Cycling in New England and New York

Some of my most memorable cycling experiences have unfolded on the beautiful back roads, trails, and sandy beaches of New England and New York. As a resident of Massachusetts for 26 years, I spent many a long weekend exploring the quiet areas, away from traffic and hoards of people.

Vineyards of the Finger Lakes

Let's start in New York. This year we're offering a new tour in the Finger Lakes region, which is of course dotted with several lakes, but nestled among them are awesome wineries. Although the region is also known for hills, our Finger Lakes Loop self-contained tour was designed especially for intermediate riders and follows some of the milder hills in the region. For me, the quiet roads and wineries are worth every modest climb.

Road to Lake Placid

North and east of the Finger Lakes are the Adirondack Mountains. With slightly more challenging terrain, Adirondack Park is the largest publicly protected area in the Lower 48, greater in size than Yellowstone, the Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon national parks combined! Our Adirondack Loop self-contained tour takes place predominately in the park. You will even visit the historic town of Lake Placid -- famous for 2 memorable winter Olympics!

Beaches of Cape Cod

Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard in early spring offer some of the best riding to be found in the east. Our new Cape Cod Pilgrimage is a journey through the past of colonial America alongside rocky bays and beautiful white sand beaches of the Atlantic seacoast, through quaint villages with traditional New England commons, and on ferry rides from one spectacular scenic view to another. The riding is relatively flat and easy so you can spend more time enjoying the views than turning the pedals.

Vermont Lake in Spring

Last, but not least, is the beautiful Green Mountain State of Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom. Lake Champlain is set against the classic Vermont backdrop of lush green hills. In autumn, Vermont is bursting with the reds, oranges, yellows, and bright greens of the season. What better way to go leaf peeping than by bicycle during the Vermont Inn-to-Inn tour?


Photo of Finger Lakes by Steve Powell; photo of Cape Cod by Shawn Decareaux; Vermont and Lake Placid photos by Arlen Hall.

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ON THE ROAD is written by the tours team -- Mo, Paul, Madeline, and Arlen -- tours specialists and intrepid bicyclists, covering all things related to Adventure Cycling's Tours Department. Our  2012 Tours  are filling up fast; grab a spot now!

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/01/cycling-in-new-england-and-new-york.html

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