katy trail.
www.bikekatytrail.org
2010-06-19 15:58:05
14
200+ mile bike/ped paths in north america
after completing the GAP and C&O yesterday the family who I was guiding for was anxious to start planning their next summers tour... any ideas on what a good one would be... hopefully this would be at most a 10 hr drive from pittsburgh and should have very little shared roads with automobiles.
i have heard there is one on the great lakes, also one across canada. I have ridden parts of the east coast one but from what I understand it is far from completion.
anything outside the 10 hour radius from pittsburgh would definitely be considered, so list away!
2010-06-19 15:53:16
Katy trail is about your only other option for a long trail ride. There are 2 ~75 mile trails in WV.
North Bend Rail Trail
http://www.wvparks.com/northbendrailtrail/
greenbrier river trail
http://www.greenbrierrivertrail.com/
65 mile trail in central PA:
Pine Creek Rail Trail
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Creek_Rail_Trail
2010-06-19 16:29:54
its actually really surprising to me that there are so few... that katy trail seems awesome, maybe a bit far away though, we'll see how that flies.
i found this: http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/parks/guides/trails/cowboy/cowboy.asp
but there isn't a whole lot about it on the web...
there is also this which would be my top choice so far from what I've looked at... seems amazing.
http://www.kettlevalleyrailway.ca/
2010-06-19 22:37:47
also there is a towpath for the erie canal, if anyone has ever ridden that i'd be interested... i've done the whole thing by boat but never by bike.
here is the website for the east coast greenway that isn't completed: http://www.greenway.org/
2010-06-19 22:40:14
i will probably do the first 50 miles of the erie canal (from buffalo) in the next few months, if that's possible.
2010-06-20 00:05:07
awesome, let me know how it goes
2010-06-20 04:23:04
I think Kordite did the Erie Canal trip.
2010-06-20 23:46:29
Yea, I did the Erie Canal last year. 400 miles total though I think about a third of it is on the road. As I rode I kept seeing all the boats and daydreamed about having one and cruising up and down the canals. A nice Victorian-era (or at least late-19th Century styled) boat. Invite my friends. Men in waistcoats and bowlers. Women with bustles and parasols. Wine and cheese on the deck. A capitol way to spend a weekend.
Much better than the hot asphalt and sunburn I earned for myself on the roads between trail segments.
I keep forgetting to update and post my ride summary.
2010-06-21 15:33:01
I've never ridden it and its a little outside of 10 hours, but I've heard great things about the La Route Verte (Green Route) in Quebec. http://www.velo.qc.ca/rv/index_e.php
2010-06-21 15:34:55
Kordite, I love your scenario. Tweed boat. And your boat needs a steam engine. No reason you couldn't do it on the trois-rivières.
Quebec is awesome but it is a long a$$ dismal drive up there, and train is nearly impossible. If anyone ever gets a chance, do the Montreal Bikefest in May, incredible. Similar to the NY five boroughs, but in French, and with free artisan cheeses.
2010-06-21 15:56:11
i went down it on a sailboat... we drank lots of beer and were often overtaken by cyclists and rollerbladers... our top speed was 9 mph.
2010-06-21 16:17:41
The North Bend Rail Trail doesn't appear to actually be maintained along most of its length. It is pretty spectacular though, with lots of tunnels and forest and blasted rock.
Wisconsin has a huge rail-trail system. I just went from Milwaukee to Winona, MN on 90% rail trail.
2010-06-22 14:46:22
i just looked at that quebec trail in detail... that actually looks awesome, but I can't really figure out if there are significant stretches of no road riding on it or not due to the way the map is laid out... i'll have to find some more info
2010-06-22 15:11:52