virginiafish

We are 63 year olds, in fairly good share, looking for an easy, flat biking trip of 2-3 days in the northeast for August with an organization to give van support, etc. Only thinking northeast due to the possible heat in August. Any suggestions?

cmcfong

http://www.capecodbikeguide.com/trails.asp or
http://www.outerbanks.org/outerbanks-biking/

The area around Burlington,VT is very bike friendly, too.


You might also want to look at some of the rides operated by Sojourn or Backroads.

china_cat

a friend did an inn-to-inn bike trip some years ago in Vermont and loved it. I'm not sure it was this company, but this was the kind of itinerary she did:
http://www.trektravel.com/vermont-bi...FaxaMgodYicAVA

Sorry, can't give a personal rec. for the company.

panecott

Try

vbt.com (Vermont Bike Tours) or

easyridertours.com

Both are based in New England.

VBT has a great reputation, altho' I've never biked with them.

I did several overseas bike trips with Easy Rider - back in the 90's - and they were well run and a good value for your money. I haven't done any of their NE trips.

virginiafish

thanks, so much. I will look into these ideas.

gailw

I did a 3 day Vermont Bike Tours trip out of Manchester Vermont many years ago. It was VERY pricy, and took us out on what a city person might consider back roads, but these were, in fact, local "highways" with one lane in each direction, and no shoulder, with lots of truck and other traffic. (I live in NH and these are typical roads that go from town to town and are what I consider to be rather heavily traveled). They did have several possible routes planned, with degrees of difficulty described, and the price included meals at the inn (we didn't move around, just stayed at one inn) and the wimp wagon to pick up stragglers. Vermont is not flat. I think Vermont Bike Tours has a good reputation, but thought the price was much higher than I would ever pay again to ride a bike.
I would recommend using the Cape Cod rail trail, which is pretty flat, has NO other vehicular traffic, and you wouldn't need a guide. August is high season on the Cape, however, so if you decide to go it on your own in August, you should immediately start looking for a place to stay.

starrs

Cape cod would be great

Fra_Diavolo

Biking along the Erie Canal would be fun, but the only van supported tours seem to be for five or six days. Do note that the Northeast is often very hot and humid in August.

virginiafish

your responses are very helpful and on target. I am concerned about the humidity and the "tours" seem a little pricey, so your comments are validating.

zootsi

I live in New Hampshire, very close to Vermont. Yes it's a challenge finding bikable routes that are fairly flat. one of our favorites is the river road and rte 10 that runs from Hanover to Orford NH. Very scenic, mostly flat,and the restaurants and shops of Hanover are close by. You can also cross over a bridge and do the Vermont side on rte 5. As someone else mentioned, Burlington Vermont has a great bike trail that follows Lake Champlain. You can pick up a copy of 50 bike trips in Vermont and a similar book for New Hampshire. Cape Cod has some wonderful bike paths, perhaps the best in the northeast.
If you want to venture a bit further, there are hundreds of miles of world class bike trails in Quebec. We often bike and visit the many wineries between Montreal and Sherbrooke.
No need to book with a tour.

tomfuller

How about a relatively flat old RR grade from Cockysville MD to York PA? http://bikewashington.org/trails/ncr/ncr.htm
Maybe someone could ride halfway and turn around to pick up the vehicle and meet you at the end.

emalloy

In most of VT and NH yu will not have flat bike routes unless you parallel a river or follow an abandoned railroad path.

Down here in CT there are many miles of old RR routes that have been converted into bike/walking paths which are great for activities without dodging cars/trucks.

Daniel_Williams

I'll jump on with zootsi and say that biking is terrific here in Quebec. Many paths are quite flat, and the province is criss-crossed with paths. Check out "Route Verte" http://www.routeverte.com/rv/index2010_e.php#, which is only a subset of the bike paths available. It's not Holland but I've yet to see a better cycling network in North America.

virginiafish

All of these recommendations are wonderful and will be enough for a few trips! Incidentally, we did bicycle one day in Holland. Thanks all!!