Atlantic Coat

[pilk]

Hello,
I'm new to ACA. I'm planning a long tour of the Atlantic Coat in April. I was wondering if there was anyone who has done this trip and might have some pointers.
I was looking to camp 80 percent of the time. So insight on campgrounds would help. Was the route ACA set up helpful, or would you reccomend other routes?
Any help would be great.
Thanks
Mike

[JimF]

Hi, Pilk:
Go to crazyguyonabike.com and search on "Atlantic Coast" in the journal category. You'll find lots of good info. Others ACA members will likely pass along some tidbits, as well. If you can, take the outer banks alternate in NC. Good luck.

[Westinghouse]

ACA maps will give you all that info. You can go to google maps to look up campgrounds in the cities you will traverse. They have listed phone numbers.
I have cycled the Atlantic coast three times. I did not stay in campgrounds. I free-camped wherever I could. To my way of looking at money matters, what they are asking for a bare hard piece of terra firma for one night in a tent is crazy, way too much. I would be very surprised to see any private c'ground on the east coast offering hiker-biker rates like parks on the pacific coast. The Pacific coast bicycle route is a lot more scenic and interesting.
Hostels, cheap public park camping, room, beaches, hills, great scenery, fresh air.. In 1990 I left southeast coastal Florida on May 1st. I was in Bangor, Maine on May 22nd. It was still freezing a couple of nights in the NE part of the route. April would be cold, but perhaps not prohibitively cold. Bundle up and you should be ok.

[indyfabz]

I did Bar Harbor to Philly in ’99.  Port Jervis, NY to Lambertville, NJ is great.  Outside of Pt. Jervis you will enter the Delaware Water Gap Nat’l Recreation Area.  Beautiful camping at Worthington State Forest/Park.  Get on the canal path in either Milford or Frenchtown, NJ (not sure if it goes as far north as Milford) all the way to Lambertville, NJ.  28C tires or larger should be fine.  Before you get to L’Ville you will come to Bull's Island Recreation Area.  Great place to camp.  Try to avoid weekends as they require a two-night stay unless you arrive on Saturday and they happen to have sites available.  During the week, the place is deserted.  Ask for a walk-in site.  Walk across the pedestrian bridge over the river to the PA side and have a beer at the Black Bass Hotel.

While perhaps the route has changed during the last 9 years, I was not that fond of parts of the AC route between New Hope, PA and Norristown.  If you send me a personal message I can hook you up with a route that our local club uses to get towards Norristown from New Hope.  I can also give you some other recommendations based on my experience with the route and cycling in certain areas.

[JayH]

As far as camping, when I did the section from New Paltz, NY to about Kennebunk, ME, was that many of the private campgrounds will give you a discount when they see you on a bike. Doesn't usually work on any state/public campground but it worked on many of the smaller campgrounds when you talk to the host... 

At least keep that in mind... Of course, if you go north to south, April is still quite chilly in New England...

Jay

[JHamelman]

While perhaps the route has changed during the last 9 years, I was not that fond of parts of the AC route between New Hope, PA and Norristown.  If you send me a personal message I can hook you up with a route that our local club uses to get towards Norristown from New Hope.  I can also give you some other recommendations based on my experience with the route and cycling in certain areas.

It's possible the routing has changed from New Hope to Norristown, PA since then though it looks to me that it has been the same from 2003 to today. We'd be interested in seeing the route your local club to cover this distance. My email address is available through my profile. Thanks in advance.

.Jennifer.