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CREATING A U.S. BICYCLE ROUTE SYSTEM
At Adventure Cycling, we've always thought big…creating bike routes that traverse North America using roads and trails. For the past thirty years, we've helped tens of thousands of people from across the world make their dreams of epic bike adventures come true. Now, we and several other organizations have teamed up with AASHTO (American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials) to craft a national interstate route system – for bikes!
This is a project that has lain dormant since the early 1980s, but in 2004, AASHTO set up a special task force with staff support from Adventure Cycling Association to develop a bike route system, similar to those that are being developed in many European countries and Canada. In 2005, the task force completed its first phase of work – an inventory of state and national bike routes and trails across the U.S. The second phase of the project, a draft corridor plan, was reviewed and approved by AASHTO sub committees over the summer and fall of 2008. At the Annual Meeting held in October, 2008 the corridor plan concept was approved by AASHTO’s Board of Directors.
The corridor plan is now being reviewed by state agencies and bicycle organizations for implementation. The plan is helping link existing and proposed state bicycle routes across state borders with possible extensions into Canada and Mexico. The U.S. Bicycle Route System will be supported and maintained through various agencies and groups at the state and local level. Best of all, this interstate route system will not only provide public access to bike routes, it will help create national political awareness and build allies across diverse interests.
Learn more about the USBRS, check out the Frequently Asked Questions, and see the corridor plan for yourself. Be sure and check out the 38,158 mapped miles of bike routes already developed in the Adventure Cycling Route Network.
ADDITION OF GIS TO THE MAPS
In spring of 2008 Adventure Cycling hired a GIS (Geographic Information System) Specialist to oversee the conversion of our existing maps to a GIS format. Map updating and reprinting occurs all year round. A template was designed, and the Great Parks South Section 1 map was chosen for the first map conversion. It was reprinted in October 2008. This conversion process will take several years and will be ongoing as the maps are updated. All new maps will be created in GIS. The GIS process will allow us to add some
new features to the maps including shaded relief. It will also facilitate
faster and more accurate updates, along with keeping our Routes and Mapping Department up-to-date with the latest technologies in cartography.
SIERRA CASCADES BICYCLE ROUTE
Adventure Cycling's newest long distance route is in the works. This
2,750-mile route will traverse Washington, Oregon and California from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. The route will parallel the Pacific Crest on paved roads. Points of interest include the Northern Cascades National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National Park. Research was completed in the summer of 2008 and the maps will be created in GIS. The maps should be available sometime in the spring of 2010.
Recently Completed Projects
PEDAL PIONEERS: A GUIDE TO BICYCLE TRAVEL WITH KIDS
Pedal Pioneers is a comprehensive tool for educators and youth leaders to organize their own youth bicycle adventures. Kids these days are less active than they were thirty years ago. As a result, youth obesity rates are at an all-time high and many lifestyle-related illnesses such as childhood diabetes are on the rise. Youth cycling tours are an excellent opportunity to introduce kids to the joy and beauty of getting active. Bicycle tours provide outstanding opportunities for youth to combine physical and mental challenges, hone social skills, learn about different regions of the world, and gain confidence and a sense of self-sufficiency through experiential learning. The Guide covers many of the details that leaders need to know when considering or planning a bike tour with youth, including equipment, how to pack, route planning, food, and camping/lodging options. There are no bounds – beyond time and energy – to what type of life-changing experience you can create. Read more about Pedal Pioneers.
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD BICYCLE ROUTE
This unique bicycle route, completed in 2007, honors the bravery of freedom seekers and those that provided shelter, by following the most storied trek to freedom in American history. The UGRR, with its poignant stories and vibrant historical sites, adds new depth to the experience of traveling by bike.
Starting in Mobile, Alabama, the route winds north through river valleys and wildlife refuges to Kentucky and Ohio, before reaching Lake Erie, Niagara Falls, and its end-point in Owen Sound, Ontario on Lake Huron's Georgian Bay, the final destination for many freedom seekers. Besides the lush green scenery and the many small towns the route passes through, a host of museums, historic parks, and visitor centers bring the history of this remarkable period alive. Learn more about the Underground Railroad maps, or learn about how we partnered with The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Minority Health. In November, 2008. The Underground Railroad Bicycle Route was honored to receive the American Trails National Partnership Award. Do you want to be a part of the route? We’re looking for partners to produce Day Trip Maps throughout the country.
ORGANIZATIONAL TIMELINE
View our organizational timeline to see our accomplishments and completed projects since 1973.
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