This is a surprisingly hard topic to research, but I suspect this group has some ideas.
My family (partner and I, plus two kids, ages 14 and 10) are open to going on a weeklong family bike trip this summer, but are trying to figure out where. A rail/canal trail, like the C&O Canal/Great Allegheny Passage, is ideal, but we've done that before and I like the idea of going somewhere new. A few criteria:
* At least 100 miles long.
* A town, with accommodations, restaurants, etc. every 20 to 40 miles.
* No highway riding or otherwise unsafe sections (a big problem for many of the trails I've found; two years ago we planned to ride the P'tit Train du Nord trail in Quebec, but they closed off ~10 miles of the trail for construction and diverted riders to the highway, which meant that we couldn't ride it as a family).
* A bonus if it's connected to mountain bike trails to give my 14-year-old additional places to ride.
* Some support services would be fantastic. (i.e., a company that would move your bags from hotel to hotel, or a shuttle service that would take you to the trailhead)
* Ideally, this would be within a day's drive of Chapel Hill (Midwest or Mid-Atlantic/Northeast is fine; west coast would be more challenging, unless bike rental is also inexpensive (being able to rent a cargo bike would be nice; the 10-year-old bikes, but is not always enthusiastic about it).
I've looked at the Erie Canal in New York, which seems like a good fit, and there are probably other trails that would work. In my research, it's been hard to figure out whether trails are actually complete, or if I'm just looking at a future trail map. Thanks in advance for your help!
My family (partner and I, plus two kids, ages 14 and 10) are open to going on a weeklong family bike trip this summer, but are trying to figure out where. A rail/canal trail, like the C&O Canal/Great Allegheny Passage, is ideal, but we've done that before and I like the idea of going somewhere new. A few criteria:
* At least 100 miles long.
* A town, with accommodations, restaurants, etc. every 20 to 40 miles.
* No highway riding or otherwise unsafe sections (a big problem for many of the trails I've found; two years ago we planned to ride the P'tit Train du Nord trail in Quebec, but they closed off ~10 miles of the trail for construction and diverted riders to the highway, which meant that we couldn't ride it as a family).
* A bonus if it's connected to mountain bike trails to give my 14-year-old additional places to ride.
* Some support services would be fantastic. (i.e., a company that would move your bags from hotel to hotel, or a shuttle service that would take you to the trailhead)
* Ideally, this would be within a day's drive of Chapel Hill (Midwest or Mid-Atlantic/Northeast is fine; west coast would be more challenging, unless bike rental is also inexpensive (being able to rent a cargo bike would be nice; the 10-year-old bikes, but is not always enthusiastic about it).
I've looked at the Erie Canal in New York, which seems like a good fit, and there are probably other trails that would work. In my research, it's been hard to figure out whether trails are actually complete, or if I'm just looking at a future trail map. Thanks in advance for your help!
