Green Mountains Loop, maps 7 & 8, 2011

[FredHiltz]

Closed by flood damage from Irene:

SR 14 between Royalton and South Royalton. A possible alternate is I-89 from Sharon to Bethel. It is posted "Bicycles Prohibited," but a call to Vermont State Police at (802) 222-4680 might get you emergency permission.

SR 125 between Hancock and East Middlebury (Middlebury Gap). Alternates: SR 73 (Brandon Gap) to the south is also closed. Lincoln Gap to the north is open, but very difficult. The highest paved gap in Vermont, it is partly unpaved and extremely steep. Plan to walk a mile or so of it, even with our usual low gears.

Stay abreast of closures at http://511.vermont.gov.

Fred

[fabrickman]

Hi Fred,

I was planning on riding the Green Mountain Route with some friends starting this Sunday.  We were going to start in Charlotte and go clockwise.  Just to confirm that we know what we're getting into:

1) Have you heard anything about the Long Trail climb up before Newport being closed?

2) With regard to Lincoln Gap, is route 100 open as an approach?  Do you know even roughly how many miles are unpaved?  (We're all on road bikes, not touring bikes).

3) So generally it sounds as though the South Royalton to East Middlebury section isn't passable?  Any thoughts on a route that traverses the state further north, perhaps going over Lincoln Gap?

4) I thought I read that Rochester was pretty devastated as well.  I wonder if the damage to the route isn't just on SR 125, but also on SR 100 in that area?

Thanks so much!
Anna

[FredHiltz]

Hi Anna. Most of what I know comes from the 511.Vermont web site. It is not entirely accurate, as I found out today on a ride where we walked through closed sections of SR 132 between South Strafford and Rice's Mills--this is not on the VTrans site. We talked with a local cyclist who had just been through South Royalton, Royalton, and Bethel. He says that River Road (S. Windsor St.) from South Royalton to Royalton is open. (We have always preferred that to SR 14 anyway.) However, long stretches of SR 107 are completely gone and will not open for weeks, by the look of it. I-89 looks viable on the map as an alternate, but check for permission.

The western, northern and northeastern part of the GM Loop look fine. The Missisquoi River runs close to the alternate through Glen Sutton, Quebec. I'd ask in Richford before deciding about that.

By the time you get to Royalton, a lot of repair will have happened. We saw road crews all along our ride today, and many of the blockages should be gone when you get there.

State Police are the best source for current local road conditions. If I were doing the GML, I'd take along the locations and phone numbers of all the SP barracks and check with them as I get into their neighborhoods. Their own web site, http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vtsp/station_map.html, is down right now from flooding at the state office building in Waterbury. Here's the map, though, and here are the phone numbers.

Fred

[FredHiltz]

1) Have you heard anything about the Long Trail climb up before Newport being closed?

Do you mean SR 105 up to the Long Trail crossing? I have not heard of trouble up there.

2) With regard to Lincoln Gap, is route 100 open as an approach?  Do you know even roughly how many miles are unpaved?  (We're all on road bikes, not touring bikes).

3) So generally it sounds as though the South Royalton to East Middlebury section isn't passable?  Any thoughts on a route that traverses the state further north, perhaps going over Lincoln Gap?

I see that SR 125 through Middlebury Gap changed from "closed" to "blocked" today, which is encouraging. I think many of these closures can be done on bikes, but you may have to ask a local cyclist. Officials will always give the conservative answer.

Doing it today, I'd take I-89 from Sharon to Royalton, SR 107 and SR 12 to Camp Brook Rd, and on over Rochester Gap to Hancock and SR 125. You will surely have more options when you get there.

Lincoln Gap is a last, difficult resort on loaded bikes. I have not been there for about three years, but recall two or three miles unpaved. 511.Vermont shows the necessary parts of SR 100 open.

Fred

[fabrickman]

Hi Fred,

Thanks for your responses.  They are very helpful.  I had not even considered riding on 89 before your posting.  I will also definitely check out River Road in South Royalton/Royalton. That's a great tip.

I have been trying to figure out exactly how much damage was done to Middlebury Gap and Brandon Gap by going through photos on different newspaper's websites.  Some of the damage looks pretty extensive, but I don't really have any sense of when those roads will reopen and how safe it will be to cycle to roads once they reopen (in case they only open narrow sections of road). 

We are considering heading east for a few days from Thetford along the Northern Tier route.  But since the Kanc is closed in NH, I don't think that gets us very far....  Hmmm....

We start riding Sunday and I'll let you know if I hear anything.  Please keep us posted if you learn of anything as well.

Thanks!
Anna

[FredHiltz]

OK, check in here when you can. I see that 511.Vermont has change Middlebury Gap from Blocked back to Closed. That is an important road, which ought to get high priority from the repair crews.

Fred

[JayH]

You might want to check out the Green Mountain Club which has a list of Long Trail access related posts, like which trailheads are impossible to get to, etc..

Thanks for your responses.  They are very helpful.  I had not even considered riding on 89 before your posting.  I will also definitely check out River Road in South Royalton/Royalton. That's a great tip.

Friend of mine in Stockbridge told me River road is GONE, like washed out...     

Jay

[afrimog]

Just found this thread after posting similar discussion under Routes. Sorry about that but here is what I found from a bike shop in Middlebury regarding the 125. They suggest skirting around the north of the Green Mt. Forest using the following routes. Notice the comment about Route 17.

There are some big holes in 100 and 125, which will take time to repair.  Try 302 to Montpelier, and from Montpelier take Route 2 west.

You have the option of taking Appalachian Gap (Route 17), but I would not recommend this on a loaded bike.  The descent on the west side of the Gap is too steep and too technical.  The first half mile is like sky-diving on a bicycle.

I found this map helpful: http://crisislanding.appspot.com/?crisis=2011_flooding_vermont

I am due to start the loop on September 15. If anyone has ridden it by then and reads this, it would be great if you might post an update. I had basically decided to switch to the Adirondack loop, just taking the ferry across Champlain at the start,  in the hope of better conditions but the eastern side is also patchy as other threads reveal.

Thank you.

[fabrickman]

Hi,

We started the route on the Champlain side heading clockwise on Sunday.  We've actually taken today off because of rain and are in Burlington.  I'm happy to post what I come across.  We should be done by September 11th.

We're really not sure what we're going to do after Roylston.  Any suggestions for how to head west?  I looked at the Montpelier suggestion, but I didn't see Route 2 heading west from there and I didn't really see an open route to Montpelier.

The Richford pass now looks open, although may be one lane.  I am doing 80 miles from St. Albans Bay to Newport tomorrow and will let you know what  find.

Anna

[JayH]

For those on a time restrainted trip, might consider the 400 mileish Lake Champlain Bikeways loop around Lake Champlain. Don't know the status of the loop but the directions are free from the LC bikeways website... does go through Burlington and has the option of going into Quebec...

Jay

[FredHiltz]

We're really not sure what we're going to do after Roylston.  Any suggestions for how to head west?  I looked at the Montpelier suggestion, but I didn't see Route 2 heading west from there and I didn't really see an open route to Montpelier.

The Richford pass now looks open, although may be one lane.  I am doing 80 miles from St. Albans Bay to Newport tomorrow and will let you know what  find.

I can help with Afrimog's Montpelier suggestion. Indeed, the southernmost way right now to cross from the Connecticut Valley to the Champlain Valley would be to shortcut the Green Mountains Loop, heading for Montpelier from Piermont NH via Bradford VT, SR-25, and US-302. From Montpelier, US-2 follows the Winooski River west to Burlington.

Another good option would be to take the GML East Alternate to Groton VT, then US-302 to Montpelier.

I have ridden all these roads many times. They will have more automotive traffic than usual, due to closures further south. SR-25 and US-302 are both hilly east of their junction in Topsham (say TOP-shum), less so west from there. SR-25 is longer, less hilly, prettier, and less trafficked than US-302.

The East Alternate is also hilly, but is prettier than SR-25 (see below) and definitely less trafficked.

I do *NOT* recommend US-2 east of Montpelier. Much heavy, fast traffic and lots of trucking. However, it is a nice, easy ride west of Montpelier to Burlington, parallel to I-89, which takes all the through traffic.

Roads are re-opening every day. I will try to keep you posted about E-W options that would let you do more of the GM Loop.

(Beauty note: Peacham--on the East Alternate--has appeared in more Vermont Life photos than any other town. East Corinth--also on the East Alternate--has appeared on more Vermont Life covers than any other town.)

Fred

[fabrickman]

Hello,

At the time we left VT last week, Richford pass was totally open and clear.  It had a lot of trucks on it though because other trucking routes were closed.  Route 125 over Breadloaf was clear and I actually rode it several times.  However, the route had several closures from South Royalton to Rochester.  I'm not sure what it looks like this week. 

The leaves were starting to change and there was an apple tree every mile.  Such a great route!

Anna

[FredHiltz]

See http://www.adventurecycling.org/forums/index.php?topic=9715.msg49489#msg49489 for a Northern Tier and Green Mountains Loop update.

Fred

[JHamelman]

I received confirmation that SR 107 between Bethel and Stockbridge reopened a few weeks ago. As far as I can tell from http://511.vermont.gov/ all roads once closed due to Irene are now open. Any confirmation or dispute?

.Jennifer.

[FredHiltz]

Yes, everything is open again. There was a brief flurry of news stories when SR 107, the last state highway to be repaired, reopened a couple of months ago. I have not heard specifically about county roads, but expect them to be good.

Fred