routes in pennsylvania/New York

[charvey]

I am planning a trip from Altoona, Pennsylvania to New York City.  Does anyone have a specific route they can recommend?  My thoughts are from Altoona to Lewisburg, to Hazleton, to Stroudsburg onto to Manhattan.  If anyone can help with any portion of that proposed route, please give me your feedback.  all suggestions welcome.  thank you

[rootchopper]

One idea, go to the PA DOT website and look for the PA bike routes. Route S goes along the southern edge of PA. It must intersect the ACA Atlantic Coast Route east of York PA.  Switch over to the ACR and follow it to NYC

[indyfabz]

Couple of things...

The only way to actually ride into Manhattan from that side is the G.W. Bridge, so if you are dead set on actually riding into the city, you will need to get yourself there.  One resource you might check with for assistance in that neck of the woods is the Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey.

If you go to Stroudburg, you can get yourself to nearby Delaware Water Gap, PA where you can pick up AC's Atlantic Coast route north to Middletown, NY east of Otisville.  A combination of New York State bicycle routes Nos. 17 and 9 will get you from Middletown into NYC:

https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/operating/opdm/local-programs-bureau/repository/bicycle/regional-bicycle-routes/region8/signed-state-bicycle-routes.html

Our you could take the AC route south from the Gap to Lambertville, NJ.  From there, there is a spur that takes you to somewhere in N. Jersey (Summitt, perhaps) where you catch a train into NYC.

If you decide you want to ride through Lambertville, I can give you a cue sheet for an amazing route to Hoboken, NJ, where you can take a nice ferry ride to the NYC path along the Hudson.  The only catch is that the route is only safe on weekends because it goes stright up the heart of the Port of Elizabeth and Newark.  You also have to be comfortable riding in some urban traffic.  (Amazingly, most the vast majority of the 90 miles is rural to suburban.)  And you doing it in one day fully loaded might be a chore.  Our club does it every year on the Sunday before Labor Day.  Send me a PM if you are interested.

[rvklassen]

One idea, go to the PA DOT website and look for the PA bike routes. Route S goes along the southern edge of PA. It must intersect the ACA Atlantic Coast Route east of York PA.  Switch over to the ACR and follow it to NYC

I second the recommendation to go to their site.  Very detailed mapping showing the routes (made by cyclists) on printable (PDF) maps.  Not all of the PA bike routes are on wonderful roads (understatement) but they are generally the best they could do.  They are also signed reasonably well, but you will want to be sure to keep the map handy lest you miss a turn and stop seeing signs.

[indyfabz]

PA Route G passes close to Altoona.  You could take that north to the intersection with Route Y.  That (and the spur at the eastern end) will take you to Matamoras, PA, which is right across the river from Pt. Jervis, NY.  Pt. Jervis is on the AC Atlantic Coast route.  As noted above, you can take that north to Middletown, NY and pick up NY NY Rte. 17 and 9 to get you into Manhattan.

One note:  Route Y uses U.S. 6 off and on.  I recently heard a first hand account of increased truck traffic on U.S. 6 from the expansion of Marcellus Shale drilling in the area.

Here is a link to a site with a good amount of PA camping info.:

http://pacamping.com/

And here is the PA Bike Route site:

http://www.dot.state.pa.us/BIKE/WEB/tour_routes.htm