Jerry Hinnefeld
Henry Scott
judithrobert
Jeff Nixa
memooney
Adam Bee
bspitzer
Nate Barnett
Paul Taylor
Danny Graber
lhierony
Phil G-E
petercolan
Jim Moffitt
Judy Lee
2wheelpeddler
dickkuehl
nimbabike
Route Planning
Established Routes Between Major Destinations:
– Downtown South Bend to the airport: Description and Map
– South Bend to Warren Dunes State Park: Ride Report with Maps
Rides for Fun
– Adam Bee’s favorite climbs in the Michiana area: List with Maps
Regional Bicycle Map:
We now have a comprehensive St. Joseph / Elkhart Counties area bike map created by cartographer Jim Moffitt, as described by BMC President Jeff Nixa in a previous post. It is available for $5 in folded hardcopy from local bike shops, but you can also download it as a PDF (note, the file is over 10 MB in size!).
For an interactive online map showing rated routes (in terms of bicycle suitability) see Adam Bee’s post (LINK) or go directly to the map (LINK). Here’s a sample (more information is available on the map’s own website):
View Larger Map
For sharing routes or requesting assistance in finding a route, users are encouraged to join the free Bike Michiana Google Group discussion board at the following URL: http://groups.google.com/group/bike-michiana.
Through the discussion board, any user may make posts to either share or request bicycling routes. We hope that other users will then share their experience. Well-established routes will then be added to this website as blog entries under the Routes Category (Categories are listed on the left side of this website, but here’s a direct link as well: LINK).
susan marcotte said
I am looking for a route from LaPorte (Pine Lake area) to the Studebaker museum area and past the Chocholate factory. The route should be no more than 60 miles round trip. I would consider a remote start in a park to make it between 40 and 60 miles.
Adam Bee said
I’ll give it a shot (or a couple shots), and post what the best that I can find on the Bike Michiana Google Group. Thanks for asking!
susan marcotte said
Thanks, this is for a midwest tandem rally to be held in Shipshewanna in 2010, and we are doing the post tour. Since we do not live up there any help will be appreciated. Sue
Jim Moffitt said
I am willing to help, I’m familiar the roads to South end and LaPorte from New Carlisle.
Adam Bee said
Yeah, I think you’d be much better at it than I would, Jim. This is actually a tougher request than I’d anticipated– I’ve never ridden on a lot of those roads. I rode down to southwest SB last nite to scout out some routes, only to find that they’re a bit difficult to come by.
Thanks a ton! I’ll be interested to see what you come up with.
susan marcotte said
Jim: Thanks for your offer to help. We will be up in the area at Amishland and Lakes Bike Ride in early August and are planning on going over to LaPorte to ride some routes we think will be okay. If you have suggestions for the South Bend ride would really like to meet up with you and see what you have come up with.
It was suggested that we do a remote start at a park near SR 2 and Timothy road to make it a slightly shorter route and maybe have a longer route from LaPorte for mileage junkies.
Sue
Jim Moffitt said
I posted a couple of routes at bikely.com, at the following addresses. 1. http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/South-Bend-Downtown-to-LaPorte-Pine-Lake 2. http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/LaPorte-Pine-Lake-to-South-Bend-Downtown If you need to shorten the routes you could consider S.R. 2, it is direct and I consider it a safe for cycling because width of the shoulder, though it is quite noisy with traffic. There is a couple spots in New Carlisle that may make for a good remote start too.
Jim
Paul Taylor said
Very nice Jim! And a nice site you’ve found for publishing routes.
susan marcotte said
Jim: I was able to look at the maps on Bikely and they certainly look like they have potential without actually riding them. The chocolate factory was one of the places we would like to go, is Sample street not a safe street to ride?
Also, is there a way to get “cue sheets” for the routes you put on the site. I really am not familiar with using Bikely.com.
Thank you for your suggestions and help. We are planning on being up there in a few weeks to check out suggested routes.
Jim Moffitt said
Susan: I’ve never rode Sample, personally I like riding lower traffic streets. Ford Street parallels Sample for much of the length and is a designated bike route. I’ve updated the Bikely routes with notes that I believe may help to create those cue sheets.
Paul Taylor said
Susan. I am familiar with this area, and have drawn a spur from Jim’s route to the Chocolate Factory. See http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/LaPort-IN-to-South-Bend-IN-Chocolate-Factory-spur
susan marcotte said
Jim and Paul
Thanks for the cue sheets on the pine lake to SB maps and the spur to the chocolate factory. We will be up there to check the routes out in a couple of weeks.
Sue
susan marcotte said
Paul and Jim: We went to LaPorte this weekend and checked out your routes in South Bend to La Porte. Both routes look great, in fact we are planning on using both so that people get different perspectives each way. We decided to remote start the ride at Bendix Park since we could connect the two routes on County Line RD and Timothy. I am sure there will be some who want the “whole ride experience” so we will provide the longer versions from LaPorte as well.
Thank you very much. Sue and Jim
Judy Lee said
We have our new bike maps available. A nice small jersey pocket size. We have a supply at the ecofest this weekend in downtown, South bend. Check out the Bike Michiana display.
Judy
susan marcotte said
Judy: Are these maps the same as the Bike Michiana Coalition map only updated from 2009? If they are would it be possible to get 30 copies for the attendees at the midwest tandem rally post tour to be held in Sept 2010? Thanks to the help from others on the post I think we tentatively have figured out our circular route from Bendix park to South Bend via Chocholate factory and museums. Now to get to Notre Dame if desired.
We do have money budgeted to pay for the maps if there is a charge. Sue Marcotte
susan marcotte said
Judy: In re reading your post I realize you think I am in the area, but in reality I live at the other end of the state by the Ohio River. So the maps would have to be mailed or I could arrange to pick them up when we come up there at the end of the month. Sue
Paul Taylor said
Susan. Have you heard back from Judy on the maps? If not, and if it’s not too late, contact me at PTaylor574@comcast.net, and I’ll get 30 maps to you.
Ben said
Are there any routes from Porter County (Chesterton) to the West side of South Bend? Ideally it would be toward the Airport or toward 20/Pine Road. Thanks for any help you can provide.
Paul Taylor said
Have you tried the bike options on Google Maps? Google does a surprisingly good job of routing you on bicycle friendly roads. I had Google find bike directions from Chesterton to US 20 & Pine Road. The routs Google found look quite good.
Ben said
I did try that, if I remember correctly, it had me on either Rt. 2 or US20 for a while and I was trying to stay off the heavier traveled roadways. I was hoping to put together some sort of combination of the routes they have through LaPorte County because I can get to there, and then look at the Eastern portion.
eddy muzzetti said
i’ve taken western out to laporte countless times…