Originally Posted by
n4zou
I've done that several times. Both the Chief Ladiga and Silver Comet trails have been completed so there are no detours or traffic at all. The pavement between Jacksonville, AL and Piedmont, AL is getting rough in places. A couple of places are bad enough that you should not ride over broken pavement with skinny road bike tires as it could cut them. If you camp along the way you will need to do it stealth style. The only campground along the way is just south of Piedmont, AL and you must make arrangements with the city to camp there and thats hard to do for just one or two people. If your with the boy scout's it's easy. Otherwise it's not worth the effort. There are no steep hills to climb and you would have no trouble with even an old heavy 3-speed bike loaded with gear. I've done both trails both ways in two days but thats no fun at all. Three days doing about 70 miles a day is reasonable if you don't stop often to take pictures. Four days allows you to stop often to take pictures and enjoy the trip.
I intend to do it over a couple of days and stay at motels or hotels along the way. I am going to take a Surly CrossCheck with Schwalbe Marathons so flats should not be a problem. They are 700x28 and can take a licking and keep on ticking