Bear Mountain

[lizbids]

Has anyone biked to Bear Mountain from the NYC area (George Washington Bridge)....

[Pedal Wench]

I've never done it on bike, but I know many folks who have. I believe they take 9W all the way up.

(Don't live there now, but grew up in that area)

[ccnyc]

I have. From the Central Park Boathouse. I took the train back to the city from Cold Spring on the East side of the Hudson. It was a total of 75 miles. I believe riding round trip would be a little over 100 miles. Might be shorter if taking 9W both ways.

Carol

[LadyinWhite]

Is that 9 that crosses the Bear Mtn bridge?

From the bridge to Cold Spring seems like it would be a pretty hairy ride. Narrow winding roads, lots of traffic and lots of areas w/ no shoulders. I have a g/f in CS and I drive it all the time. ccnyc: did you find the road into CS safe?

[lizbids]

Yeah, CCNYC...I had heard somewhere about someone doing this online and saying you needed "advanced" trafficking skills. Most cars don't go above 35mph where I am in Brooklyn, so there is a small part of me that is a little fearful of the trip? Should I be?

[ccnyc]

LadyinWhite:
I believe it is 9 that crosses the Bear Mt. Bridge and goes up to Cold Spring. It was the 2 lane road closest to the Hudson. The traffic wasn't too bad... the drivers behaved themselves. I was riding in a group of about 15 riders so it wasn't really scarey.

lizbids:
The traffic on most of the roads I used didn't go above 35 or 40 mph. They go faster on 9W (45-50 mph) but there are very wide shoulders for most of 9W. Route 9 has skinny or no shoulders. You should have basic skills for riding with all kinds of traffic if you're going to ride on any road.
I ride on these kinds of roads all the time. I hate "in the city" traffic. That's what really scares me. I learned by riding with the NYCC and participating in their Spring training series. Highly recommended.

Carol