Adventure Cycling Association

Which route do I take across the country? How do I decide? I have so little time in life for a big adventure, and this feels like my one shot. How do I make the most of it?

Dear Epic Adventurer,

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the possibilities for a big bike adventure. At the same time, what a great problem to have! It sounds like while time is not limitless, you’ve carved out a few months for an epic journey. You’ve probably done a fair bit of research already, but let’s review some top-notch resources for molding your dream into concrete plans.

Adventure Cycling’s Interactive Network Map is an amazing place to start because it will show you loads of routes of varying distances all together. Once you’ve taken some time to ponder all those colorful lines crisscrossing the country, I recommend unchecking the “Complete Adventure Cycling Route Network” box and start clicking into some individual routes. You can view multiple routes at a time, so maybe you want a quick visual comparison of the Northern Tier versus the TransAmerica Trail. You can then ask yourself, “Do I want to battle headwinds across North Dakota or across Kansas?” Just kidding. Kind of.

You don’t have to pick a single route either. You can use this tool to mix and match Adventure Cycling routes for a “Choose Your Own Adventure,” well, adventure. Maybe you want to start on the Northern Tier in Anacortes, Washington, and follow it all the way to Indiana where you’ll switch over to the Chicago to New York City route and end your journey in the Big Apple. Or take Bicycle Route 66 from Santa Monica, California, to Odell, Illinois, where you jump on the Northern Tier all the way to Bar Harbor, Maine. The possibilities are — quite literally — endless.

Hopefully, this interactive tool will help you start seeing what most appeals to you. Are there certain states that you’ve always wanted to visit? Or places you’ve been before, but wished you were on your bike when you did? Do you have friends or relatives you could see along the way? Maybe you want to pass through places of personal or historical significance. If so, plot them all on a map and think about how best to make a meaningful trip for you.

And remember, a cross-country tour doesn’t only mean riding coast to coast. Crossing the country may mean North to South or South to North, opening popular routes like the Pacific Coast, Atlantic Coast, and Great Divide. Not to mention the Underground Railroad or the Sierra Cascades, the latter of which is perfect if you like big climbs and big descents.

Time of year and weather should be the next element you take into account. The feasibility, not to mention enjoyability, of many routes is entirely season dependent. If you have a specific time period in which to make this trip work, it could help determine your route. Please don’t try to ride the Southern Tier in summer!

Everything that I’ve mentioned so far is 100 percent free to use. Pretty amazing, right? Once you’re serious about a particular route or combination of routes, it’s time to drill into the details, including riding conditions, terrain, logistics, and additional resources. And the best way to do that is to put your money where your mouth is. Because they’re packed with so much information, Adventure Cycling’s digital and paper maps are broken into sections. You can purchase them individually or buy the whole route as a set (10 percent off for Adventure Cycling members). If you’re questioning the cost, I can assure you that Adventure Cycling maps are above and beyond what you’ll find anywhere else, both in terms of the route design and for critical information about services like stores and places to stay.

If you like to navigate digitally, Adventure Cycling’s new partnership with Ride with GPS is a game-changer. Once you buy the digital route, you can navigate it straight away with the Ride with GPS app on your smart phone. Or you can export it from the Experience Portal to your own Ride with GPS account, so you can break the route down into individual days and personalize your waypoints and destinations. From there, you can transfer your routes to a bike computer, so you can save your phone battery for all those great pictures you’re going to take.

Getting back to the research phase of things, it’s helpful to read some accounts from other touring cyclists, including what they did and didn’t like about their routes. Travelogues and memoirs are great for this, but they are often a retrospective of the journey. For a real-time look at life on the road, check out the journals on Crazy Guy on a Bike (includes crazy gals, too) and Track My Tour. Adventure Cycling’s forum can also be a great resource.

Even if you’re planning to camp most nights, an indoor stay from time to time will be appreciated for getting clean, charged up, and rejuvenated. Just thinking about rolling into a basic motel after roughing it outdoors for multiple nights makes me smile. Many touring cyclists like to plan an indoor stay once every 7 to 10 days, perhaps in combination with a layover/non-biking day. It can be a great excuse to explore a bigger city or place with lots to see without having to sacrifice a cycling day.

Another amazing resource is Warmshowers. You can join for life for a nominal fee and enjoy humanity at its best by staying with folks who open their homes to touring cyclists. For free! Sometimes it’s a campsite in their yard and use of a shower, but it’s often an indoor stay, a conversation, and a hearty meal or two, as well. The icing on the cake is the incredible people you’ll meet, with local knowledge and their own bike adventures to share.

So far, this discussion presumes that you’re planning this trip either self-supported or with your own arrangements for help from adventurous friends or partners. But don’t dismiss the guided tours offered by Adventure Cycling. You’ll still have to pick which route speaks to you the most, but the logistics are mostly sorted for you. You’ll also have instant companionship for your epic journey. For many folks, that all sounds great, while others really like the flexibility that comes from independent touring. Just another thing to consider as you plan.

The last part of your question, regarding how to make the most of your trip requires letting go of any sense of FOMO and truly taking in all the sights, terrain, and people you’ll meet along the way. No matter which route you choose or how far you go, seeing the country from the seat of your bicycle will undoubtably be the experience of a lifetime. Wishing you tailwinds all the way.