About two years ago a friend and I cycled from Albany to NYC (as part
of a trip from Toronto to NYC). We had a great time following the
"Erie Canal Bicyclist and Hiker Tour Guide," by Harvey Botzman
(http://www.cyclotour.com/Erie%20Canal.htm). He offers two routes
from Albany to NYC - - one on each side of the Hudson. Because we are
not experienced cyclists (or even particularly athletic, or
particularly young), and wanted to avoid the worst hills and traffic
(e.g., the steep climb on the east side of the Hudson south of the
Bear Mt. Bridge), I e-mailed Botzman for suggestions. We were very
happy with his ideas - - East side of Hudson from Albany to Bear Mt.
Bridge, across the Bear Mt. Bridge to west side of Hudson River Valley
to Haverstraw. From Haverstraw we took ferry across Hudson back to
East Side of river, to Ossining, and south to NYC. If you do this, the
most convenient thing is to overnight in Haverstraw, as the ferry is
designed for Metro-North commuters on the east side of the Hudson, and
only runs from Haverstraw to Ossining in the morning rush hour.

I am not sure if the latest edition of the "Erie Canal Bicyclist and
Hiker Tour Guide" mentions the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail (ours
didn't), but this is a much more pleasant way to get from the Ossining
area to NYC than the crowded Route 9. We had hybrid bikes, and I'm
not sure is skinny tires would do as well on this trail, but it's a
scenic route with no traffic for about 40 km. It's quite surprising
to see deer very close to NYC.

We stayed at motels and B&Bs (no camping). Generally, when we had an
idea where we'd end up that night, we looked for local library during
the day's travels (every town, no matter how small, had one), and used
the internet to find accomodations for that night. Our trip was very
leisurely (12 days from Toronto to NYC) because we did lots of
sightseeing.

Finally, we paid $5 for a lifetime bike pass for the Metro-North RR.
We didn't use it, but it was insurance in case we bit off more than we
could chew, and had to take a train into NYC. The Botzman book
discusses the procedure for obtaining the pass.





--- In bikemh@yahoogroups.com, "niskyironmom" <niskyironmom@...> wrote:
>
> I am planning to ride from Albany to Westchester area. If you find a
> good route please let me know.
>
>
> --- In bikemh@yahoogroups.com, "ppederson25" <ppederson25@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi all,
> > I am planning an Albany-NYC ride in August sometime between the 16th
> > and the 22nd.
> > A friend is storing my bike in Albany while I get a new apartment in
> > New York. I will need to get it tuned up in Albany before leaving.
> > Anyone know a good bike shop there that's reasonable?
> > This is my first long ride. Any pointers would be a big help.
> > I assumed I would try to get a couple of pannier bags and a small tent
> > and just ride down the river.
> > Is there a good paved trail network?
> > Thanks in advance for your help.
> > -Paul
> >
>