Mid-April Tour Suggestions
03-07-17, 10:57 AM
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Mid-April Tour Suggestions
Looking for a nice 5 day tour with 40 mile/day average with interesting places to explore within a days drive of Boone,NC. Katy Trail looks like a good option. Can anyone suggest a loop with lightly traveled roads (either with the Katy Trail or elsewhere).
Last edited by 1-track-mind; 03-07-17 at 11:06 AM.
03-07-17, 02:48 PM
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April is a risky time for unpaved trails - wet, muddy, possible impassable.
One April the conditions might be perfect - the next April, miserable.
One April the conditions might be perfect - the next April, miserable.
03-07-17, 03:46 PM
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Katy would be a long drive from NC. Maybe Natchez Trace? I have never ridden Natchez Trace, that might be my next trip.
Bicycling the Natchez Trace Parkway - NatchezTraceTravel.com
Bicycling the Natchez Trace Parkway - NatchezTraceTravel.com
03-08-17, 12:54 PM
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A couple of things about the Natchez Trace. From Nashville to Tupelo it's relatively scenic and has enough elevation change to be interesting. Below Tupelo, it's flat with pine trees. For a couple of weeks in the Spring, the yellow pine pollen covers everything and makes it difficult to breathe, even for those w/o major allergy issues. Google to see when that is expected. We got in it one year and it was beyond belief! On the plus side, it's easy riding, low traffic with the exception of Tupelo and Jackson. The Greenbrier River trail in WV is nice, but the last time we were there in Spring it rained non stop for a week.
03-08-17, 02:22 PM
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A portion of the Greenbrier Trail was washed out during the massive flooding in that area last year.
03-08-17, 02:24 PM
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Ireland in April . on the West Coast , was Nice.. Gulf stream waters make Europe warmer than if it were not there.
03-08-17, 02:46 PM
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03-08-17, 03:11 PM
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Ooops, forgot about the WV flooding! I think I read that the park we stay at was underwater, also the big hotel.
03-08-17, 03:14 PM
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Hooked on Touring
Used to live in CH and rode to the coast a lot.
Nice loop -
Bath to Swan Quarter
Ocracoke Ferry
Ocracoke and Cape Hatteras
(without all the traffic and development around Nags Head)
Cedar Island Ferry
Cedar Island to Beaufort
Beaufort to Oriental via Neuse Ferry
Oriental to Bath via Pamlico Ferry
If you want and there are others -
You can take a cruise over to Portsmouth from Ocracoke.
(Or someone might be headinf over from Ocracoke harbor.)
Abandoned historic fishing village.
April weather is nice - of course, chance of rain always.
Nice loop -
Bath to Swan Quarter
Ocracoke Ferry
Ocracoke and Cape Hatteras
(without all the traffic and development around Nags Head)
Cedar Island Ferry
Cedar Island to Beaufort
Beaufort to Oriental via Neuse Ferry
Oriental to Bath via Pamlico Ferry
If you want and there are others -
You can take a cruise over to Portsmouth from Ocracoke.
(Or someone might be headinf over from Ocracoke harbor.)
Abandoned historic fishing village.
April weather is nice - of course, chance of rain always.
03-08-17, 04:16 PM
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- Recommendations for bike vacations like Cape Cod?
- Suggestions for next epic ride [OP is in Washington, DC]
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-10-17 at 05:16 AM.
03-08-17, 04:50 PM
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Used to live in CH and rode to the coast a lot.
Nice loop -
Bath to Swan Quarter
Ocracoke Ferry
Ocracoke and Cape Hatteras
(without all the traffic and development around Nags Head)
Cedar Island Ferry
Cedar Island to Beaufort
Beaufort to Oriental via Neuse Ferry
Oriental to Bath via Pamlico Ferry
If you want and there are others -
You can take a cruise over to Portsmouth from Ocracoke.
(Or someone might be headinf over from Ocracoke harbor.)
Abandoned historic fishing village.
April weather is nice - of course, chance of rain always.
Nice loop -
Bath to Swan Quarter
Ocracoke Ferry
Ocracoke and Cape Hatteras
(without all the traffic and development around Nags Head)
Cedar Island Ferry
Cedar Island to Beaufort
Beaufort to Oriental via Neuse Ferry
Oriental to Bath via Pamlico Ferry
If you want and there are others -
You can take a cruise over to Portsmouth from Ocracoke.
(Or someone might be headinf over from Ocracoke harbor.)
Abandoned historic fishing village.
April weather is nice - of course, chance of rain always.
Thanks !
03-08-17, 04:57 PM
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BTW, I did a good portion of the greenbriar several years ago and actually preferred the north fork...but I rarely see it mentioned.
03-08-17, 05:46 PM
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03-08-17, 05:58 PM
#14
Hooked on Touring
Spring ferry schedules:
https://www.ncdot.gov/download/trans...ryschedule.pdf
3 daily to/from Ocracoke for both Swan Quarter and Cedar Island
https://www.ncdot.gov/download/trans...ryschedule.pdf
3 daily to/from Ocracoke for both Swan Quarter and Cedar Island
03-09-17, 08:09 PM
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Mid-April Tour Suggestions While I have no vested interest in suggesting Boston for a tour, I just noted that the query is for mid-April. A famous and festive mid-April (April 17) event in Boston is the Boston Marathon. Many cyclists like to ride the 26+ mile route in the early morning as segments and even round-trip. Probably a bike is the only way for non-runners, the runners numbering in the tens of thousands, to get to the starting town of Hopkinton.
Our family may even have a spectator's party since we live on the route, about a mile from the finish line.
Our family may even have a spectator's party since we live on the route, about a mile from the finish line.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-09-17 at 08:14 PM.
03-10-17, 11:47 PM
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How about US Bicycle Route 1 in Virginia: you could ride from Richmond to Fredericksburg & back, about 200 miles IIRC. It follows lightly-used rural roads with just enough hills to keep it interesting.
