Routes, Gear, Events: Start Planning Your 2017 Bike Travel With Our Free Tools
February 10, 2017 - Josh Tack blogs for Adventure Cycling every month.
Planning your 2017 bicycle adventures can seem like a daunting task. Route design, logistics, and finding the time in your busy schedule can stop many people in their tracks — just ask Snuggles the cat. Fortunately, we’re here to help with piles of free online resources. Check out just a few of the bike-travel resources we have to offer:
BikeOvernights.org
Bicycle travel doesn’t have to overwhelm your summer. If all you have is a weekend, that’s all you need. BikeOvernights.org is Adventure Cycling’s crowd-sourced resource providing detailed accounts of one to two night bike trips throughout the United States. You can get some bike-travel ideas rolling with this, especially if you use the categories (on the left side) to search for bike overnights in your state, like California, or Indiana, or Massachusetts.
Bike Travel Weekend, June 2–4, 2017
Save the date! Here’s a great weekend for a bike overnight! Go ahead and circle June 2–4 on your calendar because Bike Travel Weekend is coming back for a second year. Plan your own weekend tour anywhere in the world and register it for free right now on our website, or see if anyone else in your area has a local ride set up. If you’re in need of a spark of inspiration, check out some of our Bike Travel Weekend ideas.
Bike Your Park Day, September 30, 2017
Save this date too! Our public lands are special places and what better way to explore them than by bike! The second annual Bike Your Park Day is on September 30. Free registration for your ride starts March 15, 2017.
Online Forums
Have a question and looking hard for an answer? Check out our online forums. Thousands of cyclists gather here to help each other out on route advice, gear selection, and even discussions on details like food options.
Adventure Cycling Maps
The Adventure Cycling Route Network (click this link to see our interactive map) covers more than 45,000 miles of mapped routes. These maps have detailed turn-by-turn directions, as well as bike specific services — such as campsites, bike shops, restaurants, and lodging. Here’s more information about our Route Network, and here’s where you can buy our route maps.
Peruse all of our online, bike-travel resources and start planning for a big 2017.
Photos by Josh Tack
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TOURING GEAR & TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling’s member services department. It appears once each month, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and offering advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead. Look for Josh’s “Fine Tuned” column in Adventure Cyclist magazine as well.
Comments
My brief advice: invest in ultra lightweight camping gear, carry fewer bags and less weight in general. Most people take way too much stuff and wonder why it is so hard! For all except the most remote trips, a credit card will take care of anything you might have omitted.
Hello, my name is David I live in Colorado I am 59 years old and have been a road cyclist for years. I am looking to switch over to bicycle touring. Any helpful suggestions to get started?
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