From Long Island · 9D & 301 · Cold Spring and Fahnestock

This full-day version starts in Long Island (Melville). The first 70 miles take the faster roads (NY-9A, the Long Island Expressway and the Sprain Brook Parkway) to reach Bear Mountain Bridge, where the good part begins. The core stretch, 9D & 301 · Cold Spring and Fahnestock, runs 30 miles to Carmel.

The ride home is the quick way: 75 miles on the Long Island Expressway, the Hutchinson River Parkway and CR-35 back to Long Island. All in, it's about 175 miles and 4.5 hours in the saddle, before any stops for gas, food or photos. There's time to take it easy.

Full-day version that starts in Long Island: it adds the ride there and back to 9D & 301 · Cold Spring and Fahnestock. Here is what you'll find on the core stretch:

The east side of the Hudson in a short ride: from the Bear Mountain Bridge, 9D follows the river to Garrison and Cold Spring, the perfect coffee town, and from there 301 heads into the Fahnestock woods with linked curves and lakes on both sides all the way to Carmel. It's a good pick for a morning ride or to tack onto Seven Lakes by crossing the bridge. 9D is narrow and has cyclists, and Cold Spring fills up on weekends, so get there early if you want room to park the group.