Start Date:

Mar 11, 2018

End Date:

Mar 18, 2018

Start Location:

Panama City, FL

End Location:

Panama City, FL

Total Days:

8

Riding Days:

7

Rest Days:

1

Miles:

336

Average Daily Mileage:

48.0

Surface:

Paved

Riders:

13

Airport:

NW Florida Beaches (ECP)

Tour Leader:

Delinda Hood, Martha Ettel

Meals:

Shared cooking

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Meals - Shared cooking

Your group will share responsibilities for food purchase, preparation, and clean up on a rotating basis. Vegetarian and special dietary needs will be accommodated, though food selection may be limited in some locations.

Accommodations:

Camping

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Accommodations - Camping

Overnights will be at private or public campgrounds with a range of amenities. Depending on the nature and location of the trip, these facilities could range from RV parks with hot tubs, to wilderness locations without running water. Overnight facilities vary, but tents are typically pitched on large, flat, grassy areas. You will need a good freestanding tent with a ground cloth, a sleeping bag rated appropriately for the season and elevation of your tour, and a sleeping pad.

Type:

Supported

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Type - Supported

Supported tours range from fully supported to van supported, and add an ease of travel that comes when vehicles transport your personal gear.

Physical Difficulty:

Beginner+

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Physical Difficulty - Beginner+

In comparison to our Beginner tours, Beginner+ tours have some additional climbing characterized by rolling hills and/or longer daily mileages (35–55 miles per day). These trips are great for newer cyclists looking to challenge themselves. Exception: Family Fun trips tend to have mileage in the 20- to 30-mile per day range.

Level of Support:

Van Supported

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Level Of Support - Van Supported

Adventure Cycling's van-supported tours — where all personal and group gear is transported by a vehicle each day — have 2 leaders and up to 13 riders who camp most nights and share rotating cooking duties, akin to a self-contained trip but with the security and simplicity of van support.

Cost:

$1,259.00

Unsuitable Bicycle Types:

E-Bike, E-Trike

Overview

Take a week this winter and swap the cold and snow for the warm, sandy beaches of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Described as the “Forgotten Coast,” the “Undiscovered Coast,” and “Florida as it used to be,” this tour visits some of the most pristine beaches in America, along with other coastal and inland landscapes. We’ll even carry your belongings so you can enjoy your Sunshine State getaway unburdened by gear.

We’ll camp on barrier islands among white dunes and endless beaches populated by pelicans, cormorants, and ibis. Inland we’ll witness how eons of geologic and hydrologic forces have formed sinkholes, upwelling springs, clear cool streams, and caves. We’ll also learn that Florida is not entirely flat, especially in the northeast section where the gently rolling pine-covered hills of Georgia extend down toward the Gulf.

So shake off the cold, grab your bike, and join us for a winter trip of terrific cycling in a place where you can walk through the white stuff barefoot and warm those frozen toes.

Day 1

St. Andrews State Park, 0 miles. We’ll meet as a group for the first time at beautiful St. Andrews State Park, situated on a peninsula overlooking Grand Lagoon and the Gulf of Mexico. The 1,200-acre park, a former military reservation, is a wilderness oasis that contrasts sharply with Panama City and its parade of high-rise buildings, which march along the far side of Grand Lagoon. There’s plenty to do here, from watching the native wildlife or taking a boat or canoe tour, to enjoying a dip in the Gulf.

Day 2

St. Andrews State Park to Mexico Beach, 38 miles. We’ll start the loop today, taking the back way through Panama City before pedaling along the coast and passing through Tyndall Air Force Base. Our campground is at Mexico Beach — a small, serene town where, it is said, things move at a slower pace and the Gulf waters are warm and clean. Free of river silt and composed entirely of quartz, the beaches here are as white as cotton clouds.

Day 3

Mexico Beach to St. George Island, 61 miles. We’ll pedal along sugar white beaches, passing through sleepy Old Florida settlements, their sands sheltered by the St. Joseph Peninsula. We cross East Bay and Apalachicola Bay via two very long bridges (with wide shoulders) to the barrier island of St. George, popular for its pristine white dunes. Here we'll refresh ourselves by strolling along the endless beaches, searching for shells, and watching the sunset.

Day 4

St. George Island to Ochlockonee River State Park, 40 miles. It’s back across the bridge today, and then we’ll ride near water’s edge. Worth a stop in Carrabelle is the Camp Gordon Johnston Museum, site of a key World War II amphibious training camp. Camp Bell, as it was known during its operational years, was home to some 35,000 troops preparing for the D-Day assault. Our campground tonight is at the junction of the Ochlockonee and Dead Rivers, with nearby nature trails and swimming holes. The park could be called “Meeting of the Waters,” as the rivers here are a mix of brackish water, freshwater, and tidal-surge saltwater. Canoes are available to paddle the lazy Ochlockonee and explore meandering bayous.

Day 5

Ochlockonee River to Torreya State Park, 62 miles. Much of today’s route is through the relatively remote Apalachicola National Forest. We’ll notice that the rivers we cross are wide and slow near the coast. Tonight’s campground is considered one of Florida’s most scenic places. Torreya State Park’s infrastructure, like that of many Florida parks, was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. It is named for a rare and endangered species of evergreen that only grows along the banks of the Apalachicola River. You’ll want to keep your camera close at hand, as over 100 species of birds have been identified in the park.

Day 6

Torreya to Falling Waters State Park, 65 miles. We’ll camp tonight in Falling Waters State Park, where you might want to make time for walking the well-shaded Sink Hole Trail. This pathway leads to the 100-foot deep, 20-foot wide Falling Waters Sink. Where the water goes from there, nobody knows.

Day 7

Falling Waters to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, 70 miles. This state park is named after its highest geographical feature, Topsail Hill — a dune towering 25 feet above sea level. Its lakes, pristine beaches, old-growth longleaf pines, sand pine scrub, and a variety of wetlands offer a bird-watching and hiking paradise.

Day 8

Topsail Hill Preserve to St. Andrews State Park, 41 miles. We’ll close the loop today, spinning past the numerous coastal dune lakes found in this concentration only here and one other spot in Australia, and we’ll ride where the freshwater lakes breach and overflow the dunes to mix with the Gulf waters. We finish the tour along the beautiful white sand beaches bordering the Intracoastal Waterway before saying goodbye to one another and our winter getaway adventure in St. Andrews State Park.

"Thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Great leaders fostered a very cohesive group and were very accommodating to everyone’s needs and wishes."

"I loved hearing the rain on our tent knowing we were warm and cozy inside. I loved seeing my husband rescue a turtle that was crossing a busy highway, and I loved eating with others outside."

"The State Parks were great. Beautifully kept and great locations."

"The warm day that finished the tour. The folks back home in St Louis were cold!"