Author Topic: East Coast Greenway as alternative to ACA NYC-Chicago ?  (Read 8408 times)

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Offline kaer23

East Coast Greenway as alternative to ACA NYC-Chicago ?
« on: December 26, 2022, 03:28:44 am »
Dear All,

I am a german cyclist and I plan to start a slightly longer tour in New York City beginning of May. My original plan was to take the Philadelphia alternate of the ACA NYC-Chicago route and start a detour in York to Washington D.C.. Now I am wondering whether it might be a good idea instead to follow the east coast greenway from New York to Washington. Are there any recommendations ? Should I better stick to the ACA route via New Jersey ? Thanks a lot for any thoughts or comments !


Offline John Nettles

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Re: East Coast Greenway as alternative to ACA NYC-Chicago ?
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2022, 07:44:23 am »
I personally would stick with ACA's route.  The reason is, I am not familiar with the EGG in that area but do know in other areas, the EGG routes onto very heavily traveled roads with no shoulders.  While the Boston to DC corridor is heavily populated with lots of traffic, ACA overall does a good job in routing for touring cyclists. 

You might consider just looking at various points along both routes using Google Maps' Streetview and determine which route is best for you.

Tailwinds, John

Offline BikeliciousBabe

Re: East Coast Greenway as alternative to ACA NYC-Chicago ?
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2023, 01:09:43 pm »
Sorry. Just saw this. The ECG in Pennsylvania has very little green. Lots of busy city streets and roads, including one called Industrial Highway that you are on for a while.

Offline HikeBikeCook

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Re: East Coast Greenway as alternative to ACA NYC-Chicago ?
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2023, 12:01:03 pm »
Living in the Boston/Providence area I have plotted routes along the ECG using RWGPS only to decide on a different route most of the time for traffic, or terrain. Also the ECG meanders around to connect existing bike routes (in Eastern Connecticut for example) that I felt was a waste of time with no gain in better riding conditions or better scenery. The ECG is fairly new (like the Great American Rail Trail) and the route is not as well traveled (or planned IMO) as the ACA routes. I also found some of the trail surfaces (like the GART) are not that touring bike friendly. I would do a lot of research and maybe us a planning tool like Ride with GPS (RWGPS) to compare grade and riding surface. I also use Google maps to look for street view pictures of the trail, even if it is a road crossings, to get an idea on the surface condition.
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Offline kaer23

Re: East Coast Greenway as alternative to ACA NYC-Chicago ?
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2023, 02:07:37 am »
Thanks a lot for all the hints ! I was still wondering about taking the ECG, but this looks like it would not be a good idea.