Pioneer Valley Tour
Pioneer Valley Tour
$330 per person, double occupancy
WAITLIST
Pioneer Valley Tour, Hadley, MA. August 21-23, 2026
(C Riders and Above)
The Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts offers some of the best bicycling anywhere with a half-day’s drive. 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 gentle terrain is great for more casual riding, but the area also offers some more challenging terrain for those so inclined. More than a dozen different routes, including (as usual) some new ones, from 15 to 70 miles are available.
In addition to the Smith College Botanic 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, and the Smith College Museum of Art. Not too far away (perhaps on your drive to or from Hadley) are the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, CT, the Dr. Seuss Museum and the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA, and the Volleyball Hall of Fame in Holyoke, MA. 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.
In addition, we’ll be repeating the feeder ride on Friday from Milldale, CT on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, which several tour participants did last year and found enjoyable. (This ride will be posted separately on the BTCNJ website for participants on the Pioneer Valley Tour who are interested.)
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; wait-list priority will be based on individuals/volunteer contributions to BTCNJ.
Tour registration will be open from Tuesday, March 10 at 6:00 pm through Thursday, March 12 at 6:00 pm. To register, send an email to Joan Brickman (see Joanie's email down at the very bottom, after the photos). Tour slots will be filled by a lottery system. 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. Note that if you register by yourself and we can’t find you a roommate by August 1, we will cancel your reservation and refund your trip cost. Send in your payment within a week after receiving a notice from Joan that you are on the trip. Make your payment of $330 per person (see payment options at the very bottom, after the photos). No refunds after August 1 unless we can fill your space. For more information, you can email Don or Joanie.
Don Schlenger
Joanie Brickman
