Bike path airports

spinfire

spinfire

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Dan
So I'm the happy owner of a folding bike. I flew down to Cape Cod with the bike last Friday and it was a lot of fun. There is a rail trail there that leaves from the Chatham airport (CQX) and goes all over the Cape. I'm wondering about other airports that have this sort of thing. I'm not crazy about riding in traffic but reasonably graded rail trails that are separated from traffic are fun without being too mentally or physically tiring. Biking somewhere to lunch has the side benefit of helping me with my ongoing program to regain some useful load out of my waistline!

Has anyone else found interesting bike paths or trails leaving directly from an airport? I've heard of but not yet tried searching out bike paths on Martha's Vineyard (MVY) or Block Island (BID).
 
spinfire said:
So I'm the happy owner of a folding bike. I flew down to Cape Cod with the bike last Friday and it was a lot of fun. There is a rail trail there that leaves from the Chatham airport (CQX) and goes all over the Cape. I'm wondering about other airports that have this sort of thing. I'm not crazy about riding in traffic but reasonably graded rail trails that are separated from traffic are fun without being too mentally or physically tiring. Biking somewhere to lunch has the side benefit of helping me with my ongoing program to regain some useful load out of my waistline!

Has anyone else found interesting bike paths or trails leaving directly from an airport? I've heard of but not yet tried searching out bike paths on Martha's Vineyard (MVY) or Block Island (BID).
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If you're ever down in the Mid-Atlantic, Tangier Island TGI would be fantastic for a folding bike. An amazing place.
 
TGI: That's still less than 3 hours in the Cardinal (assuming light winds). It'd be a long day both ways but would be awesome combined with an overnight stop there or somewhere interesting on the way back. So that's definitely what I'm looking for, thanks :)
 
The Rails to Trails Conservancy has a listing of trails nationwide. Click on "Find a Trail" on the left side, and scroll down to the list of states. Of course, it will take some time to figure out which ones are near airports.

http://www.railstotrails.org/
 
KSUN: Sun Valley, Idaho has an awesome bike path right across the street from the airport that goes along the river and into town.

KBCE: Bryce Canyon, UT. From the airport you can bike right into the park or you can bike along the road about a mile west and get on a paved bike path that goes for miles.
 
Why not just ride the bike on roads? Paths are great, but places like KBID, the roads are the best way to get around and see the island. I've done it many times by bike.

Gettysburg is another great place to bike. The airport, W05, is a short bike ride to the battlefield or town, but you have to use the roads.

KTGI is fine also, but you can easily WALK the island. No need for a bike there.
 
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KONZ - the bike path runs most of the length of the island. Getting off the island on one of the narrow bridges is another issue altogether.
 
Anthony said:
Why not just ride the bike on roads? Paths are great, but places like KBID, the roads are the best way to get around and see the island. I've done it many times by bike.

Gettysburg is another great place to bike. The airport, W05, is a short bike ride to the battlefield or town, but you have to use the roads.

KTGI is fine also, but you can easily WALK the island. No need for a bike there.
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Oh sure, you could do Tangier on foot. That's how I did it both times I was there. It's just a nice place to take a bike. You can see the whole island very efficiently. It's the sort of place that you love or you hate...do some searches on google to make sure you'll like it before you go.

Also, the beach on the island is amazing. Absolutely stunning. Just don't go swimming starting in mid-summer or so, because jellies like to come up the bay.
 
I have taken a folding bike to both Napa and Monterey (in California). You end up riding on busy streets. The Napa trip was not really bike friendly at all. It was about 7 miles to town and the pavement was rough with no real bike trail. The Monterey trip was OK, but I did end up on a short section of freeway. At least in Monterey, once you get away from the airport, it becomes fairly bike friendly, especially down in wharf area and Cannery Row (there is a bike trail).
 
Half Moon Bay (KHAF) is a great place to go with a bike, and there actually is a bike trail a short distance from the airport that goes nearly around the bay.

I really don't mind biking around Napa either. There are some back roads that you can take from the airport that bypass some of the heavy traffic. But, I regularly ride in heavier traffic anyway so it's no big deal to me.
 
If you're ever in Michigan, KTVC (Traverse City) is about 1/4 mile from the TART trail, a very nice biking/walking path that's part of Rails to Trails. It goes through the heart of the waterfront and on northwest and links up with the Leelanau Trail to Suttons Bay (which btw is paved most of the way and is scheduled to be 100% paved by next month). In the other direction it parallels the highway to Kalkaska and passes close to a very nice restaurant strip.
 
Now, if we want to interpret your thread title literally, you could land on a [glorified] bike path at Butter Valley 7N8 :)

1151267.jpg
 
jpower said:
Oh sure, you could do Tangier on foot. It's the sort of place that you love or you hate...do some searches on google to make sure you'll like it before you go.
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I've been to Tangier many times, and I obviously do like it. However, you are correct, some don't.

Just noticed the OP does not like to ride bikes in traffic. Places like KBID, and KTGI are do not have a lot of traffic, and a bike is a good way to see the islands.
 
jpower said:
Now, if we want to interpret your thread title literally, you could land on a [glorified] bike path at Butter Valley 7N8 :)

1151267.jpg
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Hard to "transition your eyes to the end of the runway" for the flare, on that one. :)
 
azure said:
If you're ever in Michigan, KTVC (Traverse City) is about 1/4 mile from the TART trail, a very nice biking/walking path that's part of Rails to Trails. It goes through the heart of the waterfront and on northwest and links up with the Leelanau Trail to Suttons Bay (which btw is paved most of the way and is scheduled to be 100% paved by next month). In the other direction it parallels the highway to Kalkaska and passes close to a very nice restaurant strip.
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Harbor Springs Airport also has a bike path that goes right by it. You can ride around the shoreline to Charlevoix.
 
John221us said:
I have taken a folding bike to both Napa and Monterey (in California). You end up riding on busy streets. The Napa trip was not really bike friendly at all. It was about 7 miles to town and the pavement was rough with no real bike trail. The Monterey trip was OK, but I did end up on a short section of freeway. At least in Monterey, once you get away from the airport, it becomes fairly bike friendly, especially down in wharf area and Cannery Row (there is a bike trail).
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Where did you have to get on a freeway on your Monterey trip?

There is a long bike path along Highway 1 that parallels the Monterey Bay shoreline. It goes all the way to Pacific Grove, passing near downtown Monterey and the aquarium. If you're parked on one of the south ramps, you turn right onto Garden Road, turn right onto Fairgrounds Road, and left onto Casa Verde Way, which crosses the trail just past Del Monte Avenue.
If you're parked on the north ramp, you turn left onto Airport Way, turn left onto Airport Road, turn left onto Fairgrounds Road, turn right onto Casa Verde Way, and the rest of the route is the same.

I don't think traffic is heavy on any of those streets.

By the way, I find the satellite views at http://maps.google.com to be a useful supplement in finding bike paths and bike-friendly routes.
 
denverpilot said:
Hard to "transition your eyes to the end of the runway" for the flare, on that one. :)
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Yeah, Butter Valley is also only partially paved. It "transitions" to turf. Interesting set up. You also run the risk of getting hit by golf balls.

If you're going to land there, take your kids. :D
 
Sac Arrow said:
Half Moon Bay (KHAF) is a great place to go with a bike, and there actually is a bike trail a short distance from the airport that goes nearly around the bay.

I really don't mind biking around Napa either. There are some back roads that you can take from the airport that bypass some of the heavy traffic. But, I regularly ride in heavier traffic anyway so it's no big deal to me.
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I have never taken my bike to HAF, as there is so much within walking distance, but maybe I will next time.
 
Palmpilot said:
Where did you have to get on a freeway on your Monterey trip?

There is a long bike path along Highway 1 that parallels the Monterey Bay shoreline. It goes all the way to Pacific Grove, passing near downtown Monterey and the aquarium. If you're parked on one of the south ramps, you turn right onto Garden Road, turn right onto Fairgrounds Road, and left onto Casa Verde Way, which crosses the trail just past Del Monte Avenue.
If you're parked on the north ramp, you turn left onto Airport Way, turn left onto Airport Road, turn left onto Fairgrounds Road, turn right onto Casa Verde Way, and the rest of the route is the same.

I don't think traffic is heavy on any of those streets.

By the way, I find the satellite views at http://maps.google.com to be a useful supplement in finding bike paths and bike-friendly routes.
Click to expand...

I flew into Monterey Bay Aviation, I believe on that trip (out of business now), which is on the other side of the runway. There may have been a different but longer route (I believe up hill) that I could have used to avoid the freeway. It was a while ago, though. I was only on the freeway for less than a mile, I think. Overall, I would take my bike back to Monterey, although last time I went into Del Monte and they gave me a crew car :)
 
The Ultimate Bike destination in Michigan is Mackinac Island, MCD. The whole Island is a bike trail. No cars, only bikes, horses and foot traffic allowed. And they make really good fudge there.
 
John221us said:
I flew into Monterey Bay Aviation, I believe on that trip (out of business now), which is on the other side of the runway. There may have been a different but longer route (I believe up hill) that I could have used to avoid the freeway. It was a while ago, though. I was only on the freeway for less than a mile, I think. Overall, I would take my bike back to Monterey, although last time I went into Del Monte and they gave me a crew car :)
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The route I gave from the north ramp was from Monterey Bay Aviation, but their Web site is gone, and they are not listed on Airnav anymore, so it looks like you're right about them going out of business. :(

For Del Monte, the directions I gave from the south ramps don't involve getting on a freeway and are not too round about, although it might be a bit shorter to turn left instead of right when you get to Fairgrounds Road. That puts you on Mark Thomas Drive, and then you can turn right onto Sloat Avenue or Aguajito Road.
 
One Short said:
And they make really good fudge there.
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Rats, now I'm going to have to travel all the way to Michigan!

I don't know why good fudge is so hard to find nowadays.
 
Anthony said:
I've been to Tangier many times, and I obviously do like it. However, you are correct, some don't.

Just noticed the OP does not like to ride bikes in traffic. Places like KBID, and KTGI are do not have a lot of traffic, and a bike is a good way to see the islands.
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The best bet is to pay the three dollars or whatever and get a tour of the island conducted by a local on the golf cart.
 
Palmpilot said:
Rats, now I'm going to have to travel all the way to Michigan!

I don't know why good fudge is so hard to find nowadays.
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You have to try Mackinac Island fudge. You can even watch them work it on big marble tables. It is pretty cool and makes the fudge taste even better! :wink2:
 
In Maryland/WVA, Potomac Airpark (W35), Cumberland (CBE), and Mexico Farms (1W3) all have good access to the C&O Towpath Trail, a 184 mile bike trail from DC to Cumberland MD.

Of course DCA would be a nice choice to the bike paths of DC...good luck.
After passing through the hoops, you could fly into College Park MD (CGS) which is near plenty of bike trails.

BWI has a 12 bike trail that goes around the perimeter of the airport...
Bay Bridge Airport (W29) is close to the Kent Island Cross Island trail...
 
Brad Z said:
In Maryland/WVA, Potomac Airpark (W35), Cumberland (CBE), and Mexico Farms (1W3) all have good access to the C&O Towpath Trail, a 184 mile bike trail from DC to Cumberland MD.

Of course DCA would be a nice choice to the bike paths of DC...good luck.
After passing through the hoops, you could fly into College Park MD (CGS) which is near plenty of bike trails.

BWI has a 12 bike trail that goes around the perimeter of the airport...
Bay Bridge Airport (W29) is close to the Kent Island Cross Island trail...
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Trouble with the Cross Island Trail is that it's on the other side of Route 50 from the airport, which makes things difficult. And it's only 5 miles long. That being said, of course, you should come anyway. It's right on the way to TGI, and then I could stop by and say hello! And maybe bum a ride in your Cardinal :)

I would highly suggest the towpath any way you can get to it--it's really great biking.
 
Palmpilot said:
The route I gave from the north ramp was from Monterey Bay Aviation, but their Web site is gone, and they are not listed on Airnav anymore, so it looks like you're right about them going out of business. :(

For Del Monte, the directions I gave from the south ramps don't involve getting on a freeway and are not too round about, although it might be a bit shorter to turn left instead of right when you get to Fairgrounds Road. That puts you on Mark Thomas Drive, and then you can turn right onto Sloat Avenue or Aguajito Road.
Click to expand...

I do like having a bike there, especially on an overnight trip. My last visit was just a lunch run and the crew car worked out well. Monterey is a unique and special place. Just looking out to sea, you can see so much life from otters to sea lions.
 
spinfire said:
I've heard of but not yet tried searching out bike paths on Martha's Vineyard (MVY) or Block Island (BID).
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Neither of those locations have need for bike trails and both have excellent riding available.
 
Lots of good suggestions to keep me exploring for a while - thanks much. The Towpath sounds great.

Some day my sister in law will probably be working in DC and then it will be time to get that College Park background check. It's a great location convenient to the metro too. Sigh... TSA...

Martha's Vineyard does have some bike paths already and good bike lanes. Mostly I just don't like riding in heavy traffic when the point is fun and recreation. I don't count Block or MVY as heavy traffic locations. Block and MVY were already on the visit queue (I've been to both but not with the bike).
 
Dan, The Cape Cod Bike trail runs close to KPVC as well. 6Y9er has some great back country roads and later this summer the Narcissa Road Trail will be completed with direct access to Wings Field. It will take you a few miles to a nice park but as of yet no cafe's to ride to.
 
Anthony said:
I've been to Tangier many times, and I obviously do like it. However, you are correct, some don't.

Just noticed the OP does not like to ride bikes in traffic. Places like KBID, and KTGI are do not have a lot of traffic, and a bike is a good way to see the islands.
Click to expand...

TGI is a weird place.

I like to limit my stays to about.. 2-3 hours. Usually less. Great to see, look around a bit, but I would not want to stay there.

If you like fishing though, great fishing there this time of year.
 
spinfire said:
So I'm the happy owner of a folding bike. I flew down to Cape Cod with the bike last Friday and it was a lot of fun. There is a rail trail there that leaves from the Chatham airport (CQX) and goes all over the Cape. I'm wondering about other airports that have this sort of thing. I'm not crazy about riding in traffic but reasonably graded rail trails that are separated from traffic are fun without being too mentally or physically tiring. Biking somewhere to lunch has the side benefit of helping me with my ongoing program to regain some useful load out of my waistline!

Has anyone else found interesting bike paths or trails leaving directly from an airport? I've heard of but not yet tried searching out bike paths on Martha's Vineyard (MVY) or Block Island (BID).
Click to expand...

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]Mackinac Island Airport[/SIZE][/FONT]
 
dell30rb said:
TGI is a weird place.

I like to limit my stays to about.. 2-3 hours. Usually less. Great to see, look around a bit, but I would not want to stay there.

If you like fishing though, great fishing there this time of year.
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Many do find it "weird", I don't. Different yes, weird no. I find a certain peacefulness there, and I have stayed overnight due to diverting for a line of thunderstroms nobody was getting through when I was flying to KSSI, Saint Simon's Island, GA. In fact I stayed two nights, and just enjoyed being a little off the beaten path.

The British used it as a base for the attack on Baltimore in the War of 1812 if memory serves.
 
There are some good fishing spots in the waters surroundin the island where the british dumped their ballast to cross shallow areas.

You can confirm this when you find a smooth round paving stone stuck in your anchor
 
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