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Two ECG questions

Old 08-07-22, 03:55 AM
  #1  
parkbrav
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Two ECG questions

I'm contemplating a Trek Challenge to cycle 100+ miles in one day...starting at next July

I'm looking at the map and I have some questions.

1) is it easy to find the ECG off of the Danvers Rail Trail?

I ask because it looks like it's easier to stay on Rte 113 to Lowell, I would appreciate any tips here staying on the ECG as it would save on miles.

2) Is it easy to connect to the ECG between S. Berwick Maine and the Eastern Trail?

I ask because the map looks like it connects to a series of back roads. It looks like it might be easier to stay on Rte 4 and then turn on Rt 109 to 99 and then connect to the ECG near Arundel.
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Old 08-11-22, 04:08 PM
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parkbrav
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So I just wanted to bump my own thread, let me rephrase.

I'm trying to map my ride from Rt 38 north of Boston MA to Coastal Maine just north of Freeport. That's about 150 miles. And I'm trying to do it in under 1 day.

I find that when my rides are pressed for time, one wrong turn can screw up my entire journey. That when the East Coast Greenway hits rural roads in northern Massachusetts and south-western Maine, they take a bunch of unpredictable twists and turns. That's why I'm a bit confused.

So that's why I'm wondering the following:

1) Is the East Coast Greenway (ECG) easy to find between the end of the Danvers Rail Trail and Newburyport?

2) Is the East Coast Greenway (ECG) easy to find between South Berwick Maine and the Eastern Trail in Arundel/Kennebunk?
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Old 08-15-22, 08:36 AM
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UniChris
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I don't have the familiarity with conditions there that you are seeking, but my general suggestion would be that if you want to ride efficiently, you create a route track on something like ride with GPS and then follow it using voice navigation on a GPS head unit or a phone. You might of course see what route files others have created before creating your own, though do expect to need to do some modification (unfortunately imported routes may have too many trackpoints to be realistically editable, compared to routes that have just enough control points to nail down the desired turns)

You can try distance based reckoning with a wheel counter cycle computer and a printed cuesheet, but this typically takes more time. Even with voice navigation however, it's good to have the printed backup.

In some areas of Connecticut I've seen turns of the ECG marked with subtle little 4 inch square signs having their logo, but I wouldn't count on that.

Using streetview to checkout key sections, or at least where non-road portions cross roads can also be helpful - at the lower edge of the window you'll see the date of the imagery (which can sometimes change drastically with just slight movement). Doing that for example, what looks on Google Map's cycling layer like a nice straight line option (but not part of the ECG) turns out to be a powerline cut that's overgrown and possibly(?) posted - if usable at all, it would be more of an adventure than an efficient through route.

Also worth checking the Strava global heatmap to see where people are going.
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Old 08-16-22, 10:32 AM
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parkbrav
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good advice, I've started to notice i-phone holders on cyclist handlebars, I think I have to start doing that

I actually decided to test out the route a little bit over the weekend. I got waylaid by a small ECG sign that brought me to a shopping mall and veered me way off of the trail. Actually, the GPS also missed the trail. I was not impressed. I cycled around the area on my own and I found the trail. I then followed it back to the trail head.

But yeah, gosh, if that was an emergency and I was relying on the trail markers, i'd have been toast. Just goes to show you that you have to trust your intuition over your observations, at least sometimes.
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Old 08-22-22, 12:44 PM
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I hate posting an oblique comment, but I agree with UniChris ECG plaques disappear or appear after the turn. My experience in Ma. is south of Worcester and in RI and Ct.They definitely go out of their way to include some snippet of trail or avoid hills. I would do as Chris said, Google street view is first tool to explore a route. Good luck on your ride.
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Old 09-04-22, 08:52 AM
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I pulled up the ECG trail map and any part that is through Danvers is on the rail trail. ECG through the town of Danvers and the Danvers rail trail are one and the same. When the trail reaches Topsfield going (w-n) it goes to the street. I have ridden that trail many times as I am a former local resident of Danvers.
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