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New England
Riders
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Catskills Rides
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Cobleskill, NY is located between the Catskill Mountains and the
Adirondack Mountains. There is good riding in all directions.
The rides are grouped according to the four quadrants in the map
below. Be sure to click on the many red links for more
information.
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East Catskills |
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The East Catskills
are very rugged and scenic. Most of the Catskill's best roads
and scenery are located here. Some of the best roads are
Platte Clove Road-CR16 (pic),
CR47 (pic),
CR42 (pic),
SR212,
SR23A (pic),
SR214 (pic)
through
Stony Clove, and
SR28A (map) along the
Ashokan Reservoir.
The East Catskills were a
popular vacation destination in the 1800's. As a result, roads
were built through many of the more remote and spectacular
areas. As a result, riders can experience awesome sights.
Brio's,
Sweet Sues, and
Sportsman's in Phoenicia are good lunch stops.
Alternatively, stop in
Woodstock, the town that inspired the famous rock concert.
Woodstock is still a mecca for artists and musicians. Look at
this list of famous residents (list). Be sure to
stop for a soft drink and enjoy the great view from the deck of
the
Point Lookout Inn.
*Warning* - Platte Clove
Road-CR16 (picture)
is steep and narrow. Take SR-214 instead if you are not
comfortable riding this road. Other roads like Ohayo Mountain
Road (picture),
SR-28A, CR47, and CR42 can be very twisty. You are responsible
for your own safety so please ride responsibly.
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Ride #1 - This 187 mile ride is good
for those that get a late start. Ride some nice back
roads for 1 1/2 hours to lunch in Phoenicia. After lunch enjoy
28A, Ohayo Mountain Road, Woodstock, Platte Clove Road, and 23A.
Stop
for a soft drink and enjoy
the great view from the deck of the
Point
Lookout Inn. Finish with some nice
back roads to the hotel.
(approx 5 hours without stops.)
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Ride #2 - This 185 mile ride is
similar to ride #1 except that the ride returns to the hotel via
the Helderberg Turnpike (SR443). (approx 5 hours without stops.)
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Ride #3 - This 222 mile ride trades
28A and Ohayo Mountain Road from Ride #1 for drop dead gorgeous
SR47 (picture)
and SR42 (picture).
Stop
for a soft drink and enjoy
the great view from the deck of the
Point
Lookout Inn.
(approx 6 1/4 hours without stops).
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Ride #4 - This 220 mile ride is
similar to ride #3 except that the ride returns to the hotel via
the Helderberg Turnpike (SR443). (approx 6 1/4 hours without
stops.)
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Ride #5 - This 241 mile ride combines
Ride #1 and Ride #3 to give you 28A, Ohayo Mountain Road AND
SR47 and SR42. Stop
for a soft drink and enjoy
the great view from the deck of the
Point
Lookout Inn.
(approx 6 3/4 hours without stops).
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Ride #6 - This 271 mile ride is an
ideal Catskills ride for those that can get out early. This ride
adds SR214 (pic) and SR212 to ride #5 and rides SR47 and SR42
clockwise which is more scenic. Stop
for a soft drink and enjoy
the great view from the deck of the
Point
Lookout Inn.
(approx 7 1/2 hours without stops.) This will
probably take about 10 1/2 hours with stops. Dinner on Friday is
at 7:30 and dinner on Saturday is at 8:30 so plan accordingly.
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West Catskills |
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The West Catskills are more
pastoral than the east. It is somewhat like Vermont with farms,
green mountains, and covered bridges. Highlights include the
Hanford
Mills Museum, the
Fitches Covered Bridge, the
Downsville Covered Bridge, the
Blenheim Covered Bridge (longest of its type), and The
Burrough's Memorial. Be sure to visit the
Baseball Hall of Fame in picturesque
Cooperstown.
Good Roads include SR10,
CR16, CR14, CR26, and SR30 (map) along the
Pepacton Reservoir.
A special treat is a ride through
Ilion Gorge (video).
The
Old
Schoolhouse Restaurant in Downsville is a good place for
lunch.
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Ride #1 - This 181 mile passes the
Hanford Mills Museum and features a ride through of the Fitches
Covered Bridge. Enjoy some good sport riding on CR14 and CR16
near the college town of Delhi. Enjoy lunch at the
Old
Schoolhouse Restaurant in Downsville and a ride through of
the Downsville Covered Bridge. Ride the twists of SR30 along
the Pepacton Reservoir and visit the scenic Burrough's Memorial.
Ride some scenic back roads to the hotel. (approx 4 1/2 hours
without stops.)
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Ride #2 - This 240 mile ride passes
through Cooperstown and then features a thrilling ride through
Ilion Gorge (video).
Enjoy lunch at the
Old
Schoolhouse Restaurant in Downsville and a ride through of
the Downsville Covered Bridge. After lunch, enjoy a ride on SR30
along the Pepacton Reservoir and stop at the Burrough's Memorial
for some great Catskills scenery. Finish up with some enjoyable
back roads to Cobleskill. (approx. 6 hours without stops.)
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Ride #3 - A great 145 mile ride
through the Leatherstocking Region. This has great hill, farm,
and lake scenery. See Lakes
Canadarago and
Otsego. Ride through
Ilion Gorge (video).
Have lunch in Cooperstown at
Alex and
Ika or other lunch
choices and finish with some nice back roads to Cobleskill.
You'll feel great after this ride.
(approx. 4 hours without stops.) |
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East Adirondacks |
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The East Adirondacks are
dominated by Lakes
Champlain,
George, and
Great Sacandaga. Other smaller lakes are scattered within
the mountains. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the
continental United States, the largest National Historic
Landmark, and the largest area protected by any state.
Good roads include
spectacular
SR10,
SR30 which runs through the heart of the Adirondacks (New
York's "Route 100"),
SR8,
SR9N along Lake George, and
CR4 along Great Sacandaga Lake.
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Ride #1 - This 165 mile ride gives a
quick taste of the Adirondacks. Ride north on terrific SR10 to
Piseco Lake, take SR8 east to past Lake Pleasant to Speculator,
and then take SR30 south towards Cobleskill. Try
Dean's
Hot Dog's In Gloversville - it is
NER recommended. (approx. 4 hours without stops.)
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Ride #2 - This 247 mile ride travels
north on terrific SR10 and then east on SR8 towards Lake George.
Reach the Lake near Bolton's Landing and then follow SR9N south
to the town of Lake George (lunch
ideas). After lunch, ride scenic CR4 along Great Sacandaga
Lake before taking some nice local roads back to Cobleskill.
(approx. 5 3/4 hours without stops.)
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Ride #3 - This 275 mile ride is
similar to Ride #2 except that the route continues northeast on
SR8 and spectacular
Palisades Road (CR26) and reaches Lake George further north
in Hague. Ride this best part of SR9N over the Tongue Mountains
and continue to Lake George for lunch (lunch
ideas). After lunch, ride scenic CR4 along Great Sacandaga
Lake before taking some nice local roads back to Cobleskill.
(approx. 6 1/4 hours without stops.
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Ride #4 - This 353 mile ride goes
further north in order to include spectacular
CR2,
CR4,
CR6 Tracy Road (video)
and SR 74. Ride the entire length of Lake George and have lunch
in the town (lunch
ideas). After lunch, ride scenic CR4 along Great Sacandaga
Lake before taking some nice local roads back to Cobleskill.
(approx. 8 1/4 hours without stops.) Dinner on Friday is at 7:30
and dinner on Saturday is at 8:30 so plan accordingly.
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West Adirondacks |
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The West Adirondacks are a
wilderness of Lakes and mountains. This and the Mohawk River
Valley were the ancestral home of the Iroquois. Few roads
penetrate this vast expanse.
SR8 and
SR28 are the main east-west routes.
SR10 and
SR30 are the main north-south routes. This is a great area
to commune with nature and leave your troubles behind.
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Ride #1 - This 212 mile ride travels
north on terrific SR10 to Piseco Lake. Next ride west on SR8 and
SR365 along the Hinckley Reservoir. The route then turns south
for a thrilling ride through
Ilion Gorge (video).
Ride along Lakes
Canadarago and
Otsego on the way to lunch in Cooperstown (lunch
ideas). Finish with some nice back roads to Cobleskill.
(approx. 5 1/4 hours without stops.)
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Ride #2 - This 294 mile ride travels
north on terrific SR10 to Piseco Lake. It continues on SR8 north
past Lake Pleasant to the town of Speculator. Turn north into
the heart of the Adirondacks on scenic SR30 (the "Route 100" of
New York) past Indian Lake. The route then turns west on SR28
and passes
Fulton Chain Lakes to the town of
Old Forge (lunch
ideas). The route then turns south for a thrilling ride
through
Ilion Gorge (video).
Ride along Lakes
Canadarago and
Otsego and pass through Cooperstown. Finish with some nice
back roads to Cobleskill. (approx. 7 hours without stops.)
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The following rides are from the Honda ST forum's yearly Catskills
Trip from 2005-2008. They have kindly allowed us to use them. The
Routes were made by Dave Thompson.
Right-click on the links underneath the images to save PDF files of
the routes. Acrobat Reader will print out nice maps of the routes
(with distances and turns) from the saved files.
The descriptions and mileages go with the NESTOC '05 maps and PDF
files. New NESTOC '06 maps and PDF files show route 3 and 4
variations.
Garmin Mapsource GDB files are given for the latest routes.
Right-click to download these.
Route 1 (189 miles)
This is the shortest route. It is designed for those who want to
stop to see some sights as well as enjoy twisting backroads.
Sights:
(1) Mi 43: Hanford Mill, a 19th century industrial museum, a "must
see" for the mechanically inclined. Ask about a Millwright's
basement tour to see how power was distributed from a 25 HP water
wheel, a steam engine and a gas engine powered Fairbanks Morse
generator (that also served as the village's electrical power source
well into the 20th century) to power a fascinating array of
machinery on the first floor. More at <http://www.hanfordmills.org/>.
(2) Mi 60; (3) Mi 87; (4) Mi 98 & (6) Mi 163: Four historic covered
bridges - including a ride through @ Mi 60, and a stop at the
world's longest in N. Blenheim @ Mi 163.
(4) Mi 144: A side trip to the grave of John Burroughs, 19th century
naturalist and essayist. The view from the hill side across the East
Branch Delaware valley is quietly spectacular.
In between the sights, there's miles of twisting back roads to
entertain the rider, especially the reservoir access road around
Pepacton reservoir - smooth pavement, virtually zero traffic and not
a house, dog or pedestrian for 17 twisting miles.
For lunch, the food is pretty good at the School House restaurant in
Downsville, a nice place to stop just before the Pepacton reservoir.
Route 2 (357 miles)
Rt 2 is 357 miles long, so although it passes through Cooperstown,
there isn't much time for seeing the sights there.
This is a route with the emphasis on SPORT riding, with minimal
respite from the twisties. The detour North is solely to enjoy a
couple of prime routes near Ilion NY. Then, it's on to Downsville,
NY to circumnavigate Pepacton reservoir, continue South and turn
East to cross Catskill Park. Then it's on to the most technical
stretch of pavement you will encounter in the East. Known locally as
the "Goat Trail", this stretch of pavement is a narrow, bumpy and
steep climb up the side of a mountain. Two-up riders should take a
pass on this, as some sections are best traversed "on the pegs".
Continue on to the only marked stop on the route for rest,
refreshment and a 5 state view on a clear day from the Point Lookout
Mountain Inn terrace, <http://www.pointlookoutinn.com/>,
before riding the last 60 mile leg to Cobleskill.
Route 3 (337 miles)
Another SPORT touring ride. This 337 mi route sacrifices the
Northern section in Rt 2 in favor of an extended Southern section.
After circumnavigating Pepacton reservoir, the route leads South to
the most scenic section of NY 97, a cliff-side ride along the
Delaware river before heading North-West via twisting county roads
through the heart of the Catskills to the South shore of Ashokan
reservoir, where the traffic is light to non-existent and the road
is twisting and technical. Then it's North to the "Goat Trail"
described in Rt 2 and on to a rest stop with a 5 state view at the
Point Lookout Mountain Inn. The last leg travels more back roads
through Greene County before turning West to Cobleskill.
Route 4 (292 miles)
If you want to immerse yourself in the charm and beauty of the
Catskills/Leatherstocking area, this is the route to take:
Cooperstown - Baseball and 19th century pioneer museum
Hanford Mills - A peerless 19th century industrial museum that
traces the growth of industrial power from water to electricity and
demonstrates the inventive force that made America grow.
Covered Bridges - Fitches Bridge and Hamden Bridge are both scenic
and rideable. The covered bridge in N Blenheim is the world's
longest, but "pedestrians only"
John Burroughs Memorial - the grave site for one of the great minds
of the 19th century, confidant of Henry Ford & Harvey Firestone,
prolific essayist and naturalist. It's also a wonderful view of the
Delaware Valley
Woodland Valley - Surrounded by some of the highest of the Catskill
Mountains, the park lies in a rugged valley.
Stony Clove - Clove means deep & narrow which describes the terrain
that Rt 214 passes through. Waterfalls should be plentiful.
Kaaterskill Falls - the highest two-tiered waterfall in New York
state. From the parking area, walk down to the bridge. Be cautious
walking along the shoulder of the road.Near the bridge is Bastion
Falls. Continue on the trail (yellow markers) for about 0.5 miles to
the base of Kaaterskill Falls. The water drops 260 feet in two
stages. The first drop is 180 feet while the second is only 80 feet.
Point Lookout Mountain Inn - Good food, Great View.
Howe Caverns - Just outside Cobleskill, but you should allow several
hours if you plan to tour it.
Of course, in between all the sights are the twisting back roads
that riders love and most visitors never see.
Cobbleskill Route 5
Cobleskill Rt5 is similar to NESTOC '06 Rt3, but a little shorter
and it includes some alternate county roads suggested by local
riders that are a little more twisting.
Cobbleskill Route 6
Cobleskill Rt6 is a North loop for those who like riding in the
Adirondacks. At 351 miles, it's a long riding day, reaching into the
best roads in Essex county before returning on an assortment of
twisting back roads that bypass all but the smallest villages. As
per usual in the North country, tar snakes,left over winter sand and
frost heaves w/broken pavement may be encountered on roads that were
pristine before winter.
Cobbleskill Route 7
Cobleskill Rt7 is a clockwise ride on several backroads through
Catskill Park that local riders have recommended. Some sections in
the park are extremely tight and twisting, and one section between
Rt17 and Rt30, though marked as paved, is suspect and may be gravel
for a few miles before returning to Rt30.
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