Hi all,
I am looking to ride up to Burlington, V.T. for a July thru-hike of the Long Trail and after doing some poking around it looks like the best route would be to take PA Bike Route L up, then pick up NY Bike Route 11 until Watertown, and then cut over in the direction of V.T. on the NY Olympic Scenic Byway (and eventually picking up the ferry across and cycling on to Burlington).
Has anyone done segments of this route and have any comments? I have had a tough time trying to find elevation tables and traffic & infrastructure information for the route. Also, as of now I am doing this solo but am open to any and all to join for parts (or the whole)! The time table looks to be to head out on June 21st/22nd and try to log >100 mi days (it's only a 600 mi route).
Happy trails,
Jack
It looks like you're looking for a short route to hammer on in the least possible time. What you describe may be ok for that. For myself, I'd be much more leisurely about it, choosing more pleasant options, which would make both more miles and more time. FWIW, some thoughts:
If you're headed for NY's Bike-11, I'd prefer to get to the vicinity by heading out the C&O to Cumberland, then taking PA Bike-G north to New York, then following the Finger Lakes up past Syracuse and heading east from there on the ACA Northern Tier route -- thus avoiding Bike-11, which is really not a very pleasant route and, particularly through the vicinity of Syracuse, one I'd avoid. The route I describe would be a scenic one skirting urban messes. Once near Lake Champlain, I'd head north on US 9 to Keesville to catch the big ferry to Burlington. (There are countless gorgeous rides in Vermont, but the east shore of Champlain is not a place I've found especially enjoyable.)
Just my $0.02 worth, of course.
Andrejs
Ithaca, NY