We started early in the morning in Queens and biked into Manhattan through Queensboro Bridge, going straight into Central Park. Central Park is such a joy to bike through in the morning when there’s not a lot of foot traffic. We then made our way through Harlem and got our bikes down to the station at Marble Hill in the Bronx.
The reason we decided to take this train is because there are a lot of towns near NYC that have heavy traffic. It’s just not fun riding. So we took a short Metro-North ride along the Hudson Line — Yonkers, Tarrytown, Peekskill, Beacon, and then Poughkeepsie.
Leaving the city behind, the Hudson River becomes the guiding line north through towns and surprisingly well-equipped rail trails.
New York’s somewhat underwhelming capital city. Took a break to eat lunch and explore the New York State Capitol. It’s definitely worth a stop to check out the French Renaissance style building and the intricate staircase inside.
The section leading up to Lake George was quite scenic, but as we got closer to Lake George, the traffic became unbearable. No shoulder to bike on, steep hills, and lots of angry overweight F150 owners unwilling to share the road. This was the least fun part of the trip.
Taking the ferry from Ticonderoga was fun, and the difference it made when we crossed over into Vermont was stark. There was way less traffic, much more farmland, and way friendlier people. Vermont’s quiet backroads, rolling hills, and small towns were an absolute joy.
Burlington is a small city with bike paths along the waterfront and views of the Adirondacks across the lake. The Island Line trail just north of Burlington was the absolute highlight of the trip.
The border crossing was seamless and easy. We made it to Quebec! Bonjour!
Not that long after we crossed the border, we were on the outskirts of Montreal. Montreal has outstanding bike infrastructure–probably the best in North America.