This article in the January, 2008 Adventure Cycling Association's Adventure Cyclist magazine lists its top 10 bike touring areas in North America (The article is not online). The areas listed

GAP (Great Allegheny Passage) and C&O Canal towpath - When these two trails are put together, they create a route from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. Here is the listing for the Allegheny Passage. Here is the listing for the C&O Canal.

The Canol Road, Yukon - This trail was originally built during WWII for oil access. This off-road route is remote. This webpage provides information about the Canol Road.

The White Mountains - These are the White Mountains in New England. The area sports scenic highways, bike paths and off-road options. There also is plentiful camping opportunities. Here is the listing for White Mountains.

North Rim of the Grand Canyon - This is a mountain bike tour that goes along the remote North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Here is the listing for the Grand Canyon. The article says that you can contact its author, Aaron Teasdale at ateasdale (at) adventurecycling (dot) org.

Lake Superior - Going around the largest of the Great Lakes is a 1400 mile ride encompassing Minnesota and Wisconsin in the US and Ontario in Canada. The area contains National Parks, bike paths, waterfalls, wildlife, camping and lots of local Inns. Here is the listing for bike touring in Wisconsin. Here is the listing for the Great Lakes.

Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive - The parkway goes along the crest of the Blue Ridge mountains from Virginia to North Carolina. There is a lot of steep climbing and limited camping opportunities (only in designated campgrounds). Much of the route is on National Park land. Here is the listing for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Cascades and Okanogan Valley - Okanogan Valley is in north-central Washington state on the east side of the Cascades. The suggested route follows over Washington Pass (5477 ft) over to the west side of the Cascades. Here is the listing for the State of Washington.

Big Sur and the California Coast - The suggested route goes from San Francisco to LA (or Santa Barbara) down Highway 1. It is a fabulous ride. Here is the listing for California, it contains lots of information about this route. I wrote a tour journal of my first ride on this route.

Montana's Great Divide - This is the Montana section of the ACA's Great Divide Route. The route is off-road and remote. A mountain bike is highly recommended. Here is the listing of for Great Divide route.

Nova Scotia's Cape Breton and Cabot Trail - Nova Scotia is part of a Canada and is an island off Canada's southeastern coast. Here is the wikipedia entry for Nova Scotia if you want to know more about it. The Cabot Trail is 186 miles that goes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Here is the listing for Nova Scotia. One of the links points to a Cabot Trail website.
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Copyright © 2007 by Ray Swartz