Pratt

Two nice trails are the Cross Vermont Trail (XVT) and the Cross New HampshireAdventure Trail (XNHAT). They are remarkably flat for New England, and, if you put them together, you can ride across both states, or use them for day rides.
The XVT has one end in Burlington and follows the Winooski watershed, mostly on dirt roads and trails up to the top of the Wells River watershed, down through Groton State Park to the town of Wells River.
If you, then, cross the bridge to Woodsville, NH, you can pick up the XNHAT, and take that all the way to Bethel Maine.
Each has a web site with maps and cue sheets available. They also have updates about washouts, etc. I have done each, but not together. The XVT is ~90 miles, the XNHAT ~80. Each has campgrounds and opportunities for stealth, or dispersed camping. They are not completely on trails, but that means that getting food, or finding lodging is pretty easy. I was pleasantly surprised to find no litter on the trails.

djb

thanks for the reference. Will look into these.

If you are into much more technical bikepacking, I just read the two part bit on a much harder and technical bikepacking route, the XVT (CROSS VERMONT BIKEPACKING ROUTE)

https://wanderingbybicycle.com/2016/...-route-part-1/

and its a good read, but he does point out the realistic technical aspects of what they rode through, hard sections that a crash could turn out badly, that they were on fatbikes and he specifically mentions that its too rough and tough for panniers, you need to have a water filter, a gps to find your way through some confusing areas, not to mention a crapload of climbing and pushing up some super steep stuff.

fishboat

https://www.crossvermont.org/

CROSS NEW HAMPSHIRE ADVENTURE TRAIL - Home

Thanks for the references..checking them out now..

Some add'l refs:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29743097

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/24212755

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/23277378

Pratt

Yeah, I've read about the Cross Vermont Bikepacking route. I'll leave that for those whose thighs are about four decades younger than mine

djb

I agree, a good 25 for me, that's for sure.
Hey, it might still be fun, but you'd have to be conservative on daily distances.
And careful.

indyfabz

I love riding in VT, but you do have to be prepared for dirt. Rode south from St. Albans through Burlington eventually to Brattleboro then into MA last year during a tour home to Philly that included a two-day stop in Western Mass. for my 35th high school reunion. Hit some really quiet dirt roads two of the days. The two VT state parks I stayed at were nice. Many of them have leantos for only a few dollars more than a regular tent site. Handy if there is a chance of rain.

Leebo

VT is one of my favorite places to ride and bikepack. Did the Cross NH, some of the cross VT too. A small section of the XVT, going to try for some more this summer. Did the green mt gravel route this summer. 240 miles in 5 days. rather humbling. Hit lincoln gap in Warren. The steepest paved mile in the US. Double breakfast only goes so far. " Some" pushing required. 60 lb or so Krampus, 22-46, could have used a little lower gear too. Done some sections of the BCT in MA, will try to do the southern section this year too.

djb

Years ago biked up Burke mountain, the paved private road, that's a humdinger.
Coming down was rather exhilerating and you sure as heck wouldn't want a front brake failure.... it would get serious in just a few seconds.

Pratt

Leebo-
How was Hogan Road? It was washed out when I did it

Leebo

The same, just pedaled most of it. It's right next to the river? 3" tires have their advantage.

autonomy

That, actually, sounds pretty typical of what I read these days of 'bikepacking'.

While I haven't been on either of the XNH/VT trails, I've used the offficial maps to map out the OSM relations
https://cycling.waymarkedtrails.org/....3036!-72.6071
https://cycling.waymarkedtrails.org/....3088!-71.6147 (only partially done)

What's the point? You can easily see the routes on Waymarked trails/OpenCyclingMap (e.g. https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=1....4129&layers=C) and you can download the full GPX from waymarked trails

NH does a good job of surveying their trails
https://www.nh.gov/dot/programs/bike..._April2017.pdf
https://www.nh.gov/dot/programs/bikeped/maps/index.htm

djb

I guess, I just brought it up as the fellow who did his trip report made the point to differentiate it from the similar sounding "mom and pop" trail of sort of the same name.

and tough trails, that kind of is the whole idea behind bikepacking aint it?

Pratt

Just emailed the woman who put the XNHAT together and she sent me a nice map she has had printed up. You can download the route on RidewGPS too.