Biking PA

[bikepecone]

Im new to cycling and im looking for good ideas as to places in pennsylvania (in particular the northwest)to do some single day and maybe weekend long excursions.  Any help in this regard would be warmly received.

[Turk]

I haven't biked out there but I would think that because of the terrain and traffic you'd have to be careful about which roads you choose. You can probably get traffic count maps off the website of the state department of transportation, and you'd want to choose roads that get less than 1,000 cars per day. 500 is much better.

http://www.railtrails.org/

The above site might give you some leads on rails to trails sites. It seems there are a lot in PA. Those can be great for biking since there is no traffic and they are quite level. The trail surface and maintenance can be an issue.

[Turk]

I also see that the Transamerica Trail and the Underground Railway Trail mapped by Adventure Cycling go through northwest PA.

[WaltGaber]

I did a weekend trip this past August from Erie to Oil Creek State Park that worked well.  Erie to Union City on Rte 97, then to Titusville via some back roads and Rte 8 - about 50 miles.  Camped at one of the Adirondack shelters on the backpacking trail in Oil Creek SP.  Saturday, I did a 65-mile round trip on roads and rail-trails south past Franklin & the Belmar bridge -- then camped at the second backpacking site.  Sunday, returned to Erie via Rts 8 & 97.  Didn't have to carry a tent because of the Adirondacks.  Both backpacking sites have service roads (less than 1 mile each) that enable cyclists to access the campsites.  I think the SP website says that only backpackers are allowed -- but I talked to one of the park rangers in advance and was told that it would be fine for a cyclist to use the service roads to get to those camps.  The standard PA state park fees apply.

Check out the PA state bicycle routes.  BicyclePA Routes  The portions that I've ridden generally have wide shoulders (except when passing through towns) and moderate traffic.

The only exception that I've encountered so far is a 15-mile section northeast of Pittsburgh on BikePA Route A from Coraopolis to Monaca on Rte 51.  I cycled most of Route A with my son on a Washington DC to Erie trip this summer. (see our travelogue at CrazyGuyOnABike).

Route 5 along Lake Erie is a nice ride.  I've cycled most of the way from Erie to Buffalo on it and intend to do a weekend camping trip to Evangola State Park in NY -- about a 70 mile one-way trip for me.

Hope this helps...

[fleutz]

I am currently doing logistics for a trip to New England. PA Bikes should be examined very carefully because the mountainous the route the longer it will take. Use Bicycle PA routes with a good road atlas. You will thank me for this info.

And That's All There Is !

[razor]

 Say Fleutz,
 you might consider checking out New York states bicycle maps they will send them to you for free. Just go to the state tourist web site. I had good luck useing one two years ago to get from Lake George ,NY to Phila.,Pa. They have several north/south and east/west routes.