With apologies for not updating this for 2018 sooner, I hope that it may still be of help to some of you. The only changes were to include some information about camping.
We’ve had a few inquiries recently about places to stay in the area of the Farmer’s Daughter event, so I thought I’d post some links and suggestions. First, northern Columbia County is a rural area, so there are not a lot of big hotels in the immediate area. For people coming in from the north or west, I’ve been suggesting a pretty new Comfort Inn and Suites East Greenbush just off exit 10 (the Miller Rd. exit) of the I-90 bypass. That’s about 20 minutes from Chatham. I have no direct experience with it, but it does seem to have good reviews.
Also from north/west, Albany is only about 30-35 minutes from Chatham and has a large selection of hotels.
Closer to Chatham you might try looking here: http://www.
From the south/east, one participant sent me an email recommendation in Hillsdale: “I made reservations at the Silvanus Lodge down in Hillsdale. We have stayed there many times and it’s some of the most affordable lodging in the area (it’s ~25 minutes southeast of Chatham). The rooms are very clean and Steele, the owner, is most accommodating. In fact, it’s also one of the few places where you can make a single night weekend reservation this time of year – most ask for a two night minimum. It’s in a quiet spot and there are plenty of places to get breakfast and dinner nearby.”
There is also a comment that I just approved elsewhere that points to an AirBnB offering on the course: If anyone is looking for accommodations that weekend please consider my AirBnB which is along the route: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13658403 (posted by Elizabeth Marks).
Camping
The closest campground I know of to the start (and access to some of the middle-to-later parts of the course) is Fox Hill Campgrounds.
Woodland Hills CampgroundRV Park
386 Fog Hill Rd.
Austerlitz, NY 12017
518-392-3557
Official Website
If you have found good spots to stay feel free to contribute comments here to help others looking for lodging options.
weather forecast looks pretty wet. what type of tires are recommended? something in a file-tread (conti cyclocross speed-ish), or something with more of a knob to it (clement crusade pdx-ish)
Though it’s still not clear exactly what’s going to happen weather-wise on Sunday, right now it looks like we’ll get at least some showers. In any case, it’s going to rain on Saturday, so the trail sections will have some muddy spots. I’d go with an all-conditions CX tire vs. filetread. There’s very little pavement on the course, it’s almost all dirt roads and trail/farmroad.
Powell House, a Quaker retreat house in Old Chatham might have some openings…bunk type rooms, if they are not running any sessions.
http://www.powellhouse.org
Thanks for the tip, Robyn! I’ll also add this as a comment on the Farmer’s Daughter Facebook page.