Spending a Week in Northhampton - Need 20-60 Mile Ride Recommendations

[MattTuck]

Looks like I'm going to be down in Northhampton, MA for a week at the end of May. Mornings look open and I'll likely bring the bike. I'll be staying at or near Smith College but will have a car if I need to drive somewhere to begin the ride.

[sandyrs]

Get excited. That's my favorite area to ride. Head toward Southampton and ride Crooked Ledge Rd, Fomer Rd, etc. near the Tighe-Carmody Reservoir. If you want to do some serious climbing, take 202 out to Montgomery Rd in Wyben and turn right at Wyben Chapel onto Montgomery Rd. You'll be riding uphill for 3.5 miles on a fairly quiet road. Take 112 to 66 back for another climb headed back to NoHo.

My girlfriend's family lives in the area and I always relish the opportunity to bring my bike when we visit.

[bcgav]

Great suggestion by sandyrs, that's part of the Great River Ride Route.

Out and back Rte 9 > Day Road > Rte 47 > up Skinner State Park to the summit of Mt. Holyoke is a nice ~20 loop with a great view at the top even when it's hazy ;).

https://www.strava.com/activities/66823769

Avoid the minor detour/wrong turn. You can jump on the rail trail by the Union Station/Depot restaurant, public parking right there.

https://distilleryimage1-a.akamaihd.net/74b8d55cf61b11e2bcee22000aaa0a82_7.jpg

[merlinmurph]

Take a look at the route for the Grand Fundo, Any parts of that you can hit will be great.

http://www.jamcycling.org/grand-fundo/

Note: Why can't I embed URL's, change font, etc???

[nooneline]

Oh goodness.

You're in for a treat.

flat and pleasant. (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/17191)
this was an old standby (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/19405) - you can do a lot more in that western area.
pleasant forests (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/20707) and similar (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/29331).
holyoke range (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/20784).
this is the route for tour of the hilltowns. (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/20789) and quabbin road race (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/27667).
and i used to do this (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/37278)a bunch.

honestly, it's hard to go wrong in that area.

[sandyrs]

Also, note: if you look at Google Maps and are thinking "there are a couple other routes up the same hill in Montgomery that might be quieter. That Pitcher Rd sure looks like it would be a good, quiet climb" then you're having the same thought I once did. That is an absolutely brutal unmaintained road that I had to walk almost all of- on a cyclocross bike with 35mm tires. It is extremely rocky. Avoid!!

[OtayBW]

I used to ride this loop out of Montague (N of Northhampton) through Shelburn Falls. 65 mi rolling to hilly, and starting/stopping at a nice cafe. Shelburn Falls is a pleasant little community with good eats.

http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/index.php?a=cuesheetlibrary
Look up the 'Book Mill Ride - Extended' for a cue sheet.

If you want to go longer, you can circumnavigate the Quabbin.

[MattTuck]

haha, great info to get me started. Thanks.

Sandy, love the local color... will avoid that climb like the plague.

I think I might also try to do a little recon for D2R2, though that appears to be a little further North.

[eippo1]

I used to ride this loop out of Montague (N of Northhampton) through Shelburn Falls. 65 mi rolling to hilly, and starting/stopping at a nice cafe. Shelburn Falls is a pleasant little community with good eats.

http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/index.php?a=cuesheetlibrary
Look up the 'Book Mill Ride - Extended' for a cue sheet.

If you want to go longer, you can circumnavigate the Quabbin.

Done the Bookmill ride as well because I have family in Montague. The Bookmill is also a great place to stop and eat.

[nooneline]

Yup, echoing the Book Mill.

Also Northampton is full of good food. And beer. and coffee.

[shovelhd]

Www.nohobikeclub.com. Weekly rides are listed. Let me know if you can make any of them. If I'm healthy enough I'll join you.

[shovelhd]

Yup, echoing the Book Mill.

Also Northampton is full of good food. And beer. and coffee.

McCladdens. Book the ride home ahead of time.

[tele]

Looks like I'm going to be down in Northhampton, MA for a week at the end of May. Mornings look open and I'll likely bring the bike. I'll be staying at or near Smith College but will have a car if I need to drive somewhere to begin the ride.

Pm me as the dates get closer and I'll see if I can take a day to ride with you...I'm down the Valley about 25 minutes.

[nooneline]

McCladdens. Book the ride home ahead of time.

I was always more of a Dirty Truth kinda guy.

Never needed a ride home - I lived a couple blocks away!

[dumbod]

I was always more of a Dirty Truth kinda guy.

Never needed a ride home - I lived a couple blocks away!

Dirty Truth for beer, across the street to Local for a burger and then up the hill to Harrell's for ice cream. My idea of a perfect evening.

[shovelhd]

Dirty Truth for beer, across the street to Local for a burger and then up the hill to Harrell's for ice cream. My idea of a perfect evening.

Dirty Truth is too snobby for me, plus McCladdens has about 5x the beer choices. All good with Local, the owner is a friend. Harrell's is good ice cream but I prefer GoBerry frozen yogurt. Picking nits though.

[nighthawk]

Dirty Truth is too snobby for me, plus McCladdens has about 5x the beer choices. All good with Local, the owner is a friend. Harrell's is good ice cream but I prefer GoBerry frozen yogurt. Picking nits though.

Also not a fan of Dirty Truth. The beer selection is never super exciting, the food is overpriced, and the place is full of entitled brats. :fight:
McLaddens for beer, Joe's Cafe for food. Shelburne or Wendell for bike rides!

[nighthawk]

PS. I'll send some ride suggestions this weekend when I'm in front of a computer.

[shovelhd]

Joes Cafe. My favorite, hands down. Worth the wait.

[buddybikes]

Get on River road up through Hatfield, want a hill ride up Mt Sugarloaf, but river road all the way up (long plain road also), up to Deefield is f'ing beautiful, farms, river, no cars.

[MattTuck]

Alright, I'm here now.

Got in an eventful ride today. Did Mt. Holyoke, found a museum of children's book art, helped a turtle cross the road. Getting out of Northhampton and crossing the river is kind of a disaster. Construction, lots of traffic. 4 lane bridge with a small sandy shoulder. On my way back across the bridge, this is what you're dealing with. 40-50mph traffic.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zo678bGRaXc/VWXmn8E-VXI/AAAAAAAAHlc/LPNyEKgyHPI/w920-h518-no/IMG_20150527_105217913.jpg


I looked over to my right and saw this.... Yes, that is an entirely different bridge that is a bikeway. DOH! Had to stop and take these pictures.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IXkcCb2SWI0/VWXmb2jquAI/AAAAAAAAHk8/jr8ezArj79k/w920-h518-no/IMG_20150527_105233713.jpg

Other pics from the summit of Mt. Holyoke. I hang my head in shame about that bar tape.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mGXqG9YKHgI/VWXml7IcclI/AAAAAAAAHlU/BtgCCBaHHKA/w920-h518-no/IMG_20150527_093733958.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JCt1k54FtnQ/VWXmeIAwBuI/AAAAAAAAHlE/ep48VR_zYyA/w920-h518-no/IMG_20150527_094119442_HDR.jpg


Ride Link. (https://app.strava.com/activities/312897221)

[shovelhd]

Yup. You're in my hood. Crossing the bridge isn't that big a deal. The shoulder is pretty wide. The rail trail is freshly redone although heavily populated on the weekends.

[nooneline]

Nice.
I love that climb.
and the Eric Carle museum! correction - picture book art, not children's book art!

[MattTuck]

Nice.
I love that climb.
and the Eric Carle museum! correction - picture book art, not children's book art!

I stand corrected.

shovel, I'm a hay seed. Anything more than a lane in each direction and I'm out of my element ;)

[Louis]

I hang my head in shame about that bar tape.

Time for some blue (or red) bar tape?

[shovelhd]

Keep the white bar tape.

[MattTuck]

Time for some blue (or red) bar tape?

Keep the white bar tape.

Keeping it white, just need to get new tape, and get some that is easier to was than this fizik tacky stuff.

[Louis]

I agree that white tape, if semi-clean, would look best.

(I shouldn't talk - my current bars probably have more electrical tape than cork tape to keep it all from falling apart.)

[shovelhd]

Dawn dishwashing liquid and a scrubbing sponge will clean that right up. I use Fizik Performance tape FWIW.