Back by popular demand.  New routes.

The Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts offers some of the best bicycling anywhere in the United States. The area is known for its country roads, pastoral scenery, five colleges (UMass Amherst, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Hampshire), the Deerfield historic colony, Northampton with its quirky shops (including pot), excellent restaurants, and a network of many miles of bicycle trails, including the renowned Norwottuck Rail Trail. The Valley’s flat terrain is great for more casual riding, but the area also offers some rolling terrain for those who want more challenge. More than a dozen different routes from 15 to 70 miles are available, including new routes to the Quabbin Observation Tower, Buffam Falls, and Westfield.

In addition to the Smith College Botanical Gardens, the tour area is replete with museums, including the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Mead Art Museum and the Benski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College, the UMass Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Picture Book Art, the Smith College Museum of Art, and the Art Museum and Skinner Museums at Mount Holyoke College. Our weekend will be based out of Hadley, Massachusetts, about 2 hours and 45 minutes by car from Bergen County. We will have rides Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday morning.

The trip cost is $330 per person, double occupancy. The price includes a wine and cheese reception Friday and a group dinner Saturday. The hotel includes breakfasts.

The trip is limited to 40 persons. A few rooms will be reserved for club members that haven’t been on a multi-day tour before. We will maintain a wait-list.  You must have been COVID-vaccinated to participate, and we strongly recommend that all participants to be ‘Up to Date’ as per the CDC at the time of the tour (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html).

Tour registration will be open from Tuesday, February 6, @ 6:00 pm through Thursday, February 8 @ 6pm. To register, send an email to Joan Brickman at [email protected]. Tour slots will be filled by a lottery system if the tour sells out in the first 48 hours of registration. If you have never been on a BTCNJ tour, please state that in your email. If you have a person with whom you would like to room, please also state that in your email. 

Send in your payment within a week after receiving confirmation from Joan that you are on the trip. Make your payment of $330 per person either by check or Zelle to Joan Brickman, 38A Lexington Lane, West Milford, NJ 07480. No refunds after August 1 unless we can fill your space.

For more information, email Don Schlenger or Joanie.