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One Half
04-24-2011, 21:44
So in an effort to get more new trail miles covered, instead of hiking in and out on the same section, I am going to try hiking and biking. I will park my bicycle at one end, drive to the start and hike to my bike. When I get there I will get on the bike and take it back to the car. Then I can either car camp :eek: and repeat on a new section the next day or go home if need be. If I do this on a weekend, I can cover more miles, carry much less gear, and if need be hike into a camping area that is only a couple of miles off the road. Instead of covering a 12 mile section (twice) in one weekend I figure I will be able to cover maybe 30 miles over 2 days, even with having to bicylce back to my start point. There may be sections where the bicycling will not be doable for me and I will have to cover those sections in another manner but at least this way I will get to see a little more territory! :D

Has anyone else done this? What problems have you run into? Any advice, thongs I might not be considering?:-?

Cookerhiker
04-24-2011, 21:57
In my AT section-hiking, I've done this in several places listed below. But I recommend you do the biking first because in most cases, the biking is harder than the hiking so you want to get it over with first. So the pattern is leave your car, bike to your starting point, hike to your car, and drive back to pick up your bike.


PA - Cumberland Valley - park in Boiling Springs, bike to Rt. 944, hike back to Boiling Springs.
PA - Rt. 225 north of Duncannon to Rt. 325. Park in the lot at 225, bike to AT crossing at 325, hike back.
VA - Roller Coaster - Park at Snickers Gap, bike via Rt. 600 to Ashby Gap/Rt/ 50, hike back.
CT - northernmost part - park at trailhead for Paradise Lane Trail, bike to US Rt. 44 crossing, hike north over Bear Mountain, return to car via Undermountain Trail.
CT/NY - Park at AT crossing of Rt. 55 in Ct, bike to AT crossing on Rt. 22 in NY, hike back to car.
One I haven't done but sounds feasible is to park at Gathland SP in MD, bike south to Weverton parking lot, and hike north back to Gathland.

Have fun!

max patch
04-24-2011, 21:58
I'd do the bike part first when you are still fresh AND you are assured of biking in the daylite.

Benjamin Bio
04-24-2011, 22:00
Has anyone else done this? What problems have you run into? Any advice, thongs I might not be considering?:-?

I think it's a great idea, one I would definitely consider myself.

But I definitely had no thongs in consideration hah! Oh how it sucks that one can not edit!

Anyway more seriously, I see little issue except perhaps like you pointed out the accessibility/bike friendliness of the road that would connect the trailheads and also, I have never biked with by hiking bag (although just a day bag would probably pose little issue.)

WingedMonkey
04-24-2011, 22:01
I've done it a lot. Even got a backpack that fits on my back rack like a pannier, it's not really good for long hiking miles but good for a day or two. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_170877_-1_202688_10000_202379
Fixed my handlebar bag to either go on the pack or use as a fanny pack.
Get a good cable lock with enough length to go around trees or around post and both wheels. Or remove front wheel and lack to rear. I prefer a set your own combination type cause I loose keys.

Cookerhiker
04-24-2011, 22:07
...Oh how it sucks that one can not edit!...

One can edit - here's how (http://www.whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=donating_member).

Benjamin Bio
04-24-2011, 22:10
One can edit - here's how (http://www.whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=donating_member).

Fair enough :)

One Half
04-25-2011, 09:23
I'd do the bike part first when you are still fresh AND you are assured of biking in the daylite.


I thought about that too and I agree. Also, if my bike were to be damaged by some punk and I needed it at the end of my hike I would be screwed! By biking first I am assured of a ride at the end of the trail section when I get to my car.

burger
04-25-2011, 10:09
For you hiker-bikers, what do you do with your bike when you leave it at a trailhead? Do you hide it someplace? Lock it up in plain view? Most of my backpacking is in well-populated areas, and I'd hate to have a bike stolen.

garlic08
04-25-2011, 11:03
I don't section hike with my bike, but I several times a week I cycle to local trailheads and day hike in urban parks. If I can hide my bike, I do that. Either way, I lock it. I don't leave anything of value on or with the bike, including packs, odometer, water bottles. It's not a very valuable bike, either.

I have also cycled overnight with my backpacking gear into more remote areas for multi-day hiking trips. What a great way to reduce impact and cost.

On the other end of the spectrum, I met a couple in Pearisburg on my AT thru who had driven a car from the West Coast, purchased another car in GA, and were hiking the AT with daily car shuttles. Two people driving two cars the entire summer. They looked frazzled from all the driving, and I probably couldn't imagine their trip budget. Gas was about $4 a gallon that summer. The actual hiking was probably a secondary consideration with all their logistics.

garlic08
04-25-2011, 11:08
By the way, good luck with your plan. It's different and that's good.

Last summer I took a five-day trip on my bike from Prescott, AZ up to Mt Humphreys north of Flagstaff. I worked two days on an AZT crew, then backpacked to the summit of Humphreys, and cycled back in a loop through Sedona. It was a dream trip and after filling my food bag from the kitchen and with leftovers from the trail crew meals, the only expense I had on the trip was a $5 sandwich at Subway, sitting out a thunderstorm in Flagstaff. Five days for five dollars!

cthiker
04-25-2011, 12:38
I've done the bike/hike thing the past three weekends on the AT in CT/MA. It's worked pretty well. Here is what I did: Drive to the starting trailhead, leave my backpack and bike chain/lock a couple hundred yards off the road in the bushes. Drive to the end trailhead. Bike to the starting trailhead without having to deal with any gear. Lock the bike to a tree somewhere off the road where it's not visible from the road or the trail. I would also agree that biking the first day in the morning is the way to go. Also bring gloves for the bike ride - I didn't think I would need them for the hiking, but my hands can get very cold biking in the early morning.



So in an effort to get more new trail miles covered, instead of hiking in and out on the same section, I am going to try hiking and biking. I will park my bicycle at one end, drive to the start and hike to my bike. When I get there I will get on the bike and take it back to the car. Then I can either car camp :eek: and repeat on a new section the next day or go home if need be. If I do this on a weekend, I can cover more miles, carry much less gear, and if need be hike into a camping area that is only a couple of miles off the road. Instead of covering a 12 mile section (twice) in one weekend I figure I will be able to cover maybe 30 miles over 2 days, even with having to bicylce back to my start point. There may be sections where the bicycling will not be doable for me and I will have to cover those sections in another manner but at least this way I will get to see a little more territory! :D

Has anyone else done this? What problems have you run into? Any advice, thongs I might not be considering?:-?

Driver8
04-25-2011, 14:18
So in an effort to get more new trail miles covered, instead of hiking in and out on the same section, I am going to try hiking and biking. I will park my bicycle at one end, drive to the start and hike to my bike. When I get there I will get on the bike and take it back to the car.

I'll be doing this when I solo this year, now that it's gotten warm enough to bike. I think the key is to make sure the biking route is safe and relatively level.


CT - northernmost part - park at trailhead for Paradise Lane Trail, bike to US Rt. 44 crossing, hike north over Bear Mountain, return to car via Undermountain Trail.

Thanks for your helpful suggestions, Cooker. I'll give the CT/NY one a try, and I can vouch that the northern CT one would work well, with one correction:

It's the Undermountain trailhead on Rt. 41 that you park at. Paradise Lane's two ends are both in the woods - at Undermountain Trail on its south side, at the AT near the CT/MA line north of Bear Mtn on its northern end. So the hike would proceed up the AT from 44 or 41 over Bear Mtn, rightward (east and southeast) on Paradise Lane Trail and then back down to the bike on Rt. 41. About a 9 or 10 mile hike depending on where you start, and a 3-4 mile bike ride. You can park on Rt. 44 roadside, no lot, or more securely near the Plateau Campsite where AT crosses 41.

Cookerhiker
04-25-2011, 16:06
I'll be doing this when I solo this year, now that it's gotten warm enough to bike. I think the key is to make sure the biking route is safe and relatively level.



Thanks for your helpful suggestions, Cooker. I'll give the CT/NY one a try, and I can vouch that the northern CT one would work well, with one correction:

It's the Undermountain trailhead on Rt. 41 that you park at. Paradise Lane's two ends are both in the woods - at Undermountain Trail on its south side, at the AT near the CT/MA line north of Bear Mtn on its northern end. So the hike would proceed up the AT from 44 or 41 over Bear Mtn, rightward (east and southeast) on Paradise Lane Trail and then back down to the bike on Rt. 41. About a 9 or 10 mile hike depending on where you start, and a 3-4 mile bike ride. You can park on Rt. 44 roadside, no lot, or more securely near the Plateau Campsite where AT crosses 41.

Thanks for the correction. I got the 2 trails mixed up.

BTW, I had come prepared to bike-hike all of CT in a series of day-hikes while base-camping at Housatonic Meadows SP, but decided that Rt. 7 wasn't safe for biking so I thumbed instead.

Driver8
04-25-2011, 16:18
BTW, I had come prepared to bike-hike all of CT in a series of day-hikes while base-camping at Housatonic Meadows SP, but decided that Rt. 7 wasn't safe for biking so I thumbed instead.

Some impatient drivers wish Rt. 7 were an interstate and drive awfully fast on it. I thought of doing a hike and bike from Great Falls to Salisbury recently but decided against b/c Rt. 44 is pretty steep and hilly out of Salisbury. May also not be the safest road for reasons similar to Rt. 7. I am thinking of a hike-and-bike in Kent and possibly into Sharon for the section north of 341.

Driver8
04-25-2011, 17:04
Another possible day bike-and-hike straddles the CT/MA border. You can park car/bike at CT/MA line and take Northwest Road Trail to the AT at north base of Bear Mtn and hike north through Sages over Race and Everett to car/bike parked at either Guilder Pond picnic area or on Mt. Everett Road, outside the gates near East Street. From there it's about 4 miles back to place of beginning, relatively level and well kept, paved half the way, well-kept gravel road the rest. The hike is about 8 miles, more strenuous NOBO than SOBO since ascending Everett from the south is quite steep.

Also there are 41-to-41 hikes or thereabouts, starting in Salisbury at AT/41 and finishing at Jug End Road, Elbow Trailhead behind Berkshire School off 41 or Race Brook Falls Trailhead right on 41. From Jug End, one could extend the hike NOBO into Sheffield across the valley. Past that, the terrain starts to get steeper. Come to think of it, a Great Falls or Falls Village to Sheffield hike-and-bike could be a fun backpack for two or three days covering about 20 miles of trail.

Bearpaw
04-25-2011, 18:42
It's definitely doable in many areas. I hiked the North-South Trail at Land Between the Lakes (62 miles on the TN/KY border) a few years ago. I hiked 4 days then bicycled the 50 mile road to my truck the 5th day.

I also walked the Neusiok Trail in NC's Croatan National Forest the same way. I've biked from one trailhead to another in Mammoth Cave National Park many times. I've biked then dayhiked a handful of other areas as well.

My procedure? I bike to the area, find the best spot to hide the bike using natural terrain, then I cable lock the bike to a tree, cover the whole shebang in a camoflage military issue poncho, and cover it all in whatever brush or leaves provide the most natural looking mound. I doubt the bike has ever actually been noticed, and if it has, it has never been bothered.

One Half
04-25-2011, 22:58
I think we will be biking from Jug End Rd north to MA 23 &MA 57 (the northern part of Section 8) and then hiking SOBO back to Jug End rd. We will drive out the night before (it's almost 3 hours) bike and hike and then drive home on Saturday.