Ride New York: Bear Mountain Twists

Arden Valley Rd, Kanawauke Rd, 7 Lakes Drive, Tiorati Brook Rd

The Route

I needed to go grab my bike from Hudson Valley Motorcycles (stop by & say hi to Teddy but make sure you’ve got an hour or more to kill) so I took the train up to Ossining from Grand Central.

I had HVMC do the first service so my plan was to open her up on some of the best twists @ Bear Mountain. I used Detecht for the first time and that worked out OK to plan the route. Not so great for turn by turn but that’s another story entirely.

In short, this route covers all the greats in the area. Sure, there is Storm King and going up Perkins Memorial but that would have been overkill for a quick rip. If you’re out for the day and plan a few stops, by all means work those in as well or check out the longer version in the link below.

You’ll hit up the backroads from HVMC instead of shooting up 9w to pass through the reservoir and some twists. Just be careful; some of these roads are fun but somewhat residential and bumpy.

From there, you’ll head straight on to Seven Lakes Rd but pass Perkins Memorial. Again, feel free to head up if you’re in for a longer day or want to take a break up top. Best view on Bear Mountain up there.

You’ll continue down Seven Lakes Rd but we’re not going to run the full thing just yet. Head West out of Tiorati Circle for Arden Valley Rd. If you haven’t run Arden Valley yet, just be ready. Seven Lakes is fun but Arden Valley is more technical. Lots of blind curves and major elevation changes. This is one that you should do a sighting run and then go back a few times to really enjoy it. It’s a great road and one that most riders in the area are familiar with.

After Arden Valley, you’ll run the entire length of Kanawauke Rd which is incredibly fun. Great banked turns, well paved road, and stunning in the fall as the leaves turn. This is one of my favorites. Just watch out for hikers in the two parking areas.

Kanawauke turns into Willow Grove and then you’ll hop on the Palisades for a short jaunt back up North to head back to Seven Lakes via Tiorati Brook Road. Take Seven Lakes the remainder of the way down and catch 87 or whatever you need to wherever you’re going.

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Extend the Ride

Let’s include a ride up to Storm King via 218 and up Perkins Memorial Highway. Storm King Highway (218) is wicked fast and Perkins Memorial is the exact opposite. Keep an eye out for cyclists in the middle of the damn road on Perkins Memorial.

The longer route adds about another 45 minutes to the ride.

Google Maps Links

Click on the Google Maps links below for a full waypoint by waypoint route

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