Bicycle Touring in the Pioneer Valley

This revised edition offers cyclists informative and descriptive directions for a variety of bicycle routes in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. There are 17 basic tours, which vary in length from 5.5 to 30 miles. Altogether, 60 rides can be derived from the information provided.

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A revised and expanded edition of the 1978 classic, this book offers cyclists informative, accurate, and descriptive directions for a wide variety of bicycle routes in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Whether you are a weekend recreational rider or an experienced cyclist looking for a challenging hill-climbing excursion, Bicycle Touring in the Pioneer Valley will be a welcome addition to your two-wheeled trip.

Nancy Jane decided to write this book while working on a second B.S. degree in Natural Resource Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. When she sought to acquaint herself with her surroundings, she could find no single source of information about bicycle routes in the Pioneer Valley and so began researching on her own. After studying the area, she designed and mapped out seventeen basic tours, which vary in length from 5.5 to 30 miles. For this revised edition, she has retraced every route, updated the maps, added a new tour, and provided other useful information.

In all, there are more than sixty possible rides that cover the geographic area bounded by Greenfield to the north, Holyoke to the south, Quabbin Reservoir to the east, and Westhampton to the west. Detailed tour maps, a short geological history of the area, and a helpful appendix that provides detailed information about parks, museums, wildlife sanctuaries, area bicycle clubs, and suppliers of U.S. Geological Survey maps make this book not only an excellent bicycling guide but also an unusual directory of things to do and see in the Pioneer Valley.