Catskill - Delaware River bicycle camping tour
This
tour begins and ends at
Kenneth L Wilson Campground, , 859 Wittenberg
Road, Mt. Tremper, NY . The first day heads
west through the Catskills, the second day follows
the Delaware River to Port Jervis NY, the third
day offers an option of loops along the river
and through High Point State Park, and the fourth
day returns the group to the starting point.
The route is about half on highways with wide
paved shoulders, and the rest is local roads
in good condition with low traffic flow. The
campsites have been chosen based on location,
desired mileage and campground quality. The
average ride distance each day is
approximately 80 miles,
with some options given. The total distance
for this tour is 320 miles, with the option
for a 40-60 mile extra day in the Catskills.
Day 1: Mount Trempor to East Branch, NY.
Heading
west from the campground, you have a choice
of the new or old highway. Wittenberg Road,
Plank Road and Shandage Road are "old Rt. 28"
and are paved and in good condition but with
little or no shoulder. They parallel Rt. 28
(the new road) which has a wide shoulder. You
have several opportunities along the way to
change to the highway. I show a highway version
and a nearby local roads version of this ride.
This area is very remote, and is a mecca for
fishermen. Downsville at the west end of the
Pepacton Reservoir will probably be the last
opportunity to buy food before continuing the
last 11 miles to the campground. Six miles before
Oxbow you have the option of staying at the
Peaceful Valley Campsite in Shinhopple (Downsville),
which gets good reviews but there appear to
be no stores or restaurants nearby.
Oxbow Campsites is at mile 71 (mile 65 highway
version) on Rt. 30 . You will see the large
sign on the left. .
The town of East Branch is 3 miles ahead near the intersection with Route 17. There is probably no grocery store, but it has the Beaver Del a popular local restaurant /motel with a dozen or so camping spots along the river, on the old Route 17, parallel to the new highway. The Yellow House B&B and Buck-Horn Lodge (rustic cabins) are also in East Branch. You may opt to camp at the Beaver Del to have proximity to the restaurant. The nearest large town is Hancock, 11 miles from Oxbow., 8 miles from East Branch, which is on the next day's route.
RWGPS Map A:A mix of local roads and highway. 71 miles with 4000 ft. of climb, a mix of local roads and highway. View local roads -highway route.
RWGPS Map B: All-highway option. Good shoulders., 6 less miles and 600 less ft. of climb., but otherwise the elevation profiles are similar. View all highway route
Note: add approximately 3 miles to these mileages if continuing to East Branch.
Day 2: East Branch to Port Jervis
From
the Oxbow Campsites, continue 3 miles on Rt.
30 and head west on Rt. 17 in East Branch (start
location if staying at Beaver Del or in town)
. Head west 10 miles on a mix of Rt. 17 and
local roads to Hancock (known for its bluestone
and timber) then continue south on New York
Bicycle Route 17 , which is NY Rt. 97. View
more about the bicycle route at
Cycling the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway)
. You will be on this highway the entire distance
to Port Jervis, NY, which was named in 2008
by Budget Travel as the #1 "Coolest Small Town"
and is the southern
gateway to the Delaware Scenic Bikeway.
The
Rockview Valley Campground is just a couple
of miles after town, across the river at 59
River Road , Montague NJ. Phone: (973) 293-3383
The total distance is 85 miles, total elevation
gain 5700 ft., but dropping 500 ft. from the
previous evening's campground. A 5 mile climb
about 10 miles after Hancock
accounts for 1000 ft. of the elevation gain,
after which the road leaves the river several
times with approximately 3 mile climbs with
400 ft. of elevation gain. Another camping
option before Port Jervis is
Kittatinny Canoes and Campground. with 350
camp sites, 21 miles before Port Jervis. All
of the campgrounds along the Delaware river
focus on fishing. RWGPS Map:
View Ride
Day 2 cue sheet
Day 2 map
Day 3:Delaware Water Gap Loop
Today's
ride is a loop that starts and ends at the Rockview
Valley Campground near Port Jervis. You can
leave your camping gear at the site and explore
as much of the
Delaware Water Gap as you wish before returning
to camp through
High Point State Park, which at 1800 ft
elevation is the highest point in New Jersey
and offers some excellent views.
High Point Park Loop Road cycling map . On this route : High Point State Park , 1480 Route 23 Sussex, NJ 07461. Has some nice narrow paved park roads. Camping allowed here but is primitive. Running water and flush toilets, not sure about showers. Group camping has pit toilets only. . Old Mine Rd. continues along Delaware River but ends at interstate, so that section would have to be out and back for extra mileage. Scamp and Rascal Upcountry century tour is similar.
81 mile Delaware River-High Point State Park route (includes some out and back on same road)
58 mile Delaware River -High Point State Park route (fairly similar to 81 but eliminates out and back section)
40 mile Delaware River-High Point State Park route (a bit of the river, then returns through High Point)
Day 4 Port Jervis north to Start Location
Start:
Rockview
Valley Campground 59 River Road Montague,
NJ .
Destination: Starting point, Kenneth L. Wilson Campground . Address: 859 Wittenberg Road, Mt. Tremper, NY 12457
This ride takes a generally straight course back to Kenneth Wilson Campground., starting with a 40 mile stretch of Route 209. An alternative that adds a few miles is Mountain Road (County Routes 35, 73 and 90) for the first 19 miles, in good condition. but with more elevation. The last section of the ride enters the Catskills and circles Ashokan Reservoir before returning to the campground. View this 76 mile ride at RideWithGPS
Shorter option: Port Jervis to Kenneth Wilson Campground. This is an almost identical 65 mile version of the return trip in the 76 mile ride description, with 3300 ft. of climb. The big climb into the Catskills begins at mile 39, with a steep descent at mile 51, then circling the Ashokan Reservoir back to camp. View this 65 mile ride at RideWithGPS .
Extra Rides from Kenneth Wilson Campground
Shown
here are two options for a climbing ride from
the campground in Mount Trempor on highways
that have some shoulder, going around Hunter
Mountain and through Woodstock just before returning
to the campground. Clockwise route gives more
gradual climb and steeper descent.
Catskill Climber, 62 mile version. 4100 ft. of elevation on RWGPS
Catskill Climber, 49 mile version. 3600 ft of elevation. on RWGPS
You may also choose a route heading southeast from the Kenneth Wilson Campground that passes through Kingston and New Paltz, 75 miles with 4600 ft. of elevation Kingston-New Paltz 75 mile loop Source for this ride . another similar ride at Bike Hudson
Route prepared by Gordon Harris, Bike New England. © Gordon Harris 2011
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