Favourite roads in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Favourite roads in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine?

shanekingsley

Curry - so nice it burns you twice
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I have an opportunity to ride the northeastern states and was wondering if any of you had any suggestions for excellent twisty or scenic roads to hit up. The more twisty the better. I've never been to any of these states before.

Cheers!
 
Hey Shane

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?184025-Laconia-NH-June-2014


Ive been in this area a couple times
In NH #11 - 28 - 109 - 25 - 113 up to 16 is a great run.
Gorham has some great mom and pops to stay at.
Also the ride up to Mt Washington is a must.

#4 from Whitehall NY to Danbury NH then #104 to Maredith NH.
There's a great roadside restaurant on 104

I did #100 from Newport VT to North Adams MA.
Great ride but the road was in horrible shape....lots of frost heave
Maybe they have fixed it?

Also I have done #3 all across NY and #2 all across NH and ME
Not near as twisty as NC but still a fine ride.

If you care...theres Tim Hortons in Newport ME and Bangor ME :)
 
I assume you've done Whiteface in the Lake Placid area enroute there?? If not - certainly worthwhile.

If you go across into Vermont via the bridge - excellent food and coffee in Bristol - Bakery and Cafe...amazing chicken pot pie -
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and the roads around the Mad River are scenic and twisty ....some very rough tho. I think a combination of some severe flooding and last year's harsh winter beat them up badly.

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Try the Kancamagus Highway. It's it great shape, beautiful views and lovely twisties.

If riding the Champlain bridge into Vermont, try NY route 4 as a shortcut, it's a backwoods Southwood Road feel to it.

On the Vermont side VT 17 up and over Camel's Hump State Park.

Vermont route 302 into New Hampshire is fun as well.

Coastal route 1 in Maine is a blast, but slow and regulated near the coastal towns, it's faster and more fun the further north you are.

Maine Route 9 is fast with plenty of sweepers and hills until you get closer to the coast and Calais.

Vermont Route 100 is beautiful, but as said earlier, parts of it are busted up and caution needs to be exercised. A touring pace, not a racing pace.
 
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Day 1 of my trip from August of this year.

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Day 2. Ignore the interstate part, I was in a hurry. Lol.
 
VT: 116,17,125,100,108,9,30 south of Lake Bomoseen,73 between 7 and 12,105.
NH: 123,31,127,77,118 between 25 and I93, 112,113,109,16,116,117,302,16 incl. Mount Washington Auto Route.
Just got back from there two weeks ago.....all roads are horrible, destroyed by severe flooding and frost heave!
I knew roads were bad from some local riders on Concours forum, but when the weather forecast worsened over Ohio and Virginias, we've decided to ride East instead! I won't be going back there anytime soon...
 
^^ I was checking that website out - it's pretty nice.

Thanks to all for the suggestions - I'm going to head out that way early October and then ride down to Deals Gap again. I was thinking about staying longer in the northeast, but I'm not interested in riding on bad quality pavement when the roads in the Smokies are smooth as glass.
 
That's good to hear. :D Half a day away..

Talked to a Canadian couple on FJs that were touring the North East and heading home.
Asked about bad roads but they said they didn't notice but they may not have been trawling the twists.
 
I rode from T.O. to Portland Maine this summer and I didn't notice all these bad roads mentioned. The only bad roads there I can think of are in Vermont. 100 is bumpy and some of the mountain roads between Lake Champlain and 100 are a piece of ****. I found New Hampshire and Maine roads to be ok.
 
I need to arrive in Bethel, Maine by 4pm on a Friday afternoon. My initial thought was to leave Friday very early morning (3-4am) and then maybe I could do it. Also thinking about leaving Thursday night so I could have a bit more time and not feel as rushed. My route to Maine that I have plotted is just over 14 hours and I prefer to make it more by adding in a few more twisty roads, especially if I left Thursday afternoon. http://goo.gl/maps/FGAHp I also don't see how I could leave Mississauga Friday morning around 4am, and do this route, and arrive in Maine by 4pm:(

I also want to ride through the Adirondacks on my way there, as I have not been through there before. So, I am currently looking at the Wolfe Island Ferry as a border crossing - what are some other crossings that would be relatively quick either around 8pm (Thursday night) or 8am (Friday morning)?

Any suggestions as a cheap motel to stay that I can get to after crossing the border, if I left Thursday afternoon? All I need is a warm bed, because I would be arriving after 8pm and on the road very early the next morning.

Thanks!
 
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Hey Shane.
I stayed in Tupper Lake at

http://www.shaheensmotel.com/

nice place and i think it was only $80 or $90

I also crossed the border at Kingston taking the 2 ferry's to Wolfe Island.
Its nice and quick and cheap and a fast way into the USA
 
Shane, Google 'Smokin' Good Bbq' in Bethel Maine. The Orange trailer opposite the new gas station on the North East side of Bethel. Omg awesome beef brisket! Corn bread and baked beans!

I leave at 6 am and can make Bethel near 6pm or a bit later, and I have a habit of crossing at Ganonoque, then through Lake Placid etc.
Bethel used to be cheaper for motels, but the one I stayed at a couple of years ago jacked the rates by $40 and led me to Moto camp on my way out this year.

In August, the roads were not that busted up for long travel suspension like ours, and I was riding with a dog on the tank, so I'm certain you can beat my pace.

You can ride north of Burlington Vermont and shoot down through Smugglers Notch, a wee bit of fun before Stowe, then further down VT100. As said, it has pressure ridges and some heaves, which meant I rode it at 10mph over posted.

Kancamagus takes you a bit too far south into Conway NH, and you'd have to scoot up North for Bethel.

Have you considered a speed run to Sherbrooke QC and south from there? Hitting those roads before sunset on my KLR was joyful!

I hope to get a ride report out of the trip.

Oh, go what it's worth, Farmington ME has a good number of hotels and it's long been a halfway point for me to and from PEI.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys. For places to crash, I'm looking for even cheaper than $80 if I can find it. Ideally between $40-50, but I know that will be difficult. I will have all my camping gear, so I can pitch a tent where needed. I want to go backpacking abroad in November, so money will be tight on this whole trip!

I will definitely leave Thursday night to cover some ground. Originally, I thought about crossing in Quebec to save time, but would rather hit up the Lake Placid area as I have never been through there.
The goal is to stay of the major highways as much as possible. Trying to get from Maine down to Deals Gap in less than a 2 days ride while staying off interstates will be a challenge.

I've also never crossed at Gananoque. I've read that the wait times at the 1000 islands crossing can be long at times (just on long weekends?), but I hope I'm right in assuming that crossing there on a weekday around 7pm shouldn't be too bad.

In Bethel, I'm staying at the Grafton Notch Campground with about 30 other V-Strom riders - many of whom are form the area. As for the BBQ suggestion in Bethel, thanks, but I gave up eating meat many years ago - but I like corn bread and baked beans:)

Thanks for all the tips - they certainly come in handy.
 
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Thanks for the suggestions guys. For places to crash, I'm looking for even cheaper than $80 if I can find it. Ideally between $40-50, but I know that will be difficult. I will have all my camping gear, so I can pitch a tent where needed. I want to go backpacking abroad in November, so money will be tight on this whole trip!

I will definitely leave Thursday night to cover some ground. Originally, I thought about crossing in Quebec to save time, but would rather hit up the Lake Placid area as I have never been through there.
The goal is to stay of the major highways as much as possible. Trying to get from Maine down to Deals Gap in less than a 2 days ride while staying off interstates will be a challenge.

I've also never crossed at Gananoque. I've read that the wait times at the 1000 islands crossing can be long at times (just on long weekends?), but I hope I'm right in assuming that crossing there on a weekday around 7pm shouldn't be too bad.

In Bethel, I'm staying at the Grafton Notch Campground with about 30 other V-Strom riders - many of whom are form the area. As for the BBQ suggestion in Bethel, thanks, but I gave up eating meat many years ago - but I like corn bread and baked beans:)

Thanks for all the tips - they certainly come in handy.
In that case, visit the Good Food store in the same parking lot. Vegetarian and health food store. :D

Yep, the Ganonoque on a long weekend was packed!!

I did a u turn and did Mallorytown instead!

Usually off peak at Ganonoque is a ten to fifteen minute wait. Lol.
 
I've also never crossed at Gananoque. I've read that the wait times at the 1000 islands crossing can be long at times (just on long weekends?), but I hope I'm right in assuming that crossing there on a weekday around 7pm shouldn't be too bad.

Never had much of a wait. I've always wondered if Ogdensburg is a faster route.

This comes up for me at $72 Cdn with breakfast and available

Spruce Lodge Bed & Breakfast & Guest Cottage Lake Placid

6034 Sentinel Road, Lake Placid, NY, United States of America


Doing the run up Whiteface is fun - chilly at the top.

If you are crossing at 7pm - there are some cheap motels just across the bridge on the St Lawrence.
We stayed there - was okay.

Watertown the Rainbow Motel comes up at $55 Cdn for Thursday

http://www.booking.com/searchresults.en-us.html?aid=356283;label=sppctrip-hotel-259216_xqdz-2a66eca10c2f455601da7dbf70e9743c_pool-com_slice-99999;sid=8fa771d729433c215127cc15eaa5015c;dcid=1;checkin=2014-09-18;checkout=2014-09-19;dest_id=20090397;dest_type=city;do_availability_check=on;highlighted_hotels=259216;sa=hp&utm_campaign=US&utm_content=DMeta&utm_medium=SPPC&utm_source=tripad&utm_term=hotel-259216


No idea how you are getting to deals without the slab in two days..you know the days ARE getting shorter....you deer proof ? :D
 
Thx for the Watertown link. That might work, though I'd prefer to be a bit further east if possible.

Asides from that, I'm not sure how I will get there in two days while minimizing slab, but I do take very short breaks and can ride 400km between fill-ups or stopping. I don't mind seeing deer in the morning, but definitely not at night when I'm tired after a long day. I think this year I will stay at the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground which is over an hour closer, not too far from Asheville NC. I might even not go as far as the Smokies and just stay in Cherokee and Pisgah Forests and explore those areas. I have no idea - I'm just trying to figure stuff out over the next week or two.

Maybe I'll take 3 easy days to get there and only stay down there one day and then take 2 -3 days to get home. I have a max 10 days for this trip, but would like to get it done in 8 with having 2 days to be flexible with.
 
Ogdensberg is quicker but puts you in a place where it's not too interesting unless you backtrack west a bit to head to Lake Placid. The ferry from Wolf Island to Cape Vincent doesn't run too late so watch the times. Also, occasionally that US ferry kind of runs on it's own schedule. It's still a neat way to cross and way less hassle than the Thousand Islands but total time taken will be about the same as the ride to Gan from Kingston and crossing there at times. Crossing at Cornwall is also a possibility and that's a good one if you want skip the Lake Placid area and want to head straight into Vermont. Personally though I like crossing via the ferry to Cape Vincent and then taking the road right alongside Fort Drum towards the Lake Placid area which is really neat. That place (Fort Drum) is massive and you might see activity from the air base there and tons of armoured stuff driving around.
 

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