need help planning a rt. thru the northeast. would like to hit all the states we have never been in(maryland,delaware,rhode island,pennsalvania,conneticut,new york,vermont,new hampshire and maine. want to stay away from the really big cities. we will leave from mn. and for sure be going thru st.ignace mi. must see are Niagara falls. on the return trip we are planing on taking the s.s. badger across lake Michigan.
so take us from Michigan and bring us back to Michigan.

 

Southern OH & into WV will be good. Interstate 68 from Morgantown WV to Cumberland MD is beautiful --- great scenery & hardly any traffic. Start heading north when you get to Cumberland. IMO, anything else in MD, and DE, NJ is Baltimore, D.C., Phila, and NYC traffic. It wouldn't be fun on a bike. For a much nicer ride than getting closer to NYC, work your way to Watertown NY, (almost anything in PA, west of 15 north/south, is a great ride) then through Lake Placid, and into VT via a ferry across Lake Champlain. I'd ride that way & even avoid CT. It's as bad as Jersey when it comes to being NYC suburbs. Also, RI is suburban Boston. I'd stay north, in VT, NH, and ME. On my bike, anyway. You watch, I'll get blasted here, but hey, it's a forum & that's my opinion!

 

The Mowhawk trail (rt 2) across Mass is really pretty and route 1 along the Maine cost is also very scenic although you do go through a lot of small towns, stay away from I 95 untill you get north of Boston.

 

mount washington is worth adding to your list.

 

Rt 7 through Connecticut is a great ride. An hour to an hour and a half end to end. You can pick it up from either New York or Mass. There are several state parks and camping. I 95 through southern New England is a nightmare. Ride safe.

 

Height of the Land in Maine is a neat ride.

 

thanks for the input. i'm not looking specifiably for good rides but rather a complete route. have been thru Virginia and w.Virgina. how about starting a rt. at the Chesapeake bridge? have been across it but did not go north to Maryland. thinking this might be a good place to start? it's tough to try to look for a good route on a map as there is so much stuff in such a small place. i'm counting on you guys familiar with the area. going thru lots of small towns is good. big cities bad. also would like to hit all the states just because. (in some states a wheel across the border counts! thanks again and more help please.

 

I still vote for 68 from Morgantown WV to Cumberland MD. Then 99 north, through Penn State, to 80 east, to 220 north, to 15 north into upstate NY. Then you can map out to Watertown, to Lake Placid, etc. You can hit Niagara Falls on the way home. Go back on a different route. I can help with PA & upstate NY, and will give you more detail & specific route numbers if you want them. Also places to stop & see in PA & NY.

 

I live in Mass so I'll give you a route to touch 6 states and try to keep you out of the city.Good riding and scenery too.

If you cut east through Conn. and pick up 146 in R.I. this will take you to Worcester in Mass. From there you want to pick up 56.Follow 56 to 31. 31 will take you up into NH where you will pick up 101 (not 101a). Follow 101 east all the way to the coast of NH.

This will dump you at Hampton beach.Make sure to stop at Wally's for lunch, very biker friendly.Next hit 1a and head north.This will take you to Maine though you'll need to get on 95 to cross the river.

Once in Maine it's up to you how far you want to go.Personally I'd follow 1a to Portland where you can pick up 202 and start heading south back towards Mass.Follow 202 down to either 9 or back to 101.Either will take you into Vt.

 

If you're doing Niagra Falls, a good ride from there to Mass would be rte 20. (You can skirt around places like Albany). A nice pleasant and easy ride through a ton of small towns and rural areas. You can take Rte 22 north from rte 20, and end up on rte 2 into Mass and then rte 7 into Vermont. When you get to Bennington (a small and nice city) you can head east on Rte 9 into New Hampshire....once you approach Concord NH, you could take 202 into Maine....and depending on how far north you want to go, I'd strongly suggest 1A in Maine. This will approximately follow the coastline and some awesome scenery, riding, and of course the obligatory tourist traps! Good luck, and have a great trip! You could do this whole route back from Maine if you were thinking of hitting Niagra on the way back. AND, if you do end up travelling rte 2 (the Mohawk Trail) in Mass, you can stop and have a cold one or whatever when you go by MY house in Shelburne Falls!