Better Biking At Rehoboth Beach

I finally got a few days at the beach last week, and when I say finally I mean it. Somehow we haven’t been to the beach since 2013! The great thing about the beach–and when I say beach I mean Rehoboth Beach–is that while there always are new places to check out, so many of our favorite places are still there. 

Timeless beach scenery

I’ve been going to Rehoboth Beach since I was a kid, and was glad to see that Louie’s is still open and still serving grinders and birch beer.

Rehoboth Beach Biking:
Gordons Pond and the Junction & Breakwater Trail

While we were glad to see that Louie’s, Grotto’s, the Iguana Grill, Cafe Papillon, Ryan’s Mini Golf and Funland hadn’t changed much, we also were glad to see big changes in the bike path at the north end of Rehoboth Beach.

The last time we were here, the trail in Gordons Pond State Park ended at Gordons Pond, but now you can take the trail all the way up to Cape Henlopen State Park. The trail goes through salt marshes, around the pond, and even through some woods. 

At Cape Henlopen, we took a detour to Fort Miles, and saw World War II bunkers and gun batteries. 

I thought the view of the beach was nicer than the view of the gun battery
but you can see it here

To make a loop, we got on the road at the north end of Cape Henlopen State Park, rode past the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, and picked up the Junction & Breakwater Trail back to Rehoboth. That trail had undergone improvements too, extending all the way from the canal at the Lewes end to the west end of Route 1A. Before, we had to ride along Route 9 at Lewes and make our way through some neighborhood developments. 

Hard to believe this is a bike trail at the beach!

Our ride was about 19 miles, including the detours we took to various scenic outlooks. It’s a busy recreational trail with lots of families, so we kept an easy pace, but it was a great way to start our vacation.

[Tweet “Great trails for #Cycling at #RehobothBeach”]

Rehoboth Beach Biking:
Taking The Coastal Highway South

The other main cycling route at Rehoboth Beach is south along Route 1, a/k/a the Coastal Highway. I’m not a huge fan of riding along a highway, but this one has a wide shoulder on both sides marked for cyclists and pedestrians. 

We rode a bit further south than we had during our last trip, and also found a detour through Salt Pond. It was amazing to turn off the highway onto a shaded trail. Although we didn’t see many people on the highway, we encountered a few runners, walkers and fellow cyclists on this trail. 

I wore my Biker Chick shirt from our first Rehoboth Beach cycling trip
–I love the high visibility for highway riding.

The real improvement I saw on this ride was in my pace. My typical pace is about 15 mph, which is “slow” in the world of organized cycling. One reason I am switching to Cyclebar for indoor cycling is so that I can work on improving my cadence–how quickly I pedal. 

This ride showed me that I can maintain a 17 mph pace on a long ride on a flat road with no traffic, which I’m pretty pleased with! 

I also am pleased with my first cycling selfie–the trail was smooth enough, straight enough, and empty enough for me to dare to take out my phone.

I did not try it again along the highway!

I’m joining Deb’s Wednesday Word link up–thanks for the reason to think about improvement.

Where have you seen improvement lately?

Have you ever had birch beer?