Southern Tier Bicycle Route
- Epic Ride
Saguaros, Hill Country barbecue, and Cajun two-steps, on the network's shortest cross-country ride, from Pacific surf to Atlantic sand.
- Distance
- 3,180 miles
- Surface
- 95% paved
- 2+ months
- Route Type
- Point to Point
Ride the Southern Tier Bicycle Route
This route runs east from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida, and most riders travel eastbound in fall, winter, or spring to avoid the desert heat and Gulf hurricane season.
What to Expect
This is the network’s shortest and most accessible cross-country ride, but it still packs in real variety: saguaro desert, sky-island mountains, the rolling Texas Hill Country, and moss-draped Gulf Coast bayous. The cultural backdrop shifts just as dramatically, from Spanish and Mexican influences in California and the Southwest to Cajun country and the Old South. Expect long, dry, sparsely populated stretches in the West, a big climb over Emory Pass, and steady headwinds on some days, but also some of the friendliest small towns in the country.
Riders climb the Tecate Divide before dropping into the below-sea-level Imperial Valley, then cross Arizona’s saguaro and ranch country and top out on Emory Pass, the route’s highest point. Texas takes up nearly a third of the mileage, from the desert arts town of Marfa and the Rio Grande to the Texas Hill Country and the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. The route continues through Cajun country and New Orleans before finishing in St. Augustine, the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the contiguous United States.
The route climbs to 3,890 feet at the Tecate Divide early on, drops below sea level in the Imperial Valley, and climbs again through Arizona and New Mexico to the route’s high point at Emory Pass. From there, desert basins give way to ranch country and the rolling Hill Country before the route flattens through the piney woods and bayous of the Gulf Coast states into Florida. The full route includes detailed riding conditions and field notes for every climb and descent.
Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas bring long, dry, sparsely populated stretches, where services are limited and every town is a welcome sight. Bike shops are scarce between the major cities, so carry spare tubes and basic tools. Cell coverage can drop out across the western desert and ranch country, so download your Ride with GPS route for offline use.
Most riders travel this route October through April to avoid the worst summer desert heat and the Gulf hurricane season, which runs roughly June through November. Winter riding isn’t always warm, though: expect cold nights in the high desert, possible snow on Emory Pass, and occasional winter storms. In the cooler months, seasonal visitors fill campgrounds and RV parks around Phoenix, so plan ahead there.
Route Sections
San Diego, CA to Tempe, AZ, 432.4 miles
From San Diego, the route follows bike paths and residential streets on a steady climb into the mountains, joining I-8 briefly at In-Ko-Pah Pass before dropping into the Imperial Valley towns of Calexico and Brawley, an agricultural region worth stocking up in before a stretch of limited services. The route continues past the Chocolate Mountains into Arizona, staying mostly flat from Ehrenberg to the section’s end at Tempe.
Alternates:
- Yuma Alternate 16.4 miles shorter than the main route. Leaves the main route just east of El Centro and rejoins it in Peoria, in the Phoenix metro area, avoiding the winding, narrow, hilly SR 78 and its truck and recreational traffic. Includes about 45 miles of interstate riding and passes near the full-service town of Yuma.
Tempe, AZ to El Paso, TX, 512.9 miles
This section runs through urban Tempe traffic before a narrow, shoulderless stretch near Usery Pass, then continues through the full-service towns of Tonto Basin, Roosevelt, Globe, and Safford. Services thin out on U.S. 70 in eastern Arizona and stay limited into Duncan and on to Silver City, New Mexico, where riders choose between a rolling main route past the Santa Rita Open Pit Copper Mine or the longer, more scenic Gila Cliff Dwellings Alternate. The main route climbs over Emory Pass, the highest point on the Southern Tier, before following the Rio Grande into El Paso.
Alternates:
- Gila Cliff Dwellings Alternate 69 miles longer than the main route. Passes through historic Pinos Altos and climbs and descends through thick pine forests to the Gila River drainage, a scenic but narrow and winding road that calls for caution on the descents. Lordsburg Spur, a 2-mile detour off the main route for full services.
El Paso, TX to Del Rio, TX, 432.6 miles
El Paso and its surroundings run hot, desert-like, and often busy, so avoid rush hours where roads run rough. The route parallels the Rio Grande and I-10 on flat, dry terrain through Van Horn, with services extremely limited on that stretch. Marfa, a small desert arts hub known for its mysterious “Marfa Lights,” offers a cultural stop, though services stay sparse again between Marathon and Comstock.
Del Rio, TX to Navasota, TX, 433.0 miles
Leaving Del Rio, the route follows two-lane highways with good shoulders before a narrower climb away from the Rio Grande valley into the famous Texas Hill Country, passing the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. Traffic increases through Austin, though bike paths ease the crossing, and the route continues through Bastrop and Buescher State Parks on rolling countryside toward Navasota.
Navasota, TX to New Orleans, LA, 570.4 miles
From Navasota, the route continues through Texas farming and ranching country before passing through the lush Big Thicket near the Louisiana border. The culture shifts noticeably in Louisiana, where Mamou offers Cajun music and food worth a stop, and the route follows mostly low-traffic rural roads on flat terrain into New Orleans.
New Orleans, LA to DeFuniak Springs, FL, 306.2 miles
This section leaves New Orleans along the Gulf Coast, crossing into Mississippi and Alabama before continuing into the Florida Panhandle toward DeFuniak Springs.
DeFuniak Springs, FL to St. Augustine, FL, 390.9 miles
The route continues across the Florida Panhandle before turning northeast to finish in St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the country.
Southern Tier Bicycle Route Photos
Plan Your Ride
Timing is everything on this route: plan around desert heat, hurricane season, and the long, sparsely served stretches through ranch country before you go.
Trip Planning & Logistics
San Diego International and Jacksonville International airports serve both ends of the route, and Amtrak’s Sunset Limited roughly parallels the route between Southern California and New Orleans. Most riders travel eastbound, and a typical supported group tour takes about 59 days. The route connects to the Sierra Cascades near Pine Valley, California, the Grand Canyon Connector near Wickenburg, Arizona, Great Rivers South in New Orleans, and the Atlantic Coast and Florida Connector routes in St. Augustine. This route is available in paper and digital formats through Adventure Cycling’s shop and includes routing, detailed service information, riding conditions, and field notes for trip planning.
A standard touring bike suits this mostly paved route well. Pack sun protection and extra water capacity for the desert and ranch country in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas, plus warm layers for cold desert nights. Thorny plants in the desert can puncture tires, so consider tire liners or sealant, and carry rain gear for the Gulf Coast states.
Camping and indoor lodging are both available along most of the route, with state parks in Texas and the Gulf states making good overnight stops. Services grow more frequent approaching the Texas Hill Country and the Gulf Coast. Reservations help around Phoenix in winter, when seasonal visitors fill campgrounds, and in Austin and coastal towns during peak season. Some campgrounds charge solo cyclists the same as a full tent or RV site, and Warmshowers hosts are an option in the larger cities.
Resupply is limited in the dry ranch country of Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas, so top off water at every opportunity. Services grow fuller near Austin and along the Gulf Coast. Along the way, expect Tex-Mex, Hill Country barbecue, and Cajun cooking in Louisiana. Check your digital route in Ride with GPS for service phone numbers, and call ahead for anything outside peak season.
Carry plenty of water and ride early to avoid the heat in the desert, and watch for wildfire conditions in dry months. The route uses interstate shoulders in a few places, including I-8 and parts of I-10, so wear bright clothing and stay alert for debris. Near the border, expect Border Patrol checkpoints, and carry identification. Traffic is heavy in urban areas like Tempe and Austin, and loose dogs are common on rural roads in the Gulf states.
Always check Adventure Cycling Route Updates and Corrections before you go.
Routes change. Bridges wash out, businesses close, and construction pops up overnight. We strive to keep routes updated as those things happen. When we learn about a change, we reroute around sections that have become dangerous or are temporarily closed for road work, bridge outages, or construction, and we update service information as businesses open, close, or move. Digital routes are updated as soon as we’ve reviewed a reported issue.
You’re often the first to spot these changes out on the road. Help us keep this route accurate for the next rider by reporting anything you notice with our Route Feedback Form.
This Route Is Part of Something Bigger
It’s one piece of the Adventure Cycling Route Network, began in 1976 and built on a simple mission: to empower people to travel by bike. Our team maps and maintains it; our members and donors make it possible.
-
Explore the Adventure Cycling Route Network
Our premium routes are well researched by our cartographers and well traveled by thousands of cyclists.
Adventure Cycling Route Network -
Support Route Development
Our members are the reason we can offer three route networks tailored for specific experiences and riders.
Become a Member -
Stay Connected
Find your stoke with our newsletter all about routes, gear, stories, and cycling news in your inbox twice a month.
Sign up for Bike Bits
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s our flagship, staff-built route network. The one that started it all 50 years ago with the TransAmerica Trail, the route that launched bicycle touring and bikepacking in America. Every route in it is designed and researched by our own team of cyclists and cartographers: months of research and on-the-ground testing go into each one, so what you get is more than a line on a map. Each Adventure Cycling route has detailed logistics, terrain and elevation info, points of interest, camping and lodging, safety alerts, and history, all in one place. It’s the most in-depth of our three networks, available as digital routes and most as paper maps too. It’s the route network we update most regularly as conditions change.
They’re related, but not the same thing. The Adventure Cycling Route Network is made up of routes we’ve researched, ridden, and mapped ourselves, chosen specifically for a great touring or bikepacking experience. The U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) is a state-by-state national system that we serve as technical experts for, made official through each state’s department of transportation. The two overlap in a lot of places, but an ACRN route carries our own on-the-ground vetting; a USBRS route carries official state recognition.
It depends! If you want a route we’ve personally scouted end to end, with services, camping, and terrain notes built in, start with the Route Network. The ACA Route Network has routes of many different lengths and can be a much easier starting place for someone new to bicycle travel. If you’re an experienced cyclist piecing together an officially designated corridor, or riding somewhere the two systems converge, the interactive USBRS map is a good resource to use.
The Adventure Cycling Route Network is a premium network because of everything that goes into it. Unlike the U.S. Bicycle Route System (built by state DOTs) or Short Routes (submittedby cyclists in their own communities), every Adventure Cycling route is researched, ridden, and vetted end-to-end by our own team. Unlike other routes, Adventure Cycling routes come with extensive information on riding conditions, terrain notes, camping and lodging info, logistics, safety alerts, and points of interest. We also keep it current as roads and services change. The price supports that ongoing research and maintenance work, done by a nonprofit whose whole mission is making sure the route in your hands is one you can trust.
Turn-by-turn directions with a bike icon aren’t the same as a route built for specifically touring or bikepacking. Every mile in the Adventure Cycling Route Network has been researched and ridden by our staff and researchers, chosen to avoid dangerous traffic, and mapped with what a touring cyclist actually needs — food, water, camping, hotels, bike shops — spaced out along the way. The Adventure Cycling Route Network was built for cyclists by cyclists, is regularly updated, and comes with the resources and information needed to plan your ride.
No. The network includes routes for a wide range of experience and difficulty levels, from a first multi-day trip to a cross-country expedition. What every route has in common is that it was chosen with a touring cyclist’s needs in mind, whatever kind of trip you’re planning.
Not at all. Alongside iconic long-distance routes like the TransAmerica Trail, the network includes shorter regional routes, so it works for a weeklong vacation or a two-month journey.
For many years, we focused on paved routes, but today the network includes plenty of unpaved gravel riding for bikepacking. In fact, Adventure Cycling mapped the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in 1998, arguably the most impactful bikepacking route in the world. The Adventure Cycling Route Network also includes the Golden Gravel Trail, Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route, Arkansas High Country Route, and more. Some routes are a 50/50 mix of pavement and gravel. Some routes follow paved and unpaved bike paths and rail trails. The Adventure Cycling Route Network has terrain for every cyclist.
We revisit our printed maps every three to five years, and push corrections to our digital route data as we learn about changes on the ground. If you have an Adventure Cycling Route in Ride with GPS that we’ve updated, you’ll get a notification when you open the route to update to the newest version of the route. Updating will ensure you have the latest data, information, and points of interest vital to being on route. For cyclists who have Adventure Cycling paper maps, we keep a list of route- and section-specific updates current on our Map Updates and Corrections page.
Change comes from two directions: our own staff research and reports from the cyclists actually out there riding them. If a bridge washes out, a shoulder disappears, a campground closes for repairs, or a town loses its only grocery store, that’s the kind of thing that triggers an update. You can help us keep our routes accurate; fill out our Route Feedback Form.
Most of our Adventure Cycling Routes come as waterproof print maps and digital Ride with GPS navigational data. Our print maps are the #1 longstanding popular resource for traveling cyclists. They are waterproof, highly detailed and always work. For long trips, many cyclists use a combination of print maps and digital routes.
If you’re already comfortable and familiar with a GPS navigational aid such as Ride with GPS or a Garmin, our digital data packages are an excellent choice. We do not recommend GPX data for beginners since there are a few extra steps to installing and troubleshooting.
Once you purchase a digital route, you’ll get an email with a link to unlock it in the free Ride with GPS app — no separate subscription required for basic navigation. From there you get turn-by-turn voice directions, curated points of interest like campgrounds and bike shops, and field notes on the history, geography, and climate along your route, all available 100% offline. If you’drather use a dedicated GPS device, you can export the route as a GPX file to load onto a Garmin, Wahoo, or similar device.
To export GPX files of your Adventure Cycling digital route, use your laptop or desktop to open the email you received after purchasing your digital route. Click on the link that allows you to access your Digital Route. Finally, click on EXPORT ALL at the bottom of the screen. This is the only way to export files that include the route line, points of interest, and services. Files will be exported as one ZIP file.
Adventure Cycling uses abbreviations across its paper and digital routes to indicate particular services, land or road types, route names, direction of travel, and route type. Please see our key to abbreviations.
If you have questions on how to purchase a digital route or about the route content, please contact Adventure Cycling: cartography@adventurecycling.org or 406-721-1776.
If you have questions on how to use your Digital Route in Ride with GPS, please check the Ride with GPS support page or email them at info@ridewithgps.com.
If you’re new to Ride with GPS, please check out the following resources:
Our print map panels aren’t always oriented northwards for space and layout reasons. Refer to the north arrows to help orient yourself if you’re not sure.
No. The Routes and Mapping Department does not do custom routes for individuals. Check out the routes we’ve already mapped, and use the interactive map to piece our route networks together, forming a route that gets you from a point A to point B of your choice.
It started with a single route. In 1976, we mapped the TransAmerica Trail, and more than 4,000 cyclists crossed the country together for Bikecentennial — the nation’s bicentennial cycling celebration our founders organized. That one route became the seed of a network we’ve spent the decades since expanding. Today it’s more than 58,000 miles of mapped routes across the U.S. and Canada, from classic epics like the TransAmerica Trail, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, and Pacific Coast, to shorter regional routes.