I'm thinking about a quick 4 day trip down to the White Mountains this summer from Halifax, Nova Scotia. I'll be on an SV1000 so I'm looking for the some nice paved and relatively smooth roads. It's a days ride each way so I'll only have two full days in the area. Ideally I'm looking to do as much mountain/narrow/twisty road riding as possible. I spent a week riding in the Alps last fall and really need a mountain fix again! I know I'm not going to find that level of mind-blowing roads around here but I've been to the White Mountains a couple times (without my bike) and it's a beautiful region. The closest thing we have to a mountain road in NS is the Cabot Trail but that's only one road and it can be covered in a few hours so I'm heading south. Can anyone recommend some of the better roads in the general area including the ride through Maine?
The Cabot Trail is a better overall road than what you'll find in NH -- but there's certainly a lot of good riding in NH as well. Some good choices: - Kancamagus Highway (Rt 112 between Lincoln and Conway; the portion of 112 west of Lincoln is actually good too, but it's not called the Kancamagus Highway there) - Hurricane Mountain Road (east of North Conway) - Bear Notch Rd between Rt 302 and the Kanc - Rt 113 between Fryeburg, ME, and Rt 2 (crisscrosses border between NH and ME) - Rt 145 between Pittsburg and Colebrook - Rt 26 through Dixville Notch Coming through Maine, I recommend Rt 16 past Rangeley Lake. --mark
Sounds like you want entertainment as you put Maine behind you. In western Maine there are too many great roads for me to suggest a few. markbvt suggested a great area. For eastern Maine there are 3 main options which are (from south to north): US1, ME9, and ME6. US1 is coastal and scenic but has traffic. You also have to jog south to get to it then past Bucksport you'd use a slew of different 3-digit roads to wend westward. There are some east-west roads between US1 and ME9, but nothing contiguous. You'd have to jog north and south to use them. ME9 is efficient. There are new sections with straighter pavement and passing lanes and older sections with more curves and hills. There is one main east-west road between 9 and 6, the Studmill Road, which is gravel. You may or may not need an ATV sticker to use it and the entire length of it may or may not be motorcycle legal depending on how you read the signs. (It's a private road but the companies allow some private use.) ME6 also has straight and curved sections, Only tiny settlements between the border and the string of towns north of Bangor. This leads toward the highest mountains and ME 16 which markbvt suggested. If you stay coastal in NB, then ME9 may make sense. If you go farther from the coast in NB then ME6 will lead you more directly toward the higher mountains. While I like eastern Maine, the "through roads" are not as enjoyable as those in western Maine. There is plenty of fun, but it won't get you anywhere. In western Maine, the network of roads is more dense and entertaining roads go places. I'd stay off of US2 until you need to use it -- it has some nice sections, but has been much "improved" (straightened) and therefore has more traffic.
Thanks for the suggestions guys, this will help in planning my routes. I don't nessicarily want to blast through Maine and spend all my time in NH...just looking for the best roads. If I find lots of good roads in ME I may not venture much further. I'm already familiar with what the White Mountains have to offer so I figured that area would be a good base. I'll probably stay away from the coast as there's plenty of good coastal riding in NS but not much mountain-type riding. It's been a long winter and I'm looking forward to getting out for a road trip, come on spring!!
Given what you're looking for, it might make sense to venture into northern Vermont too. Lots of good riding and some awesome views in the northern Green Mountains. Also, if you're based at a campground or motel in NH, it's an easy day ride to cover some good NH roads, do a loop into Vermont, and get back to your accommodations for the night. I live in northwestern Vermont and do day rides pretty often all the way through NH and into western Maine. --mark
Markbvt: I was thinking of working Vermont into one of my day rides. I've never been to the State so I'd like to check it out. Can you recommend a particular road or area to try? I'm just looking at Google Maps/Streetview...Vermont 17 near Mt Ellen looks pretty fun.
And once tru VT you arent too far from the Adirondaks... And that is how my trip originaly planned for San Francisco ended up in Mexico...
Rt 140 out of Poultney VT is my new favorite. Nice and twisty, great views. It's my corridor road to NY. Lots of good mountain roads in southwest NH. I'm not sure if there will be anything left that's smooth by the time this winter is over though.
Just took a quick "virtual ride" on Google Street View...good pick. I hear ya. The roads around here are the worst I've ever seen them...It's been an extra shitty winter. I think I'll be missing the long suspenders on my old Ulysses when Spring finally hits. The SV is set up on the stiff side and does not take kindly to large potholes.
Contact Eric at MotoVermont - he's a great guy and knows New England like the back of his hand - he'll turn you on to the best!
That would be the Appalachian Gap. I'd actually skip that at this point -- the pavement is in appalling condition. It used to be the local sportbike road, and on any given Saturday or Sunday you could find people sessioning it, just going back and forth, but meantime the pavement has deteriorated badly. Cracks have opened up that could swallow a front wheel if you're not careful. I avoid it these days except as a connector between Rt 100 and Rt 116, and then I take it easy. Rt 125 (Middlebury Gap) is in much better shape, and also offers some nice twisties. Some other fun roads in northern Vermont: - Rt 114 from the Canadian border to Lyndonville - Rt 5A past Lake Willoughby - Rt 16 between Barton and Hardwick - Rt 58 between Rt 5A and Lowell (this road isn't very twisty but is very scenic -- scenery is better westbound) - Rt 242 past Jay Peak (was in terrible shape but was being repaved last year) - Rt 108 between Stowe and Jeffersonville - Rt 14 between Hardwick and Plainfield - Rt 232 between Marshfield and Groton - Rt 110 between East Barre and South Royalton - Camp Brook Road (Rochester Gap) between Rt 12/Bethel and Rt 100/Rochester Yeah, Eric's a friend of mine. Great guy, and especially if you want to ride dirt, he's a wealth of knowledge. --mark
Thanks for all the info everyone...that should be enough to string together a loose plan. Now to see about taking 5 days instead of 4...
Looks like you know the area pretty well. Do you have any double tracks to recommend in northern VT? Thanks
Good idea. :) That gets tricky. Vermont does not have any public offroad riding areas, just dirt roads. Half of the state's road mileage is unpaved; most of that is Class 3 (maintained and graded). The Class 4 (unmaintained) roads are what you'd be looking for -- these can range in quality from easily passable to completely impassable. The way to find them is to examine Vermont town maps; the drawback is that Class 4 roads tend to be short and out of the way and often don't connect to anything, so planning a loop to ride can be difficult. Plus you may find when you get to one of them that it's unrideable. Your best bet is doing something like the Bayley Hazen Military Road, the current route of which is still mostly dirt. The vast majority of it is Class 3, though there are a couple of short Class 4 sections, plus a longer "hero section" that I believe isn't even considered a Class 4 road anymore. (Word of advice: avoid the hero section if it's been raining a lot recently unless you enjoy falling over in the mud.) Eric from MotoVermont is super knowledgeable about northern Vermont's dirt roads; he has some good routes worked out for his customers. You might try contacting him to see what he suggests. --mark
