're willing to do a road ride, 9w up the west side of the Hudson across from NYC to Bear Mountain or further is reportedly really scenic and probably gives you lots of options for stops.

South County / North County / Putnam county run North from NYC, not many towns. Goes by the backyards of motels in Ardsley and Mahopac about 8/11 miles from respective ends, both ends have commuter trains that take bikes (Mahopac was historical a resort area, so you might still find a bed and breakfast somewhere). NYC end has issues when wet but can start in Tarrytown if you don't mind an initial climb or at any of the parking lots, or wind up there and have dinner outdoor seating dinner on the hill above the river. 48 miles overall. Some deserved reputation for bumpiness in the southern portions but they're doing some repaving this summer. Will be even better in two years when the larger piece of the Maybrook will connect it to Hopewell Junction and thus via existing trail to Poughkeepsie and the walkway Over the Hudson for something like 96 total miles (bike-tolerant train at Poughkeepsie, too, but no late night schedules).

D&R canal is fine gravel, one piece from Trenton NJ out into PA another towards Princeton and circuitously New Brunswick. A few 100 yard possibly walk sections, not for 23mm tires and avoid when wet. Probably in the mid fifties counting both sections, but have heard some past concerns just north of Trenton.

Many of these have one or more threads in the Northeast subforum.

Leebo

Lots in New England. Lots are " rustic", dirt ,rocks, mud, sand and tall grass. Plenty around, just need to connect them. Did some of the Airline trail in NE CT. I would check out, rails to trails .com.

DomaneS5

New River Trail in Virginia. Pulaski to Galax. Similar to Creeper Trail, but mostly flat. 57 miles. Very nice trail with cabins to rent if needed. There's easy access to trail heads from I-81 and I-77.

86az135i

I can vouch for the C&O being a nice ride. My first century. OP I'm surprised you haven't considered this since you've done the GAP. The C&O is just an extension of the GAP going through Maryland, WV and going into DC

https://bikecando.com/

rollagain

In NE Ohio, there are some good ones. This one is closest to me. I've only ridden the middle section.

https://www.geaugaparkdistrict.org/p...AIL%20SECTIONS

Rides4Beer

Thanks! I'll have to check that out when I'm in VA visiting family. Looks like gravel?

VegasTriker

Probably the best source of rail trail information is Rails to Trails Conservancy. I've been a member of that organization for over two decades and they are a great source of information. Try https://www.railstotrails.org/greatamericanrailtrail/ and https://www.traillink.com/viewnationalmap/ for maps.

Moe Zhoost

This trail is very close to the Virginia Creeper Trail. Much better scenery in my opinion. Well worth doing.

DomaneS5

New River Trail is not as crowded as Creeper on the weekends. Gravel bikes are perfect for these trails. Only negative with New River is they charge $7 for parking at trail heads. Parking is free at Creeper Trail.

DomaneS5

yes... finely packed gravel and dirt. I've seen road bikes with slick tires on New River... but I would recommend either a gravel bike or hard tail mountain bike.

Kapusta

Yes, Gravel. It is very nice.

I like the scenery of the VA Creeper Trail and New River Trail just as much, but they are very different types of scenery, IMO. New River Trail is much more wide open.

I think the most beautiful rail-to-trail I've been on is the Pine Creek Rail Trail in PA. It is 65 miles. Follows a large creek most of the way. There is a great place to stay in Cedar Run about half way along the route (Cedar Run Inn). Utterly charming and cheap.

DomaneS5

Oh yeah, I forgot... you will have to dodge horse turds on New River Trail. Lots of horseback riding on New River.

ksp2089

Thanks everyone! This is all good input. I actually live only a short distance from the VA Creeper Trail, so I highly recommend it to those who haven't ridden it. I do recommend keeping the Damascus to Whitetop section (if you're pedaling up instead of down) to weekdays. Weekends get super crowded with kids flying off the mountain on bikes they aren't used to handling.

I am familiar with the New River Trail, but haven't been there yet. Also, those of you who mentioned the C&O....I have researched it and gotten very mixed reviews. Would a gravel bike be best? Or mountain bike? We ran into a group of guys on the GAP who had ridden the C&O, and they did not have good things to say about the trail and gravel bikes. I would really like to continue that ride from Cumberland on to DC if the trail is good!

I am also excited to check out the Pine Creek Trail that was mentioned. Thanks for the suggestions! Keep them coming! I am also a Rail Trail conservancy member and supporter, but I have traveled to some trails that have been super grown up and had zero supporting infrastructure (you know....like cold beer after a days ride), so I like to get the low down from fellow riders as well.

DomaneS5

Gravel bike or Hard Tail Mountain bike are good for C&O Canal. I've rode several sections of that trail... near DC, Frederick and Hancock, MD.

86az135i

I've only been as far south as Harpers Ferry, so I can't say for sure. I've since moved but when I rode out there, gravel and cyclocross weren't a thing really at least that I knew of. I didn't want to use my road bike with 23mm tires. So I used my hardtail mountain bike and swapped some smooth tires on it. But I would have no qualms using what I currently have now if I still lived there (cyclocross on 38mm tubeless tires).

freeranger

I used to live close to the NCR trail. If you ride from the southern end (Monkton MD or White Hall MD) and head north to PA, there is a slight upgrade to Shrewsbury. 20 some years ago, there was a bed and breakfast around the Shrewsbury area just off of the rail-trail (don't know if still there). You should be able to ride 20 miles up and 20 miles back and make decent time-as from Shrewsbury PA back to Monkton or White Hall in MD, it's a downgrade, or level. Used to be some places to eat not far off the rail-trail, in Shrewsbury, but it's probably been 20 years since we last rode it. PA is full of great rail-trails (more than any other state). If your library has a Rails-to-Trails book of PA rail trails, it would be a good reference.

rollagain

Here's another choice in NE Ohio:

https://www.nps.gov/cuva/planyourvisit/bike.htm

They have some where you can ride out on your bike and come back on a train.

bruce19

In northeast CT we have the Airline Trail and the Hop River Trail. Both very nice and, in some places, eateries are available.

Rides4Beer

Thanks!! I'll bring the gravel bike next time we go up, looking forward to it!

rm -rf

I did a couple of day rides on the New River trail. Like the GAP trail, it's crushed stone, which is different from gravel. Crushed stone packs down solid --maintained trails can be fast and smooth. But there's always a few sections where it's looser, so wider tires let you ride without having to keep a sharp lookout all the time on the trail surface.

I rode 38mm smooth tread tires on the GAP trail, and that was very nice, fast rolling and good grip. I think knobs just slow the bike down a little -- they are okay, but not needed on crushed stone rail trails.

New River Trail
I like the GAP trail more -- the scenery along the GAP trail is more varied and the towns are interesting. The New River Trail was an easy, enjoyable ride, with only occasional other riders passing by. I rode it in the fall, that was nice. I'm remembering riding through a lot of shady wooded sections, with the river in view most of the time. There's a few interesting remnants of the old railroad equipment, a few small towns with limited amenities, and a section where the river cuts through a mountain ridge with interesting rock formations. A pleasant ride.

GAP trail
There's also other short trails nearby to the GAP trail that can make nice out-and-back day rides. I plan to visit the GAP trail again, I really liked it.

VA Creeper Trail
I really like climbing it on a weekday. The slower climbing speeds give me time to see all the great scenery, and I stop along the way quite a bit to check out rocky whitewater scenes, and views from the bridges. Descending, I need to pay attention to the trail surface.

A couple of years ago, I did a round trip and the downhill part to Damascus from Whitetop had some washboard sections and quite a few larger rounded rocks embedded in the trail. My arms and shoulders were quite beat up from the rough surfaces. Perhaps that was just a late season deterioration?

rydabent

IMO rail lines should never be broken up. For the time being they can be used for trails, but who knows what they can be used for in the future.

rm -rf

Oh, Pine Creek sounds good. And it's only 2 hours from the Finger Lakes Watkins Glen area.

UniChris

I somewhat agree, in a way before they started having personal utility (essentially all of my non-trivial rides are rail trails) I was even opposed to the rail-trail concept. But keeping unused rights-of-way intact is hard, notice how a lot of rail-trails end up with detours around assorted squatters like state highways, junkyards, nurseries, etc.

One idea that has some promise is rail-with-a-trail. For example, the Maybrook line circumferentially connecting two (in a way, three) of Metro North's spokes that radiate from NYC is a two track ROW that long ago degraded to a single track, and even that might need some work to be passable to anything but a hi-rail pickup. They last used it a few years back when a washout on a main line stranded some passenger equipment, to move it over to another line and still be able to make use of it on other routes.

The plan now is to build a trail on the portion of the ROW that no longer has rails, with a nominal fence inbetween. A six mile piece going the wrong direction from existing trail and remaining rail service connections was done a few years back, but now there's Empire State Trail money allocated to Metro North to have the railroad itself hire and supervise a contractor to build the trail on the remaining 30-odd miles that will (with a mile long road gap) connect two existing trails, ultimately creating a 96 or so mile route from NYC to Poughkeepsie and across the river almost to New Paltz.

Rail of course isn't the only "other use" - something they did a number of years back was run fiber optic lines along the Maybrook (just as many railroads have with all of their ROWs). And I if I'm remember correctly I saw a lot of fiber dig warning signs along portions of the Farmington Canal trail, too (and actually a rail trail as the canal only lasted a few years before a railroad was built in its place)