Garnering the distinction of a bike-friendly coastal town in the Northeast  is  no easy feat. Roads along the New England coast are narrow with little to no shoulder let alone bike lanes and can get quite congested in the summer months. Rail trails are generally found more inland and don’t end on the shores of the Atlantic. However, a few areas along the coast are overcoming the challenges of the topography and making cycling a priority for bike commuters, bike adventurers, and beach goers who would like to ditch the car. With the bike-friendly success of the following areas, hopefully other coastal towns will be inspired to increase cycling awareness and initiatives.

Bike Trail In Newburyport

Salisbury/Newburyport, Massachusetts

Salisbury offers three coastal trails that provide links within the Coast Trails Coalition, a community organization advocating the development and use of the Coastal Trails Network. This network of trails is an emerging 30-mile public system of bicycle and pedestrian trails linking the coastal communities of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury. Newburyport can be accessed via the MBTA, Boston’s commuter rail, where cyclists can ride on the Clipper City Rail Trail then cross the Merrimack River into Salisbury.

Salisbury Beach, MA

Want to ride your bike directly to the beach? In Salisbury, bike lanes are provided on Beach Road which ends at Salisbury Beach State Reservation. This state managed beach (cyclists can avoid the $9 parking fee) is one of the cleanest and most popular beaches in Massachusetts, offering swimming, boating, camping, fishing, and boardwalk amusements. For a more tranquil and less crowded beach without as many amenities, Plum Island Beach can be reached by bicycle heading from Newburyport on the Newburyport to Plum Island Bike Lane.

Portland, Maine

Biking In Portland's Back Bay

Not to be outdone by the Pacific Northwest city of the same name, Portland, Maine is fast becoming one of the most bike-friendly cities in the Northeast. Maine was named the 2nd most bike-friendly state in the country by the League of American Bicyclists. The city of Portland offers guided bike tours, self-guided bike maps, and ample bike parking. Portland Green Streets, a grassroots program to encourage the use of alternative transportation, has an excellent website full of resources for cycling around Portland. Amtrak travels from Boston to Portland on the Downeaster, but make your reservations early as there are a limited number of unboxed bicycle spaces.

From paved off-street bike paths such as the South Portland Greenbelt to ocean view beach cruises to single track trails for mountain bikers at Bradbury Mountain State Park, Portland has proven that a Northeast coastal city can embrace a cycling infrastructure. To get to the beach by bike, cyclists can travel on the wide shoulders of route 77 south to Crescent Beach State Park and Cape Elizabeth. Crescent Beach features an off-street oceanside bike path and is one of the most pristine beaches on the southern Maine coast- wide and sandy and great for families. Not to be missed is the Portland Head Lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth where you can learn about the history of the area and enjoy a Maine lobster picnic.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Biking In Cape Cod

Getting around by bike on Cape Cod is a refreshing alternative to sitting in traffic on a busy summer weekend. The Cape Cod Rail Trail, the Cape Cod Canal Bikeway, and the Shining Sea Bikeway are all paved non-motorized bike trails that utilize abandoned rail trails. There are also 5 conservation areas with mountain bike trails. The Cape Cod Rail Trail is one of the most popular rail trails in the Northeast traveling 22 miles from Dennis to Wellfleet. The town of Wellfleet is host to numerous beaches on both the bay side and the ocean side. From trail’s end, travel on roads to reach Maguire’s Landing Beach, Marconi Beach, or Cahoon Hollow Beach, all of which are clean and not overly crowded- though expect more people on summer weekends. For a beautiful view of the ocean while riding, try the Shining Sea Bikeway which travels from Falmouth to Woods Hole. Check out Wood Neck Beach for its’ serenity and abundance of sea creatures for kids to examine.

Provinceland Bike Trail

The only drawback to cycling on the Cape is getting to the Cape without a car. There’s a reason why all those great rail trails exist — commuter rail is no longer existent. The closest Amtrak stations would be Boston or Providence. The closest commuter rail station is the MBTA in Kingston, MA, about 40 miles away. You can, however, take a ferry from Boston To Provincetown from May to October.

Bicycle City is a planned community built around bicycles. No cars are allowed. A real world cycling utopia, the project, started by Ohio-based Bicycle City LLC, has been in the design phase since the early 1990s, but in 2010 the town of Gaston, South Carolina near Columbia was chosen as the first location for Bicycle City. A community where cycling and walking are the main forms of transportation promotes a healthy lifestyle and reduces dependency on oil. In addition, Bicycle City’s vision is to build eco-friendly homes- all LEED certified- with a heavy reliance on clean energy such as wind and solar power.

The 160-acre property in Lexington County, South Carolina was chosen due to its proximity to an Amtrak station, the college town of Columbia, nearby organic and farmers’ markets, as well as the Three Rivers Greenway, an existing bike trail along the Columbia riverbanks. The area also lies between the mountains and the ocean, has access to lake recreation, and boasts mild weather for year-round riding. Citizens in this region are already embracing cycling as a way of life and are avid outdoors enthusiasts. The town of Columbia earned bronze level status from the League of American Bicyclists as a bicycle-friendly city.

A bike taxi in South Carolina, home of Bicycle City’s first planned development.

The land was purchased for $1 million and while the the trail work is underway, other parts of the project are currently on hold. Co-founder Joe Mellett isn’t too concerned about a timeline though, as he says that the company is more interested in quality than in speed and size. The website is currently taking reservations for home sites. In the meantime, developers get their inspiration from other car-free communities, such as Mackinac Island.

For those who would like to live in Bicycle City, but aren’t quite ready to go completely car-free, parking is planned for the outskirts of the community. The die-hard car-free enthusiasts can choose to live more toward the center of Bicycle City. You can receive a $5,000 reduction on the cost of your home if you do any of the following: grow and maintain an organic garden, bike to work, or walk to work. Emergency vehicles will still have access to homes. Visit Bicycle City South Carolina for more information.

Catalina Island is the only place in California where the number and size of road-going motor vehicles is regulated by law. For residents of the island who want to bring a personal car, this means signing up at the bottom of a 14-year waiting list. Tourists are not permitted to ferry a vehicle from the mainland, even for temporary use. These policies keep the total car count below 1,000.

Because the principal settlement and center of activity, Avalon, is only about one square mile in size, walking works in most situations. Visitors in need of luggage help find hotel shuttle and taxi services readily available. There are two trolley routes within Avalon, and vans and shuttle buses are available for charter trips outside the city. Golf carts are a popular way of making short trips as well as exploring the mountainous area of the island’s interior. Bicycles are another reliable option.

Catalina Island lies 22 miles off the coast of California near Los Angeles. This 76-square mile escape has two major settlements: the main city of Avalon (about 4,000 permanent residents) and the town of Two Harbors (about 300 permanent residents). Around one million tourists arrive via boat or helicopter each year. Popular activities include hiking, mountain biking, camping, snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, and bus and boat tours.

Most of the island is controlled by the Catalina Island Conservancy, a non-profit organization that attempts to preserve Catalina’s natural beauty and ecosystem. Despite this, the beach at Avalon is listed on the Natural Resources Defense Council’s list of the 10 most chronically polluted American beaches. The city’s century-old sewage system is to blame; its clay and metal pipes have deteriorated to the point that they no longer contain much of the human waste produced. The sewage that escapes the plumbing system enters the groundwater and finds its way to the coast. The waters appear pristine, but water quality tests tell another story.

Over the summer, the city of Avalon is launched at $5.1-million project to address the problem—the latest effort in a series of measures taken over the last decade.

An article on Catalina Island

Official Site: Catalina Island

Car-free bicycle routes in the Northeast can be found on rail trails and local town greenways. With 392 open trails encompassing 3,233 miles, the Northeast region can rival the rail trails of the Midwest, where the rail trail movement began. With heavily traveled and traffic-congested roads, cyclists and other transportation advocates embrace the development of bicycle routes in this area.

The Rails to Trails Conservancy is just one organization dedicated to building a network of bike trails across the northeast and the rest of the country. The states encompassing this region of course offer some of the most stunning scenery that can’t be seen from a car, especially during the autumn months. Following are just a few of the more notable car-free bicycle routes to explore in the Northeast.

 Down East Sunrise Trail

Down East Sunrise Trail

The Down East Sunrise Trail travels through scenic coastal Maine for 87 miles from Ellsworth to Ayers Junction near the Canadian border. Utilizing the Calais Branch rail corridor, the Down East Sunrise Trail is part of the East Coast Greenway, a bicycle route stretching from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida. While the trail offers breathtaking views of mountains and crosses through conservation areas, salmon rivers, and coastal waterways, the route is basically flat and bicycle friendly. Though ATVs are allowed, cyclists say that this helps keep the trail smooth and users boast that everyone is respectful of each other along the route. The trail virtually parallels US Route 1, a state designated scenic route, offering plenty of opportunity for excursions to restaurants, inns, and other recreational outings. For more visit the Sunrise Trail Coalition.

Cape Cod Rail Trail

Cape Cod Rail Trail

Though the Cape Cod Rail Trail may be short on mileage (22 miles in length) it is big on reputation. Locals and tourists alike have made this a popular bicycle route with over 400,000 users a year. Those who live in the area use it as part of their commute, while tourists appreciate the Cape Cod scenery along the route. If you’ve ever had to fight Cape Cod traffic on a summer weekend, this can be a nice change of pace. The paved route follows the Old Colony Railroad line from South Dennis to South Wellfleet with visitor centers, bike rental and repair shops, restaurants, and picnic areas along the way. The route does make road crossings where cyclists need to take caution. At the end of the trail, cyclists can continue for another mile on road to Maguire’s Landing and be rewarded with a dip in the Atlantic. For more see here.

 Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail

NH Rail Trails

One of the most accessible rail trails in the Northeast is the Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail. Starting near the shore of Massabesic Lake just outside New Hampshire’s largest city of Manchester, the route rides along a branch of the old Boston & Maine Railroad. In Raymond, visitors can explore the restored train station complete with locomotive, caboose and boxcar. The trail ends at Newfields Train Depot just east of Great Bay in Portsmouth, NH. Much of this route is tree lined, which makes it one of the coolest trails in the summer and still offers breathtaking New England scenery, especially during fall foliage season. Made of crushed stone, some of the sections could be considered more challenging than others, though it is a popular mountain biking destination for families. The trail is popular in the winter for snowmobiles, cross country skiing, and dog sledding. For more visit the NH State Parks website.

Erie Canalway Trail

Erie Canalway Trail

The Erie Canalway Trail located in upstate New York is on task to become one of the longest car-free bicycle routes in the U.S.  Riding along the towpaths of New York’s historic canals, the route connects Buffalo to Albany linking the cities of  Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, and Schenectady. With 75% of the trail complete, cyclists can enjoy the longest continuous car-free section from Buffalo to Newark for 114 miles. Another popular fragment is from Albany to Little Falls for 86 miles of car-free cycling. The Erie Canalway Trail is contributing to the revitalization of the canal towns along the route. Cyclists can make side trips to historic sites, restaurants, inns, and parks. Some of the route is paved, while the rest is crushed limestone and mostly flat. For more visit ErieCanalway.org.

Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park Trail

The Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park Trail travels along the canal’s towpath which was built in 1830 as a transportation route between Philadelphia and New York. The 70 mile trail journeys through the historic New Jersey towns of Frenchtown, Stockton, and Lambertville and ending in New Brunswick. Nineteenth century bridges, bridgetender houses, canal locks, and stone arch culverts can be seen along the route. Great for families, the trail is crushed stone, mostly flat and is well maintained. Side trips, including canoe and kayak rental, are popular. Be sure to check the D & R Canal State Park website for current updates as recent hurricanes have caused some damage.

Great Allegheny Passage Trail

Great Allegheny Passage (GAP)

The longest rail trail east of the Mississippi is the Great Allegheny Passage or GAP Trail, which is the crown jewel of Pennsylvania’s numerous rail trails and other car-free bike routes. Using abandoned rail beds from the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie and the Western Maryland Railroad, the trail stretches for 150 miles from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland. History buffs will love seeing evidence of how the railroads, together with the famous Pennsylvania mill towns, shaped this area of the country. Users of the trail rave about the crushed stone surface and the many amenities along the way. To plan your trip visit the Allegheny Trail Alliance and Trail Link.

In his book, How To Live Well Without Owning A Car author Chris Balish exposes the true costs of car ownership, and shows how car-free living can put anyone on the path to financial freedom. Take a look at the book’s car cost worksheet, and see how much owning a car really costs — you’ll be surprised. Then, see how easy it is to transition to a car-free or car-lite lifestyle using Chris’s strategies for commuting, running errands, taking trips, dating, socializing, and more. Without car payments, rising gas prices, and traffic jams to worry about, you’ll have more money and leisure time to spend as you choose.

See also our review of the Carfree Cities book.

Available from Amazon.