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Day 1 (45 miles): You and your fellow Climate Riders will depart from Manhattan’s spectacular urban landscape, riding en masse through New York City. A ferry awaits you to transport our group across the Hudson River to Atlantic Highlands, NJ. After disembarking from the ferry, we hop on our bikes and pedal into rural countryside, revealing why New Jersey is called the Garden State. Small farms abound and you will enjoy quiet roads on the way to tonight’s destination, Princeton, NJ, home to Princeton University.
Day 2 (60 miles): Today brings more rural farming country and an insider’s view into New Jersey’s prolific growing season. We depart from Princeton and continue along quiet, winding roads until we reach the Delaware River, the boundary between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Our last stop before crossing the river is the charming town of Lambertville. Antiques shops, restaurants, and art galleries line the historical avenues, and riverside cafes dot the Delaware River shoreline. After crossing the river, you enter Lambertville’s sister city on the Pennsylvania side, New Hope. Soon we are pedaling along Pennsylvania’s quiet roads to Doylestown, where you will have a chance to try one of the local restaurants. After a few more miles of pedaling, you reach the Schuylkill Bike Path, an eight mile cruise along the Schuylkill River to reach Valley Forge Historic State Park. A quiet road winds you through Valley Forge, where you can pedal past the beautifully preserved homes of General Washington and his troops.
Day 3 (69 miles): Today we’ll wind through Pennsylvania hill country into Lancaster County, famed for its epic cycling. Our day begins with rolling hills through French Creek State Park and a visit to St. Peters, a riverside hamlet composed of quaint homes and imposing granite boulders. After passing through a few more Pennsylvania towns we turn to the south and enter quintessential Amish country. Here you’ll share the road with horses and buggies. Silos and small farms dot the hillsides and valleys, and small Amish towns serve up ice cream and plenty of charm to visitors. Soon our route enters the rolling hills that flank the mighty Susquehanna River. Tonight we camp at a traditional Mennonite summer camp tucked in the trees.
Day 4 (62 miles): We begin the day by pedaling across a long bridge crossing the mighty Susquehanna. The Susquehanna flows furiously in the springtime and is a mere trickle by mid-summer. After a few miles we enter Maryland and ride past beautifully manicured farms and stunning country estates. It’s hard to imagine that Washington DC is so close. This is the area that DC cyclists prize—the roads are quiet and curvy and the manicured countryside reflects the long history of the Mid-Atlantic region. Soon we enter the small towns that surround DC. The roads become busier and we realize that we are approaching our destination—Baltimore. Tonight we camp in a sprawling 300-acre city park on the edge of Baltimore called Leakin Park. The Outward Bound School, which calls Leakin Park home, has invited us to camp and use their facility.
Day 5 (60 miles): This morning we’ll rise early and head straight for the heart of Washington DC. After several miles winding through Maryland, we will stop for lunch in Silver Spring, MD before hopping on the Capitol Crescent Trail, a popular rail-trail, created by the Rails to Trails Conservancy. We gather at the tail end of Constitution Avenue, and then begin our final leg to the Capitol, passing the Washington Monument and various museums which house our Nation’s treasures. We will congregate on the Senate Lawn, with the Capitol in the background, where we will make a statement about the need for climate change action and access to renewable energy.
“Working to tackle the massive issue of climate change on a day to day basis can feel like an overwhelming challenge. Seeing one hundred committed strangers unify from across the nation for the Climate Ride left me with a message of hopeful motion... that together we CAN do this thing.”
— Jake Stewart, Climate Rider, Austin, TX |
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