Twisty tours, tell us about your favorite Options

[Howard]

Trying to put together a collection of twisty tours from around the country. Please post your favorite showing start and finish points, things to see along the way, good restaurants, places to stay, and photos if you have. Comments, etc.

Please provide the street addresses if you have them. Makes it easier in mapping software.

[Part Pricer]

The 100 Mile Hudson River Bridge Tour
State: New York Length: 100 miles

This is a great scenic drive by any and all standards ... you will love it in the fall especially!!!


Scenery: 5 stars

This drive covers the gorgeous Hudson River Valley crossing many impressive bridges along the way and hugging the river for the most part. The drive starts out in New York City and immediately gets you out of the urban jungle by heading west on Interstate 95 across the George Washington Bridge. The bridge itself is something to see. It spans 3,500 ft across the Hudson River. Then you travel along the wall of cliffs known as the Palisades that follow the Hudson River. The road is called the Palisades Parkway and is a favorite bike road in New York. If you take exit 1 to the Englewood Boat Basin or Exit 2 to the Alpine Boat Basin you can enjoy some picnic areas. Just past Exit 2 MAKE SURE YOU take the off ramp to the State Line Lookout. You’ll get a GREAT view of the river from up there. Continuing up the Parkway towards Bear Mountain the drive gets prettier and prettier. Don’t miss this drive in the fall!!! The rest of the Drive Specializes in riverside drives (many of the drives are positioned along the side of bluffs overlooking the river) and historic and interesting towns.

Road Quality: 5 stars

I give the drive a solid 5 because of its river hugging path that meanders along. At some points the roads seem to suspend you over the Hudson as you drive along sections that are carved out of tall rock bluffs. There are plenty of turns on this drive to keep your cycle leaning to one side or the other.

Roadside Amenities: 3 stars

The first real is to go to Harriman State Park. Make sure you take the road to the mountain’s summit for another great view. To get there take exit 19 to the Seven Lakes Drive and then take the Perkins Memorial drive to the mountain top and start taking photos when you get up there. Harriman State Park is very large and offers all the stuff you’d expect from a top quality state park.

Get back on the Palisade Pkwy heading east (turns into Rte. 6) and cross the Hudson over the beautiful Bear Mountain Bridge then turn north on the Bear Mountain-Beacon Hwy (Rte. 9D). Two and a half miles later you’ll be going through a place called Manitoga (914-424-3812). This is 80-acres of destroyed land that was purchased by a rich man back in the 1940s and he spent the next 30 years restoring it. Today it’s a beautiful garden of nature trails and forests that you can explore. It’s a great example of what man can do to restore destroyed land. The Manitoga nature center is open for visitors and is a very interesting stop you all should consider.

As you approach the town of Cold Spring you will pass some historic riverside mansions. The town of Cold Spring is a pretty little riverside town where you can get off the bike and grab a bite to eat and checkout the town. There is a public gazebo where you can take in the river scenery.

Rte. 9D really hugs the river at times heading north out of Cold Spring. Take it all the way till you get to I-84 and take it back west over the Hudson. Take the very next exit, exit-10 south on Rte. 9W for about 5 miles. Look for Rte. 218 heading southeast to both Storm King State Park and the famous West Point Military Academy. This is where the driving gets fun for a little while!!! 218 becomes the “Storm King Highway” and goes through Storm King State Park. This is one of the best parts of the entire drive as the road is carved into a cliff at points hanging over the Hudson River. A lot of twists and turns here. When you get through the park you’ll be tempted to turn-around and go through that part of the drive again – go for it! If you want to see West Point Military Academy watch for signs or better yet ask a local. West Point has plenty to offer visitors - great tours, an interesting museum and a gift shop. The trick after you leave the military academy is to get to Main Street and head south (this is the slower yet prettier alternative to getting back on 9W south). The road will “turn into” 218 again and you will have some pretty riverside driving. Then it will merge with 9W and you need to get on 9W and take it south.

Take 9W till you get to back to the Palisade Pkwy where you want to head east once again over the Bear Mountain Bridge. Now instead of going northeast like you did before, you want to veer to the right and take “Bear Mountain Bridge Road” (NOT Bear Mountain-Beacon Hwy).

Take Bear Mountain Bridge Road south just about 3-miles and you’ll see signs for Peekskill NY and Rte. 202. You cross a bridge (Lower South St) and hit 202 which eventually turns into Rte. 9 or the Briarcliff Peekskill Pkwy. Take this south till the end of the drive. Along this section of the drive you’ll want to pay attention to some of the impressive homes and mansions you’ll see. The town of Tarrytown has some historic estates owned by famous people. The famous homeowners that I remember was the guy that wrote “Rip Van Winkle” and the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”