Alabama to NY

[beemererik]

I need to go to NY in the near future. I am going to be riding my bike and was looking for some good roads to hit on the way up. I would like to aviod the interstate, but would like to be on roads where I can make some time. Anyone have any good routes up through that area. Probably from AL up through Penn looks like the straightest path.

Thanks,

[R90srider]

Erik

US 72 to I 24 then to Chattanooga is a good way to get started. Unfortunately I 24, a few miles west of Chattanooga and I 75 until you get past the city, has heavy traffic. If you go that way, try to avoid drive times and mid day. There are some good spaghetti roads too, but you couldn't make good time. Past Chattanooga, you can go over to US 411 which is good till you get to Maryville. From there to Knoxville has fairly heavy traffic with heavy traffic in the Knoxville area.

Up near Roanoke you can get the Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline through the Shenandoah to Front Royal (great road). If you have time (controlled speed limits and RV traffic), riding the B R Parkway from US 23 @ Balsam Mountain to Front Royal is a good way NE. Avoid Cherokee because of heavy traffic. Riding that 20 or so miles of the B R to Balsam Mtn. isn't worth it.

Because of heavy truck traffic, try to avoid I 81 if you can. Also, avoid like the plague going through the east coast cities!!!!!!

Other than that, I am not familiar enough with the roads to be of any help.

The quickest direct route is 918 miles from Huntsville to NYC.

Good luck with your adventure and please send some photos road stories.

[dixieoutlaw]

erik,
Where in NY? It is a large state east to west. If going to the western parts I would go a total different way than going to eastern NY. There are some great roads in PA and I probably still have my Garmin routes from when I went through upper NY to Vermont.
Gary

[beemererik]

New York city/New Jersey

[jdubeemer]

Erik,
We came across Pennsylvania on the interstate coming home from the Vermont rally and it was a very scenic ride. Not all interstates are flat and straight like Alabama's.
Jim Dubick

[dixieoutlaw]

Erik,
I would head up through Lynchburg and pick up TN55. Take this through T’homa, Manchester and to Sparta. (There is a road-I believe is TN288 (Old Rock Island Rd) that parallels TN111 to the west. It goes by Rock Island SP and is a nice diversion off of the four-lane TN55/111.) At Sparta pickup US 70 over to Crossville where you get on I40 Take I40 through Knoxville (actually you have to take I640 on a detour around north Knoxville.) After Knoxville, take US11 to New Market, VA. US11 runs parallel and sometimes in conjunction with I40/I81. You can always hop on I81 to get around places like Roanoke or to make up lost time. At New Market pickup US340 and take it to Fredrick, MD then US15 to US30 (this goes through Gettysburg.) Take US 30 over to Lancaster then US222 to I78. Take I78 into the city.
A nice diversion from New Market would be to pickup US211 in Luray and take it over the mountain (very nice ride) to US522 then take this north back to US340. At New Market you could visit the War Between the States Battlefield.
Another alternative is to pick up US220 at Roanoke and take it up to US30.

If time permits on the return, go by Bedford, VA and visit the D-Day Memorial (very nice and some nice roads getting there.) Also may want to hope on the Skyline Drive at Front Royal and ride it a ways back south. Nice ride but really slow.

Let us know which way you went and take some photos.

Gary