Explore Burlington County’s new Rancocas Creek Greenway

How cool would it be to have this bike trail behind your neighborhood?

Burlington County formally opened the 4-mile Rancocas Creek Greenway in September. This trail stretches from Amico Island where the Rancocas Creek meets the Delaware River into Riverside, then across a bridge spanning the Rancocas Creek and into Delanco, then along the creek and past an over-55 neighborhood to beautiful Pennington Park.

How cool would it be to have this trail behind your neighborhood?

Continue reading “Explore Burlington County’s new Rancocas Creek Greenway”

How to bike to Duke Farms (with a detour to the new Flounder Brewing)

Would the D&R Canal towpath be the best way to reach Duke Farms? Or would a road option be better?

Biking to Duke Farms has been on the list for a while.

But if we wanted to benefit from the calmness of the D&R Canal towpath for much of the ride, the trade-off would be some stretches of busy road. Would it be worth it?

Continue reading “How to bike to Duke Farms (with a detour to the new Flounder Brewing)”

New Brunswick to Princeton on the D&R Canal + East Coast Greenway

The D&R Canal towpath was a mess after the one-two punch from Henri and Ida in late August and early September of 2021. Eight months later, it was time to check out how much repair work had been done and how rideable the route is.

The D&R Canal towpath was a mess after the one-two punch from Henri and Ida in late August and early September of 2021. Eight months later, it was time to check out how much repair work had been done and how rideable the route is. So we hopped New Jersey Transit to New Brunswick to find out.

Continue reading “New Brunswick to Princeton on the D&R Canal + East Coast Greenway”

I’ve found another 5-star trail on the East Coast Greenway — this time in D.C.

There’s a fantastic newish trail that takes you into Washington, D.C.

Back when I biked from Annapolis to Alexandria, Virginia, along the East Coast Greenway in 2014, the route to Washington, D.C., relied on the Northwest Branch Trail. Today there’s another option, and I think it’s even better.

This is the Anacostia River Trail, which runs along the eastern side of the Anacostia River, which feeds into the Potomac River, and crosses back into D.C. nearish to the Capitol. There’s more on the western side (some still under construction) that goes past the old (soon to be demolished?) RFK Stadium and near the pro baseball and soccer stadiums.

Continue reading “I’ve found another 5-star trail on the East Coast Greenway — this time in D.C.”

Hurricanes Henri and Ida ripped up the D&R Canal towpath

I dreaded seeing the damage from Henri and Ida. What a mess.

The remnants of Hurricanes Henri and Ida walloped New Jersey in August and September, and the D&R Canal towpath was smack in the path of both. The Millstone River flooded, Canal Road flooded, all kinds of major roads flooded … it was not pretty.

I dreaded seeing the damage to the canal towpath (also part of the East Coast Greenway).

We finally biked the section from Trenton to Princeton after Sunday’s big rally for the Essex-Hudson Greenway. Here’s what we found:

Continue reading “Hurricanes Henri and Ida ripped up the D&R Canal towpath”

Let’s get the Essex-Hudson Greenway built!

Gov. Murphy, commit to building this trail!

Today we joined the tail end of a bike ride from Newark to Trenton to tell Gov. Murphy that we want an old railway line turned into a 9-mile trail connecting Jersey City and Newark — the two largest cities in the state’s most densely populated counties — and on to Montclair.

Continue reading “Let’s get the Essex-Hudson Greenway built!”

We tested out the East Coast Greenway’s new route through Jersey City and Bayonne to Rahway, New Jersey — here’s what we found

The East Coast Greenway has a new route from Jersey City south that goes over two new bridges and bypasses Newark.

The tip of Manhattan, seen from Jersey City.

Now that the new Goethals Bridge connecting Staten Island and New Jersey is finished — and it has a bike lane — the East Coast Greenway has revised its route from Jersey City to Rahway. So of course I had to check it out.

Continue reading “We tested out the East Coast Greenway’s new route through Jersey City and Bayonne to Rahway, New Jersey — here’s what we found”

My final section of the East Coast Greenway: Stamford to New York City

I did it! I’ve biked the entire 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway!

I’ve done it! I’ve biked the entire 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway!

My final day began with drizzle in Stamford, Connecticut, and ended on the steps of the old Post Office across from Penn Station. Those last 40-plus miles encapsulated all that the Greenway is: wonderful trails (the Hudson River Greenway), comfortable residential roads .. and some crazy stuff.

Continue reading “My final section of the East Coast Greenway: Stamford to New York City”

Hugging the Connecticut shoreline while biking from New Haven to Stamford

I loved biking through the Connecticut shore towns.

What a gloriously sunny day! I loved this first part of the East Coast Greenway, with the Long Island Sound never from from view. You don’t want to know how many times we stopped for photos (and food) between New Haven and Milford.

And then there were the elegant mansions in ritzy Fairfield and Westport neighborhoods that put those along the Greenway route in Ponte Vedra Beach to shame.

But the route wasn’t all simple.

Continue reading “Hugging the Connecticut shoreline while biking from New Haven to Stamford”

Biking from Hartford to New Haven, Connecticut, on the East Coast Greenway

First we had to get over a hill — or mountain.

This 59-mile ride from Hartford to New Haven let me once again enjoy those fabulous five-star Farmington trails, some parts of which weren’t even under construction when we discovered them five years ago.

But first we had to get over the hill. Or rather, Talcott Mountain.

Continue reading “Biking from Hartford to New Haven, Connecticut, on the East Coast Greenway”
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