Cape Cod - Nantucket - Martha's Vineyard - the perfect summer tour?

teigeman

Thought I'd post some pics from my 2006 solo tour from Provincetown (Northern tip of Cape Cod) to the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard - and back. Don't know if this really qualifies as a 'tour' per se (total mileage was less than 200 miles) but wow... what a bike ride. Great hostels and camping, excellent food, beautiful scenery and beaches literally everwhere. The Cape Cod Rail Trail is a fine example of how bike-specific routes can really add to a trip. It is impeccably maintained, and just plain fun to ride on. Hope you enjoy the photos: http://www.imagestation.com/album/p...l?id=2102700575

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"...Wow! You won't see THAT sitting on the couch!..."

tg

daveornee

Nice pictures. Thank you for sharing. I've been there by boat, but it looks like your idea of shipping your bike & gear to the shop is a good way to go.
Now I wonder if I can talk my wife into this kind of trip. She liked tandeming in Prince Edward Island.

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David Ornee, Western Springs, IL USA

teigeman

Hope you get there one way or another. Lodging is heinously overpriced throughout the Cape, so I'd recommend staying at hostels. All of the hostels on the Cape (and in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard) are really nice, and are located in pristine areas, especially the one in Truro near the northern part of Cape Cod, and the one on Martha's Vineyard. If you need anything when/if you start planning a trip there, just let me know!

Glad you liked the photos!

tg

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"...Wow! You won't see THAT sitting on the couch!..."

tg

daveornee

Things I would find helpful are the name and contact information of the bicycle shop that accepted your shipment, what they did, and what it cost.
Names and contact information of the Hostels, and what they costs.
Were the showers you pictured part of the hostel, or separately charged for?
Can you easily do this ride with just hostels for lodging, and avoiding taking camping gear, or would you miss out on some of the best of experiences?
If you chose to camp instead of hostels would that work too?
Are there trail passes required? Can you do the whole route via trails? Are there any special issues with the trails?
Are connecting times with the ferries a major issue?
Flying to Boston can be expensive; are there other airports that are served by Southwest that are practical? The crowds in the summer seemed quite substantial; were the areas you saw along the trail less busy?

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David Ornee, Western Springs, IL USA

teigeman

I've answered your questions below, I hope my ramblings make sense:


The name and contact information of the bicycle shop that accepted your shipment, what they did, and what it cost.

>>>I shipped my gear, panniers, racks, helmet, shoes, pedals, food, (everything!) to PTown bikes in Provincetown, on the northern tip of the cape. I actually rented a bike from them, too (a Gary Fisher hybrid, I think it was called a Serrano...) They installed the rack and pedals, tensioned the rear wheel, and stored my gear until I got there. Then I just clipped the panniers to the rack and rode away. The bike rental was about $75 for a week, and I don't think they charged me anything for the assembly/stowage. The bike wasn't ideal for touring, but the mileage was low on that trip, and I was looking for convenience over everything, so it worked out. The bike shop is owned by Bill Meadows, and he was my contact there - a really nice fella.
/http://www.ptownbikes.com/


Names and contact information of the Hostels, and what they costs.

>>>>>All contact, booking, and cost information for Hostels on the Cape and the Islands of Nantucket/Martha's Vineyard can be found here: http://www.hostels.com/en/index.html I stayed at the Truro and Martha's Vineyard hostels, and can vouch that they are both well-run and clean, and above all CHEAP. I think I paid $25 per night. Make sure to book well in advance, as these are among the most popular hostels in the country, and are a favorite of visiting Euros, as well as mainlander Bostonians looking for a cheap stay on the Cape. There are hostels in Truro (North) Eastham (mid-cape) and on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. There may be more, but that's all I am aware of. I think there might be one in Provincetown, too, but I believe I read that it was pretty sketchy....

Were the showers you pictured part of the hostel, or separately charged for?

>>>>Yep, those showers were part of the Martha's Vineyard hostel. They also had about four showers indoors, but I chose the outdoor showers every time, they were great!

Can you easily do this ride with just hostels for lodging, and avoiding taking camping gear, or would you miss out on some of the best of experiences?

>>>>You could definitely do this trip using only Hostels, and when I go back that's how I'll do it. Camping was cool, but the hostels are actually located in WAY nicer areas than the Campgrounds. The hostels in Truro and Nantucket are practically on the beach! All have full kitchen facilities, private room options (more $, of course), and other amenities, the hostel on Martha's Vineyard even had high speed Internet access for a couple o bucks. Like with many places up on the Cape, the hostels had no air conditioning. It wasn't a problem evn in late July, but I figured you should know that ahead of time - I don't know how hot it actually gets up there.


If you chose to camp instead of hostels would that work too?

>>>>Yep, there are several parks and commercial campgrounds, and they are pretty well distributed. Nickerson State Park is located in the 'elbow' of the Cape and will probably make your list of camping destinations if you choose to go that route, make sure to book early, as this is one of the most heavily visited State Parks in the world, or so they say. There is even camping somewhere on Martha's Vineyard, but I am not sure where or at what cost. Truly, the hostels are a better deal. You'll spend about the same money on a campsite as you will a hostel, strangely enough. Perhaps with two people you'd come out ahead by camping, but I would consider it carefully.


Are there trail passes required? Can you do the whole route via trails? Are there any special issues with the trails?

>>>>No passes required, and no special issues to report, either. The Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) runs from Wellfleet in the north to Dennis in the south, and they are expanding it all the time - so it may be longer now than it was then. Generally, the roads are also pretty good, with traffic being fairly light while I was there. Info on the CCRT is here: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/ccrt.htm It is not possible to do the whole cape on bike trails, at least not that I am aware of.

My route was Provincetown south to Truro (1st night at Truro Hostel), Truro to Nickerson State Park (2nd night at Nickerson), Nickerson to Nantucket (by way of Harwich Port where I caught the ferry), Nantucket to Martha's Vineyard (3rd, 4th, and 5th nights at MV Hostel), Martha's Vineyard to Hyannis (via ferry from Oak Bluffs, MV), Hyannis to Nickerson St. Park (6th night at Nickerson), Nickerson back to Truro (7th night at Truro hostel again), Truro to Provincetown (8th night in Provincetown hotel). I wouldn't change a single thing about the route, either, it was perfect.

Are connecting times with the ferries a major issue?
>>>Not really. What I did was to plan my trip according to the ferry schedules, and just made sure to be there early to check the bike in and whatever. From the airport, I took a water taxi to the ferry terminal and caught a high speed ferry to Provincetown. I also used a fast ferry from Harwich to Nantucket, another high speed ferry from Nantucket to Martha's Vineyard (MV), a fast ferry from MV to Hyannis, and then - finally- the same high-speed ferry from Provincetown back to Boston. The high speed ferrys aren't cheap ($70 roundtrip per person for the one from BOS to PTown!) but they really save some time, and they are nice! Here's some information on the company that handled the Boston to Provincetown leg: http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/ptown_main.html, and if you intend to visit the islands, you'll also need to research Bay State Cruises, and the Hy Line Ferry company. With a little tinkering, you can put together a pretty seamless experience. Obviously, with this number of boats to catch, the ferrys do play a pretty big role in the overall trip.

Flying to Boston can be expensive; are there other airports that are served by Southwest that are practical?

>>>The only alternatives I know of would be Portland, ME., Providence, RI, Manchester, NH or flying directly into Martha's Vineyard, but in my experience those flights are much more expensive than Boston. FYI... a quick check of Expedia.com reveals that Continental has roundtrip tickets from Phoenix to Boston for about $250! That is a heck of a deal.

The crowds in the summer seemed quite substantial; were the areas you saw along the trail less busy?

>>>Yep, I tried to avoid riding on the roads during weekend days, and arranged my trip to be on the Islands over the weekend. It worked out great! I have heard that September is the ultimate time to visit the cape because everyone leaves and the weather is spectacular. I think next time I'll do 'off season' just to do something different.

Hope this information helps. Do yourself a HUGE favor and take this trip! It was my first tour, and is still the standard by which all shall be judged. Nice people, great food, beautiful beaches, great beer, what else could you ask for?

tg

__________________
"...Wow! You won't see THAT sitting on the couch!..."

tg

daveornee

Thank you for all the detailed information. I know it will come in handy for me. I will try to convince my wife that we need to pack up the S & S Coupled tandem and ship it out there to the shop.
I think we will go for the Hostels based on your information and avoid toting all the camping gear.
As an aside, the last time we flew out NE, we landed in Portland, ME. We road north and ended in Prince Edward Island. I have been on the Cape before and was aware of the trail, but I didn't know how extensive it was or that there were Hostels. My company paid for my lodging, but i was aware of how expensive it was.
Your information is quite encouraging for a reasonably priced trip. Thank you again.

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David Ornee, Western Springs, IL USA

Ken Roberts

Sharon and I rode a couple of days on northern Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard back in June -- and Thanks -- those photos captured all those fine views and pretty towns.

? perfect summer tour ?
Riding around an area near a large body of water is a good idea for avoiding hot days in the height of summer. And including ferry-boat rides with bicycling is undeniably fun.

The shortfall from "perfect" we found is that in between the pretty views and towns are lots of uninteresting miles. Trees followed by trees and more trees like the first trees. Lots of low-key "correct" homes in dull colors. Very few animals.

What would be so wrong with a few buildings with bright red tile roofs? How about some red-painted barns with deep-blue silos? Why do almost all the bright-color-painted houses have to be confined to just one town? How about some horses + cows or llamas along the way? Looking out across the water is nice, but it's even more interesting if you can also see islands or mainland in range.

A fine meal -- but could use some more spicing.

Ken

P.S. For those who like riding on rail trails, I thought the East Bay Bike Path by Providence RI was pretty and interesting.

SunnieG

I didn't get to see those photos. I live along that bike trail and now in 2007 most of it has been repaved and widened. The trail really only goes to Welfleet but 'they' want to stretch it out further to Provincetown without the need to use the highway or backroads. What I like best about the rail trail is the fact that there is always a place to grab a water or use a bathroom if needed. Moreso is that it connects you to the ocean or bay or alongside lakes and ponds. It really is the best and I love it, however in winter when snow comes you see snow mobiles and skiiers out there instead and thus I wish for the warmer mos. again.

erbfarm

Thanks for all the info about your trip. I live in NH and am planning on a Cape ride from tip to tail soon. Can you be more specific about the routes you took? I know the rail trail goes about 22 miles in the central Cape area, but did you take other specific bike trails or if not, what road routes did you ride?


thanks
Maria

SunnieG

I pretty much stay on the path. It is designed for use for cycles/skaters/walkers and even horses so its open to all. That being said, a lot of the more serious cyclers prefer to cycle on the main road. However many of them cycle on the path too and just veer around the walkers (no one seems to walk against traffic on these paths). If you are planning soon then you should be okay on the path as most of the tourist are not around. Staying on the bike path is very nice and esp since they widened it a bit and repaved it. It begins in Dennis and ends in Welfleet but there is a path they map out for cyclist (after Welfleet you need to use the roads) to make their way to Provincetown without using Rt. 6.
The only thing that some people don't like is the constant break in the path. It crosses a lot of roads, so there are a lot of stop signs.
Where are you starting and finishing? Are you a more serious cycler or is this for recreation?

teigeman

Good question, and I'll do my best to give a bit more detail...

I followed Hwy. 6 south out of Provincetown to Truro. The next a.m., I hit 6 again south to Wellfleet where I picked up the CC Rail Trail at it's northern terminus and followed it south through Eastham and on to Nickerson State Park - I think the trail led directly to the state park entrance.

The following a.m., I hit the CC Rail Trail south again for about 10-15 miles until I hit route 124, and followed it south into Harwich Port (via Brooks Road south), where I caught the ferry to Nantucket and ultimately to Martha's Vineyard. Travel on both of the islands was by roads and mixed trails, mostly very good surfaces, especially on MV. Great hostel at MV, too!

After a couple of days on MV, I caught a ferry across to Hyannis and headed east on Main Street and Hwy. 28 through West Yarmouth, South Yarmouth(?) and West Dennis, where I picked up route 134 north, which I followed for a few miles to the CC Rail Trail entrance (Northbound) on the right.

***Alternative: Take back roads off of Main/132-28 - see map, (L)Town Brook to (R) Buck Island Road, etc. - verify with local bike shop prior to committing to this route).


From there I just retraced my steps northward again.

Traffic was not bad at all, but it's probably because I designed my trip to avoid traveling on Cape highways/roads during weekends when traffic is heaviest. I spent the weekend on the islands, and it worked out perfectly!

I called around to local bike shops to 'reality check' my proposed routes, and every one of them were very helpful. Travel on Hwy. 6 south of Orleans was advised against by all, I don't even know if cyclists are allowed on 6 south of a certain point. You might like to just invent your own route, then call local shops in the areas you'll be traveling through to make sure it is a safe/permitted route. Be sure to stick to the CCRT as much as possible though, it is as good as multi-use trails get, and a real pleasure to ride.

Either way, you're going to have a BLAST! Ride safely, and don't forget to smell the roses along the way!

Let me know if you have more Q's!

tg

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"...Wow! You won't see THAT sitting on the couch!..."

tg

erbfarm

Thanks. My friends and I are planning to start near the top of the Cape and ride to Ptown then take the ferry back to Boston and have a family member pick us up and return us to NH. I originally thought the CC rail trail ran from the top of the Cape to Ptown and was a little discouraged to find out that it only goes for 22 miles. So I guess we will have to cobble together our own route and hope we can find some good maps that show smaller backroads and bike trails. Were you able to find a good map?